The financial security that comes with wealth accumulation requires an understanding of the time value of money. Students begin this module with a lesson on opportunity cost, the most fundamental consideration in any personal financial decision. Students move on to a lesson on interest where they will recognize the importance of interest in sheltering them from the higher cost of living they are certain to experience in later years. The increase in their future costs will be due to inflation, the third subject they will encounter in this program. Students will use their knowledge of opportunity cost, interest and inflation to determine the future value of investments they may make as young adults and the present value of a sum of money they hope to have at a later date.

This lesson guides students through web sites that examine Economic and personal finance careers that are typically of interest to 3rd- through 5th-grade students. By completing the steps outlined in the lesson, the students will explore careers and report their findings.

In this interactive exercise, students explore the normative and economic issues that arise from minimum wage increases.

Lucas Benitez worked picking tomatoes in Southern Florida for wages that were barely enough to live on. Conditions were deplorable and workers faced a climate of intimidation, fear and violence right here in the United States. Lucas Benitez rose up to create an alliance of workers and consumers that forced fast food giants McDonalds and Taco Bell to change their ways. He was able to transform the lives of some of the worst paid people in America, and bring dignity to their working lives. [11:04]

This ILD helps students to understand the relationship between total revenue and price elasticity of demand.

A comprehensive, yet sophisticated explanation of long run costs of production. Includes charts and graphs to illustrate key points and concepts. Somewhat advanced in places.

Some unemployed individuals need only a little time to find the right job while others may need extensive intervention. And some may not ever find the job they seek. Students will learn about the three types of unemployment in this short module.

Charts make it easy to read the yearly trade (both imports and exports) in U.S. dollars wtih Italy.

Mankind has used the wind as an energy source for thousands of years. Discover other ways the wind is used to make energy.

How did events in the years after 1980 affect national identity in the United States? Kim discusses changes in US foreign policy, economics, and politics, attempting to place the developments of this era into a broader historical context. [9:43]

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

Spreadsheets across the Curriculum module. Students build Excel spreadsheets to calculate monthly mortgage payments and evaluate how much of their payment is applied to the principle and interest.

Students volunteer at any one of a variety of community agencies that serve low-income populations to better understand the underlying issues of poverty and income distribution in their community.

This service-learning impact analysis project had students look in detail at the current employment and purchasing practices and policies of the University of Vermont. Unlike traditional impact analyses that attempt to calculate the total impact of an institution on the local economy, this project attempted to identify where the University could change policies and practices to increase positive local impacts both from an efficiency and equity perspective. Students worked with a 14-person advisory committee from the University, local and state government and local non-profits.

A televised analysis of the globalization of modern business from following the making and selling of a t-shirt is presented by Pietra Rivoli, a business professor from Georgetown. [50:11]

This is a lesson geared towards elementary level students. Using the book Four Dollars and Fifty Cents by Eric Kimmel, the teacher instructs students about the terms creditor, debtor, collateral, credit, and credit report. Lesson includes procedures, closure, assessment, and extension.

In this classroom project, students and faculty help a local housing non-profit identify area U.S. Census tracts most in need of its assistance in promoting decent and affordable homeownership to low- to moderate- income individuals. While this example describes an experience in a small, upper-level elective economics course, it includes suggestions for modifications of design and learning goals for other learning levels and environments.

Use the clickers to generate data for demand and supply curves by asking students to give numerical values for their maximum willingness to pay for something and their minimum willingness to accept for something. Use the data generated to graph both the demand and supply curves.

This technique reverses the usual order of definitions and examples used in class to one of presenting an example or examples first and then having students "discover" the concept when asked with carefully constructed clicker questions.

Students engage in peer editing and cooperative discussion to enhance research questions based on criteria designed to generate effective economic research questions.

Undergraduate Learning Assistants -- prepared to work productively with students -- have been used to facilitate ungraded, voluntary oral assessments offered prior to exams. Oral assessments last one hour, and are offered prior to the three course exams. Orals are geared to improve student understanding and allow instructors to work with students on an individual basis to address misunderstandings. Students attend oral assessments in groups of 5-6 and work at a board to answer scripted, conceptual questions. The facilitator asks the initial scripted questions as well as follow-up probing questions and encourages students to work together.