James Peyton

Economics and Political Science Department Coordinator
Highline Community College (11-1)
PO Box 98000
Des Moines, WA 98198-9800 jpeyton@highline.edu

Phone:206-878-3710 x4885

Background Information

I have been teaching economics at Highline Community College in the Seattle area since 1999, starting as an adjunct and getting a tenure-track position several years later. I regularly teach Principles-level Microeconomics and Macroeconomics and occasionally teach an introductory Economics survey class. While I've been at Highline, I've also worked as a research associate for Academic Affairs, program manager for our Faculty Resource Center, and interim director for Continuing Education. Currently, I am Economic Development Programs Coordinator, working with our small business and microenterprise support programs.

I earned my doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics from University of California, Davis, in 2001, where my research focused on environmental economics. My interest in economics education strengthened when I attended the American Economics Association Teaching Innovations Program (TIP) in 2006. In 2007, I presented a paper on a simple macroeconomics simulation as part of a TIP panel at the Western Economics Association annual meeting.

Related Pedagogical Projects

I currently serve as our department's assessment coordinator and as a member of Highline's Data Team for an Achieving the Dream student success initiative. Our department is examining student performance on online homework this year. One interesting project I worked on recently for a different campus department analyzed differences in grade distributions between full-time and adjunct instructors.