Scott Simkins

College of Business and Economics

Economics

North Carolina A & T State University

Background Information

Scott Simkins is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T) in Greensboro, NC.  From 2004 through 2015 he served as full-time director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning at NC A&T. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Iowa in 1988. He also serves on the Hub Team of the Accelerating Systemic Change Network (ASCN): https://ascnhighered.org/index.html) with Charles Henderson and Andrea Beach.

His research focuses on pedagogical innovation in economics and cross-disciplinary adaptations of educational research and pedagogical practices. His economic education research has appeared in the Journal of Economic Education as well as other journals and focuses on the adaptation and implementation of pedagogical innovations in economics and their impact on student learning. Scott was previously the co-executive editor of the journal College Teaching and is the co-editor of Just-in-Time Teaching: Across the Disciplines and Across the Academy https://www.amazon.com/Just-Time-Teaching-Disciplines-Pedagogies/dp/1579222935.

Related Pedagogical Projects

Since 2000 he and Mark Maier (Glendale Community College) have collaborated to lead five National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded projects exploring the adaptability of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) discipline teaching innovations in economics:

  • DUE #0088303Developing and Implementing Just-in-Time-Teaching (JiTT) Techniques in the Principles of Economics Course
  • DUE #0411037 -Implications of STEM Discipline Research for Instructional Innovation and Assessment in Economic Education
  • DUE #081738 - Developing an Economics Pedagogic Portal
  • DUE #1245802 - The Math You Need, When You Need It: Modular Student Resources to Promote Successful Integration of Quantitative Concepts in Introductory Economics Courses. 
  • DUE #1712295Promoting Adoption of Team-Based Learning Pedagogy in College Economics Classes

The Developing an Economics Pedagogic Portal project focused on the development of the Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics site here on the SERC portal: http://serc.carleton.edu/econ/index.html.

Project Leader, Workshop Participant, Webinar Participant, Website Contributor

Project Leader

Accelerating Systemic Change Network part of Accelerating Systemic Change Network
The Accelerating Systemic Change Network (ASCN) is a network of individuals and institutions, formed with the goal of more quickly advancing STEM education programs. Our unique approach is to bring together those who are researching systemic change at higher education institutions, with those who are making systemic change happen at their individual institutions. By closing the loop between researchers and change agents, we aim to accelerate change at program and institution levels, and to improve STEM education nationally.

Welcome to Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics part of Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics
This site introduces economists to innovative teaching strategies developed both within and beyond the discipline of economics. It provides instructors with the tools to begin integrating and assessing these teaching strategies in their own classrooms and promotes the sharing of teaching innovations among instructors.

Website Content Contributions

Activities (2)

JiTT - Fighting Recession: 2009 part of Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics:Teaching Methods:Just in Time Teaching:Examples
This is a JiTT exercise in which students apply introductory-level macroeconomic analysis to the question of how large the stimulus package put forward to Congress in early 2009 needed to be to close the ...

Making Rational Decisions in Economics - The Role of Sunk and Marginal Costs part of Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics:Teaching Methods:Just in Time Teaching:Examples
This JiTT exercise uses a real-life example to pose a question to students about the nature of "rationality" as typically used in economics. In this case, the focus is on fixed vs. marginal costs and the ...

Teaching Method Module (1)

Just in Time Teaching (JiTT) part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Just in Time Teaching
Original module developed by by Laura Guertin, Carol Ormand, Gregor Novak, and Andy Gavrin. Revised and enhanced by Scott Simkins with assistance from Gregor Novak, Marcelo Clerici-Arias, and Rae Jean Goodman. ...

Other Contributions (5)

A Simple Stochastic Model for Conceptualizing Organizational Change Initiatives part of Accelerating Systemic Change Network:Events:Meetings and Conferences:Transforming Institutions Conference:Program:Poster Presentations
Complex systems cannot be modeled exactly. However, simple approximate mathematical models can illustrate important factors, provide memorable terminology, offer plausible and memorable insights, and suggest new ...