(Cadena, Brian C - 2016) -- BFA Award for Excellence in Teaching and Pedagogy
Overview
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Eschewing the traditional economics course, with its focus on statistical theory and mathematical modeling, Professor Cadena emphasizes the practical applications of methods and data typical of social science research. He has reshaped a core aspect of the undergraduate curriculum, notably improved the honors theses sponsored by the department and transformed the graduate curriculum. Cadena has assembled his own course packets—more accurately, an entire pedagogical universe—with readings, modeling tips, instructions and a wealth of real-world data sets. He has shared these widely with CU faculty as well as faculty at key institutions in the U.S., among them, the University of Chicago. Colleagues from across the country praise his creative pedagogy, his disciplinary insight and his unfailing generosity. But it is the students with whom he has worked who provide the most moving testimony. One student writes: “What I loved about his class is that he presented many real-world models using multiple data sets with large sets of variables. He included the class in solving problems, and he always used the skill of questioning very effectively. He truly allowed students to ‘see inside his mind.’”
