This proposal represents an effort to effectively disseminate NSF-funded interactive and thematic introductory micro- and macro-economics courses designed and implemented at the University of Cincinnati. These courses use themes to help students from differing backgrounds and disciplinary interests learn to apply economic concepts and theories. These classes are taught interactively, requiring students to write, speak, solve problem, and analyze. It is proposed to offer short "tasting workshops" at scheduled economics conferences to increase awareness of the thematic and active learning approaches; enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a large number of faculty at low cost; create a pool of potential attendees for a longer workshop; and provide feedback concerning the needs of faculty in the areas of active learning and thematic courses. Further, we will assess the effectiveness of these workshops in terms of (1) the extent to which interactive and thematic methods are used by participants prior to the workshops; (2) participants' end-of workshop intentions; (3) longer term follow-up assessments. The primary audience for the workshops is faculty who teach introductory economics courses. However, given that standard introductory economics is often presented in a format largely disconnected from contexts familiar and important to women and minorities, and that the interactive thematic curricula specifically addresses this issue, we will give preference to faculty who teach more diverse student bodies. Successful implementation of the proposed dissemination project could have a national impact. The problems of selective appeal, high enrollments, and limited resources are experienced in hundreds of schools throughout the nation and in a variety of departments.
