Sarah P. Sylvester

Teaching

Teaching Experience

  1. Economic for Lawyers (LAW 108) – Graduate Lecturer. Fall 2023, Summer 2023. LLM, online.
  2. Managerial Economics/Strategy (ECON 308) – Graduate Lecturer. Spring 2023. Undergraduate, in-person.
  3. Computational Methods for Economists (ECON 895) – Co-Instructor and TA with Dr. Kevin McCabe. Fall 2021. Undergraduate and graduate, hybrid.
  4. IFREE/CeLab Workshop – Mentor and Graduate Lecturer. Summer 2020, 2021. Led a group of undergraduate students in a virtual setting, designing and conducting a research project on cryptocurrency trading mechanisms.

Teaching Evaluation

Teaching evaluation sample from ECON 308: Managerial Economics/ Strategy in the Spring 2023 semester.

Sylvester_teaching_sample

Teaching Philosophy

Through my experiences as a student, mentor, and instructor, I have found three main tenets that I strive to include in every institutional setting

  1. Storytelling
  2. Discussions
  3. Repetition

Storytelling as an instructor often helps student comprehend complex subjects in an easier manner. It can relate abstract concepts to concrete examples, leading to increased understanding and retention. Storytelling can be done by incorporating current event as examples, stories that depict game theory solutions, and the history behind Nobel prize winners.

Discussions encourage students to think more deeply about the material they are learning and promote skills including public speaking and teamwork. During a course, discussions can be stimulated through in-class debates, ungraded group activities, and team projects. Discussions have the additional benefit of fostering diversity, by allowing students with different ideas the chance to express themselves, exposing students to a variety of worldviews.

Repetition in any learning setting is vastly important to help students understand material and retain the information. The old adage “practice makes perfect” is especially true for students unfamiliar with certain subjects or concepts. Repetition can be introduced in a number of ways, including in-class assignments, homework, quizzes, and exams. These opportunities allow students to master the material they have been taught and encourages them to take time to ensure they understand it.