If you’re a regular follower of audioecon, you’ll notice some updates to our site this month (March 2023). We recognize that, while students are increasingly eager to connect the classroom with current events, incorporating interesting, relevant daily or weekly news can be a heavy lift for professors.
We’ve often included ‘teaching ideas’ in the past to ease the load for instructors wanting to incorporate relevant podcast content into classroom learning and assignments through discussions, reflections, etc. (see the ‘teaching ideas’ category for a full list). Based on feedback, we’ll now be including teaching ideas with every new Audioecon.com post. Follow the ‘teaching ideas’ link on each new post to find :
a few “listening check” multiple-choice questions that incentivize careful pre-class listening,
suggestions for an in class teaching idea (~10 minutes of class time) which may include discussion ideas, numerical problems, data analysis, and graphical or other quantitative problems.
This will facilitate your efforts to help students digest the podcast content and merge it meaningfully with class concepts. We hope this helps you easily infuse fresh examples and applications into your curriculum!
P.S. if you’re a subscriber to audioecon, you may get a few extra email updates in the coming week or so as we add a healthy dose of fresh content. After that things will go back to normal! Apologies and thanks for your patience.
If you use podcasts for teaching economics, you may find a new audioecon.com resource useful. Check out the new ‘Listening to Podcasts for Learning‘ page for tips to share with your students who may be used to listening to podcasts for pleasure, but could use some guidance in listening to learn. We also have a downloadable PowerPoint slide deck available for you to share in your classes or on your learning platform. Thanks to audioecon.com contributors and Emmanuel College students Olivia Fiorini and Eliana Falleur for putting these resources together.
At the end of each semester students in Econ 1101 Principles of Microeconomics at Emmanuel College create their own podcast to demonstrate their ability to apply microeconomic concepts to their world and to use those terms, theories and tenets of micro to understand and evaluate the world around them. Each semester I pick a few of my favorites to post here on AudioEcon. Check out the ‘Podlearning: Student podcast‘ page to listen and learn for yourself. This semester’s star topics include vaccine externalities, the economics of food banks and food insecurity, and a bartender’s eye view of the elasticity of alcohol.
Econ educators, check out the Podlearning page for assignment descriptions and tips to implement student-created podcasts in your classes!
Learn what inspired AudioEcon.com, hear how Dr. Rebecca Moryl uses Social Media to teach economics, and get some inspiration for the semester ahead. Dr. Abdullah Al Bahrani interviewed Dr. Moryl to kick off the second season of ‘Coffee with Dr. A.’ Check out the engaging conversation between two passionate economic educators.
The Planet Money Indicator team explores the choices facing restaurants around the U.S. as the pandemic winter approaches. Includes an interview with a restaurant in Idaho that has implemented new strategies in the 2020 economic reality.
Assignment prompt: How does this podcast illustrate the short-run shutdown decision for firms? Use specific economic concepts from your reading and this podcast to explain the decision making process in general and specifically for firms in a crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
We’re adding the latest economic podcasts relating to the current Coronavirus Crisis here. Many also have discussion board / written assignment prompts.
Check out three of the best student-group made podcasts from Econ 1101 Principles of Microeconomics spring 2018. Congrats and thanks for the great work! Podlearning: Student-made podcasts
Summary: The Planet Money team uses a ten minute block of time to demonstrate the allocation of the U.S. federal budget. Each program gets the same percent of ten minutes as the percentage it makes up of the total budget.
Summary: Planet Money tells the tale of a man trying to bring back the forgotten Hydrox brand. Discussion includes close substitutes, trademarks, patents, brands, and what they communicate to consumers.
Original Air Date: September 18, 2015
Length: 19:46
Special thanks to @TiemesEsther for recommending this podcast