In recent years there has been growing concern that the teaching of economics is lagging behind other disciplines in implementing innovations that engage students more actively in the learning process. To address this problem, our project is exploring a set of previously-NSF-funded teaching innovations from STEM disciplines that have demonstrated success, in terms of instructor use, student learning, and professional research, and is investigating their adaptability into economics education. The project is making significant intellectual contributions to the economics education knowledge base by: (1) undertaking a comprehensive analysis of six well-developed teaching innovations in STEM disciplines and applying them to economics education; (2) field-testing these teaching innovations, with a special focus on assessing the applicability of these innovations in economics, the linkages between modern learning theory and classroom experience, and the incorporation of new assessment techniques; and (3) providing an external review of our analysis and assessment of class-based field-testing by experts in economic education and STEM-related fields.
