In light of Active Learning as a philosophy in order to enhance participation and engagement, we have asked Giorgia Romagnoli about the tools and teaching approach she uses in her Microeconomics 2 course in the BSc E&BE.

What form of Active Learning do you use in your education to keep your students engaged?

At the start of the course, I use an anonymous intake survey that asks students for the problems they most aspire to solve as economists. Topics, tools and paper discussions are tailored to these aspirations. Furthermore, during the break of the lecture, students answer a quiz on Canvas for bonus points. The quiz tests a simple understanding of the knowledge clips and the first hour of class, pushing students to come to class prepared and break the ice with the first layer of learning. Lastly, three bi-weekly assignments replace the midterm. They seem to be an effective (and appreciated) way to promote deep learning, and extensive practice with recurring themes, without the stress of a timed exam.

How would you describe your teaching approach?

I have been experimenting with the horizontal classroom approach, where I place myself (and the academy of knowledge I represent) at the same fallible level of our students: I am fully transparent about the limits of the models and tools, and then go on to explain why we do not yet have better alternatives, and give glimpses of what the frontier of research is currently doing to improve them. I then invite students to contribute ideas to the betterment of our discipline, leaving space for a plural discussion. Showing the imperfections of science makes me more approachable and students less shy in contributing creatively. Students like this method, but it is fundamental to remain constructive, so they can trust that the imperfect models they are working hard to learn are still useful.

“Showing the imperfections of science makes me more approachable and students less shy in contributing creatively.”

Do you have tips for your fellow colleagues to keep students participating and engaged?

Try to disseminate the course with many small chances to acquire points and test one’s knowledge, and treat the students as adults. Also, show students that their learning is valuable precisely because there is so much that we still have to understand and resolve in our field. This provides the why for their effort, the message being “study hard, we need your help!”. Then, show that the tools we are learning are empowering: they facilitate their ability to contribute effectively to solving a challenge. Lastly, focus on the most relevant challenges for our times. From my surveys, the two core topics for our students by far are climate change and inequalities – a wise pick!

Want to get in touch to discuss and share? Reach out to Giorgia via e-mail or contact TLC at TLC-EB@uva.nl.