Track 2: Engaging students for success

Premiere: Tuesday 18 June, starting at 3pm BST//10am EDT

Watch on YouTube

Presenters:

Postgraduate Curriculum and Low-stakes Assessment for the Economics of Fertility and Women’s Time

Creina Day (Australian National University)

Abstract
This proposal outlines an initiative to integrate gender perspectives into postgraduate macroeconomics, focusing on the economics of fertility and women’s time. By addressing the gender imbalance in economics education through the development of new course content and implementation of low-stakes assessment strategies, we aimed to foster a more inclusive learning environment. Preliminary findings indicate positive outcomes, with female students outperforming males on assessment and increased engagement reported in student feedback.

Description
We developed curriculum to engage students with how reducing gender inequality can explain the real-world phenomenon of reverse-J fertility dynamics (Day, 2024). The course content focused on diagrams and intuition to disseminate the key theoretical concepts through digestible versions that resonate with students, fostering deeper understanding and critical thinking.

We implemented low-stakes assessment strategies to alleviate performance pressure and mitigate the gender gap in student achievement. An assignment with low technical content and assessment weighting was designed to develop understanding of the mechanisms underlying mathematical models in journal articles and highlight the role of simplifying assumptions and government policy.

Rationale
Traditional macroeconomic textbooks overlook the role of gender inequality in shaping economic outcomes, thus perpetuating a biased understanding of real-world phenomena. Nevertheless, students identify inequality as the most pressing issue in economics today (Bowles and Carlin, 2020). Recent theoretical literature explores the association between fertility and gender wage inequality. The decision to develop a simplified analysis of these models aligns with evidence that interventions on curriculum can significantly reduce the gender gap in economics graduates (Mallory et al., 2021).

The decision to implement low-stakes assessment strategies stemmed from a recognition of the systemic barriers faced by women in learning outcomes. Research indicates that women who receive “good” grade surprises are nudged to pursue further economics education at university (Halim et al, 2021) and that women are disproportionately affected by performance pressure on high-stakes assessment (Schlosser et al, 2019, Graetz and Karimi, 2022).

Impact
Results suggest that the initiative has had a positive impact on student learning outcomes, particularly among female students. Analysis of assessment data reveals that the average mark of female students exceeded that of their male counterparts. These results are benchmarked against average student performance in economics by gender reported in an overseas study. Analysis of student feedback indicates a positive impact of the new curriculum. The results of thematic analysis of qualitative feedback suggest that the initiative increased relevance and engagement, enhanced understanding, and promoted critical thinking.

Conclusion
This initiative represents an important step towards addressing the gender imbalance in postgraduate economics education. By integrating gender perspectives and implementing low-stakes assessment, we create a more inclusive learning environment conducive to equitable student outcomes. The broader impact of the initiative is evident through the publication of course content in a referred journal’s “For the Student” section and recognition with the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

The use of ‘nudging’ techniques to improve non-compulsory seminar attendance in two first-year Economics modules at a UK university.

Olha Matviiets (University of Exeter) and Debbie Du Preez (University of Exeter)

Economics is an area of study that requires active participation and engagement from students due to its analytical nature. Studies show that regular attendance of economics seminars enhances students’ understanding and mastery of economic concepts through exposure to real-world examples, and practical applications (Zepke, 2017). Furthermore, consistent class attendance fosters managerial skills, including time management, organization, and discipline (Cagliesi and Ghanei, 2022). These transferable skills yield long-term advantages in both personal and professional domains. Incentivizing students to prioritize their attendance can have a significant impact on their academic success and overall educational experience. Students who attend classes regularly have been shown to perform better academically compared to those with poor attendance records (Lu and Cutumisu, 2022).

This case study aims to further contribute to the ongoing discourse on improving seminar attendance and student engagement by applying two ‘nudging’ strategies within two first-year Economics modules at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI).

Given the non-compulsory nature of seminars at this HEI, previous year attendance reports for these two modules have consistently shown high levels of non-participation among the student population. It is also apparent that the rate of attendance decreases as one moves through the term. This case study utilises two ‘nudge strategies’ in an attempt to improve seminar attendance rates across these two modules and potentially enhance student engagement overall.

The use of ‘nudging’ strategies to change human behaviour has been extensively studied in the literature, however the application of specific ‘nudges’ to improve student attendance and engagement is a relatively new area of interest within the field of Experimental Economics. A ‘nudge’ refers to any adjustment made within a person’s current environment that alters their behaviour in a predictable manner, without “forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives” (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008; p6). One main ‘nudging’ strategy was employed for each module: In the ‘Economics for Management’ seminar sessions, a ‘low stakes’ formative assessment was offered to those students who attended with immediate discussion and feedback provided; in the ‘Economic Principles’ seminar sessions, the students are provided with name tags to encourage a sense of belonging and promote a supportive classroom atmosphere. Research suggests that promoting a sense of belonging adds value to the overall student learning experience and can contribute to their desire to attend classes more regularly (Menendez Alvarez-Hevia, Lordand and Naylor, 2021; Cagliesi and Ghanei, 2022).

In each module, the seminar sessions where ‘nudges’ were implemented were selected at random by the module convenors. While the study is ongoing, initial findings reveal a positive student attitude to the specific ‘nudge’ employed. It is hoped that a combination of both qualitative and quantitative feedback on the application, and effects, if any, of these ‘nudges’ will offer up valuable insights into factors that motivate seminar attendance. These insights could further inform discussions around the effectiveness of educational practices in a HE context.

Using Perusall to help students read the economics textbook

Mark Maier (Glendale Community College)

In this poster presentation I will summarize data collected on student use of Perusall while reading Principles of Economics textbooks. First, I will briefly describe the:

My data collection provided insights about how students read the textbook, and how Perusall could help them learn from the textbook. Over three terms students were required to use Perusall as they read the textbook. I copied student entries for selected chapters and coded them by type of entry. In the presentation I will:

  • provide examples of the dominant types of entry
  • explore the learning science implication of each type of entry
  • explain how instructors can prompt students to use that type of entry more effectively for learning

The types of entry were (in descending order of frequency)

  • Sense making by rewriting ideas in student’s own words
  • Examples from past experience in student’s personal or academic life
  • Question asking based on confusion
  • Answer to another student’s question
  • Commentary on current economic policies
  • Critique of the textbook’s approach
  • Making a prediction about where the text was going next

Finally, I will suggest ways in which Perusall can be a rich source of data for economic education research.