Teaching

I embrace teaching as an opportunity to inspire and empower others. In my teaching, I strive to help students develop a strong grasp of economic concepts and tools along with an awareness of when and how to apply this knowledge towards solving actual problems. I try to maintain a lively and interactive classroom, presenting theories, concepts, and empirical material to students in such a way that they can integrate them into their own life experiences. In this way, I help students to learn the role of economics in critical and ethical decision-making and inspire them to grow intellectually and cultivate curiosity.

In my experience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, I have worked to operationalize my teaching philosophy. I believe that a teacher must lead students on an intellectual journey through their course of study. In my role as a teacher, I set three primary goals:

– to develop a broad array of teaching skills and adjust them according to the needs of my students,

– to provide an environment that is challenging, but at the same time supportive, and

– to lead students on an intellectual journey through their course of study.

I always strive to have sound knowledge of concepts as well as broad knowledge beyond the realms of the particular course being taught, so I can provide useful inter-disciplinary examples and make learning exciting and challenging at the same time. I always provide lecture outlines, handouts, worksheets, homework assignments, and copies of old exams and quizzes to supplement lectures covered during the class. All of my classes include assessment of student learning outcomes using tools such as frequent interactive questions, end-of-the-class quizzes, and periodic exams, which allow me to measure students’ progress and re-emphasize issues covered.  

Over the last few years, I have been fortunate to receive several Peer-Reviewed Teaching Grants from CSI and from CUNY. These grants allowed me to re-design the existing courses and offer them online even before the pandemic started. I re-designed my Money and Capital Markets (ECO/FNC 213) course so that students have an opportunity to complete the Bloomberg Certification as an extra credit assignment and learn the materials covered in the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam.[1] The separation of the SIE exam from the series exams created a strong incentive for firms to hire only those applicants who have already successfully passed the SIE exam. Successful completion of the SIE exam presents an opportunity for anyone with a desire to work in the financial services industry to stand out from the pack as employers can use the exam as a screening device for candidates. Without the need to gain sponsorship from a FINRA member firm, the SIE exam lowers the barrier for test-takers to enter into the financial securities industry and helps prospective employers in their search for committed applicants who have a solid grasp of the building blocks of the industry and have a higher chance of successfully passing the series exam

Over the last few years, I had an opportunity to speak at several teaching conferences about the balance between synchronous & asynchronous learning and about open OER, OA, and Pedagogy. I see teaching as a privilege. I regularly try to improve my teaching skills by seeking students’ feedback, talking with peers, attending teaching seminars and conferences on pedagogical research, and investigating new teaching methods. Through these evaluative and informative processes, I am determined to continually refine my teaching practices and grow as a teacher.

[1]Since Fall 2018, FINRA (the United States Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) has restructured the testing for nine of the series licenses (Series 6, 7, 22, 57, 79, 82, 86, 87, and 99) after identifying those that contain common content. This core content is what is tested in the new Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam, which is an introductory level exam assessing a candidate’s knowledge of the financial products and their risks; the structure of the securities industry markets, regulatory agencies and their functions; and prohibited practices.