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The clipper project: Lessons learned teaching an online economics course

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Abstract

THIS PAPER describes the three-year evolution of an online Economics I course, reports on student outcomes and evaluations, and discusses the lessons learned. Results show that, as the course evolved from an instructor-led to a student-centered learning pedagogical model, several indicators of completing students' learning and satisfaction with the course increased. At the same time, however, withdrawal rates also increased significantly—perhaps revealing students' discomfort with the increased effort required in taking responsibility for one's learning. The authors concluded that, in the end, the Clipper Project had actually provided the catalyst for exploring best practices for teaching in any medium rather than simply providing an opportunity to experiment with online teaching and learning.

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Author notes

  1. M. J. Bishop

    Present address: College of Education, Lehigh University, 111 Research Drive, Iacocca Hall, Room A109, 18015, Bethlehem, PA

  2. Tom Hyclak

    Present address: College of Business and Economics, Lehigh University, Rauch Business Center Room 463, 18015, Bethlehem, PA

  3. Sherri Yerk-Zwickl

    Present address: Library and Technology Services, Lehigh University, 8A East Packer Avenue, 18015, Bethlehem, PA

Authors and Affiliations

    Authors
    1. M. J. Bishop
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    2. Tom Hyclak
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    3. Sherri Yerk-Zwickl
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    Correspondence to M. J. Bishop.

    Additional information

    ABOUT THE AUTHORS M.J. (Mary Jean) Bishop is an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology in Lehigh's College of Education. Her research interests include understanding the fundamental components and the psychology behind instructional media and delivery systems in order to devise more effective ways to enhance instruction. In 2001, Dr. Bishop received the Young Scholar Award by the ECT Foundation of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) for “Theoretical Foundations for Sound's Use in Multimedia Instruction to Enhance Learning.”

    Tom Hyclak is Chair of the Economics Department and Interim Dean for the College of Business and Economics. His research interests include labor studies, urban and regional economics and macroeconomics

    Sherri Yerk-Zwickl is the Instructional Technology Team Leader at Lehigh University. She has a Master's degree in Educational Technology and an undergraduate degree in Business and Information Technology. She served as Dr. Hyclak's instructional technology consultant for the Clipper Economics I course project.

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    Bishop, M.J., Hyclak, T. & Yerk-Zwickl, S. The clipper project: Lessons learned teaching an online economics course. J. Comput. High. Educ. 18, 99–120 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03033415

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