Lehmann Teachingeffect

Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness Summary of Instructor Ratings Below is a summary of student teaching evaluations from the courses in which I served as the main instructor at the University of Houston and Boston University. Photocopies of the full set of student evaluations and comments are available upon request. • Economics 4389: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Fall 2013)2 • Economics 4389: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Spring 2013) • Economics 8365: Labor Economics II - Ph.D. (Spring 2013) • Economics 4389: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Fall 2011) • Economics 325: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Fall 2008) • Economics 101: Introductory Microeconomic Analysis (Summer 2007) Table 1: Rating of Instructor (on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best) U of H U of H U of H Boston U Spring 2013 Spring 2013 Fall 2011 Fall 2008 Criteria / Course Pov. & Disc. Ph.D. Labor Pov. & Disc. Pov. & Disc. Overall rating of instructor 4.50 4.50 4.50 4.68 Effectiveness in explaining concepts 4.57 4.75 4.70 4.53 Enthusiasm/Ability to stimulate interest 4.64 4.38 4.70 4.25 Encouragement of class participation 4.64 4.25 4.80 3.97 Fairness in grading 4.21 4.63 4.50 4.42 Promptness in returning assignments 4.57 4.75 4.60 4.67 Quality of feedback to students 4.57 4.63 4.60 4.55 Availability outside of class 4.57 4.38 4.70 4.63 1 Boston U Summer 2007 Intro. Micro. 4.52 4.53 4.50 3.90 4.51 4.76 N/A N/A 3 3.1 Examples of Comments from Students Economics 4389: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Fall 2013) “Very organized and lots of material. Well explained. Detailed slides. Extremely intelligent.” “She is a passionate professor.” “Exceptional teacher/professor!” “Interesting material – very eye-opening and informative. She’s awesome, knowledgeable, and very approachable.” “The teaching style – straight-forward and fact-based lectures. Not focused on personal experiences that would distract from material. Very respectful with students. Presented info in good way and always available and receptive to questions. Really enjoyed the class. I learned a lot that goes beyond just the classroom.” “Strengths: Interesting questions, power points, and reviews. She is sweet and enthusiastic.” “Very informative and insightful. Instructor passionate about material and cares about student understanding it.” “Strengths: Explanation and detail of the material. Recommend this instructor to other students? Yes, because this class is hard, but she can teach.” “...this class is very good. I highly recommend this course.” “I loved how detailed and structured the syllabus and Powerpoint slides are.” “Strengths: The different approach to the topics. It was a very eye-opening course because nothing was completely conclusive. There’s always something else that can explain the results. She is very well-prepared.” “Lots of useful info. She is very passionate about the topic and sincere in her care for the subject and her students.” “Strengths: How the course, book, and lecture worked in harmony with each other. Easy to follow in lecture and very helpful.” “The teacher did everything to try to make it interesting. Easy class if you stay on top of work.” “Strengths: Research methods and evaluation, research, advanced contemporary economic theory. Dr. Lehmann is smart and funny.... You will learn practical skills and be better informed. It is truly an advanced level econ class that teaches critical skills.” “Interesting subjects and data. Great, engaging professor.” “She always had everything ready to go when we got here. She was always willing to help. The way she taught most of the lectures made it easier to learn and remember. I definitely would [recommend the instructor to other students], because it is an interesting class and the way she teaches and makes you feel in class is awesome.” “The professor was consistent and organized well. The reviews, problem sets, and Powerpoints were fantastic resources. She was fantastic about grading assignments promptly, especially considering having two small children.” 2 “Well-organized, clearly presented in a neutral, objective manner (which is really hard to do with such controversial and emotionally-charged topics). Professor Jee is very accessible and considerate of students, wants to help them understand, etc., which I always appreciated. Thanks for providing study-guides – very helpful for exam prep as there’s so much material presented! Also, personal note given at conclusion was encouraging after some of the rough, discouraging topics. Good class.” “All the material was available on the class website. This helps because I could read the power points before class and whatever I didn’t understand or have questions over would be answered during lecture. Topics were very interesting and exams were over exactly what was given to study.” 3.2 Economics 4389: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Spring 2013) “A very broad and interesting spectrum of topics and relevant studies. I believe Dr. Lehmann could cover the entire book in one semester or she is talented and knowledgeable enough to do so. Dr. Lehmann is respectful, kind, interesting, and extremely knowledgeable. Bravo!” “The class covered a broad range of very relevant externalities not typically acknowledged in the econ department. The instructor is far less dogmatic and far more open-minded than any other professor I’ve met in this department. She cares about research and facts and is willing to present everything in an understandable fashion.” “Professor was very knowledgeable and went over the material very well. She is passionate about what she teaches.” “Strengths are good reviews and good explanations.” “Strengths of the course: class discussions, being able to ask questions...great course. Instructor is very knowledgeable about subject and material.” 3.3 Economics 8365: Labor Economics II - Ph.D. (Spring 2013) “She was very receptive to student questions. The material was presented in a way that covers many topics and inspires further research. She is a very good teacher and really knows her stuff. For her first time teaching the class, she did a good job.” “We covered the topics I have not encountered in other classes.... She knows the subject matter really well and is really helpful.” “The lectures were well-prepared and informative. Interesting course; well taught.” “The course provided many aspects of current studies in labor economics, which is very helpful for one on finding research topics.” “The lecture notes are clear and helpful.” 3.4 Economics 4389: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Fall 2011) “Professor Jee was awesome when it came to answering questions, however the tests were a lot harder than what we learned in class. Learned really important skills to research and collect data. Overall, Prof. Jee was really great.” 3 “The lectures were structured and presented really well and theories were evaluated thoroughly. Also the limits of research were presented along with the strengths, allowing for a more complete understanding of the subject matter. She seems passionate about her area of research and instruction and has a strong command of the material and relevant research.” “Opened my eyes (more/wider) to social issues. Wonderful professor! Much admiration and respect!” “Recommend this instructor to other students? Indeed. The overall knowledge retained and enlightenment.” “Interesting topic and passionate professor. Phenomenal and passionate.” “The emphasis on statistics and evaluation of research has been very helpful in other courses as well as daily life. Great course!” “Strengths of the class: the material and perspectives. Good instructor; passionate about work.” “Very knowledgeable about course material. Thank you for helping me to understand the system from an outsider perspective.” 3.5 Economics 325: Poverty and Discrimination in the U.S. (Fall 2008) “I thought [Jee] did an excellent job of trying to relate the course concepts to current events and our everyday lives. This is my 6th economics course and most of the time, professors forget that element. Not only did she make the course more interesting, but she put a purpose to the learning. [Jee] was also easy to approach and always willing to help outside of class. I really enjoyed having her as a professor. You can tell she really likes what she is doing.” “This course is really up to date and offers an important point of view on the poverty and discrimination. [Jee] is very helpful and tries her best to explain the concepts. She’s clear, understanding, and fair. She works hard to make us understand everything for our own good.” “Great ability to stimulate interest in subject. Great at explaining concepts. Available outside of classroom. Friendly and personable, which makes you want to do well in the class.” “This was my favorite class this semester. [Jee] was extremely caring of her students, and she always responded to emails very quickly and always made herself available to meet with students. She also made the course very understandable, because her slides were very organized and informative. She really was able to stimulate students to think outside of the box. She is definitely a great professor, and I would recommend her and this class to any other students.” “Makes concepts easy to understand. Information + examples feel more personal + relatable than dry + technical.” “The class gave me a strong interest and curiosity into public policy and a profound respect for how difficult it is to analyze.” “[Jee] is really sincerely interested in this subject and makes me want to come to class and listen. She’s really approachable and available.... I just really appreciated her kindness and willingness to help her students.” “Jee seemed to be very knowledgeable on this subject. She was very good at making sure that each question we asked was answered. You can tell that she really cares about each of her students. She did a great job preparing us for tests.” 4 “Very helpful with explaining and reviewing concepts especially during office hours. Gives opportunity to redeem mistakes. Very adaptable in teaching style and technique.” “She is one of the best instructors I’ve had. She is extremely polite, professional, and helpful. She is motivated and passionate about her work so it is a pleasure to learn from her. Truly a wonderful experience.” “The best econ course since 101 and 102. Wish this instructor taught more 300 level courses.” “I usually believe that grad students should NOT be teaching undergraduate courses. This instructor is the exception.” “This is quite possibly my favorite class I have taken here at BU, and I think it’s all because of Jee. She’s very approachable, and it is clear that she really enjoyed teaching the class, and it makes such a difference.” 3.6 Economics 101: Introductory Microeconomic Analysis (Summer 2007) “Provided additional explanation. Encouraged questions. Clear in explaining difficult concepts. Recognized class difficulty with a concept and spontaneously generated handouts to clarify points – which were very helpful. Provided answers to assigned book questions in-depth.” “Awesome instructor knows material; very sweet and helpful.” “Very clear presentation. Helpful with extra handouts. Clarifies strong points.” “Presents information on topics well. Knowledgeable about the subject.” “Available and patient. Lectures are thorough in touching base on all points of the chapter.” “Used relatable examples, kept material simple and straightforward; no excess/complications; overall, a great teacher.” “Excellent notes and presentation. Very enthusiastic about the subject which makes the class more interesting. Made good comparisons between complex economic issues and current events.” “I enjoyed the instructor’s consistency during the class and on assignments and tests. It helped me prepare for exams better and learn the material.” “Like enthusiasm, willingness to talk to students. Enjoyed the introduction of other topics (i.e. health economics). Lectures were incredibly helpful, because the book can be so confusing.” 5