My teaching incorporates several practices of effective pedagogy. First, I recognize that students come into the classroom with varied levels of preparation, diverse identities, and different learning styles. As a result, I encourage students to ask questions during lectures, work through practice problems, and to see me during office hours for one-on-one instruction. On my teaching evaluations, students have noted my sincere commitment to helping them master the material.
Second, I seek out opportunities to engage students using a variety of pedagogical techniques. For undergraduates, I include news stories, case studies, in-class problems, games, and policy debates to highlight the application of economic theory to real-world problems. For master’s students, I link special topics for our weekly policy debate to the economic concepts being covered and make use of online discussion boards so that students come to class prepared and have multiple opportunities to learn from their peers. Overall, it is my responsibility to find the right approach to ensure that all students have a sufficient level of understanding and insight.
Third, I teach my students how to become independent thinkers by completing writing assignments that apply the tools of economic analysis to a topic of their choosing. For the undergraduates, the term paper mimics the research process, including the development of a hypothesis, literature review, data analysis, synthesis of findings, and discussion of policy implications. For the master’s students, the three writing exercises focus on a single topic of their choosing and include a research paper, policy brief, and op-ed. For the Ph.D. students, the three hands-on problem sets use code and datasets that I developed and require a write-up of the results as a peer review, a policy evaluation, and an expert rebuttal. The second half of the Ph.D. course is spent writing a research paper that can serve as part of their dissertation proposal.
Finally, because all students need to be adept at consuming, producing, and using data in some aspect of their careers, I have developed several exercises to help them become familiar with where to find economic data, how to manipulate it in a commonly used statistical software package, and most important, how to analyze and interpret the results of their data manipulation in the context of empirical policy analysis.
My teaching evaluations have consistently been above the department, college, and university average (4.8 for Instructor Related and 5.0 for Overall Effectiveness). And the student comments in response to the first question on the TRACE survey: “What were the strengths of this course and/or this instructor?” have been especially gratifying to read over the years.
ECON 3410 LABOR ECONOMICS (BA/BS) [SYLLABUS]
This undergraduate course explores the functioning of markets for labor services from both theoretical and policy perspectives. We start the semester by developing theoretical models of both the individual’s decision to work and the firm’s decision to hire, and then use these models to consider the effects of such factors as income taxation, minimum wages, immigration, and technology growth on employment and earnings levels. We also examine the key determinants of compensation patterns and the distribution of earnings, paying particular attention to the changing role of education in the U.S. labor market. Many of the topics that we will discuss over the course of the semester—unemployment, income distribution, executive pay—are the same ones that you see covered by the news media on a regular basis. I encourage you to read a national paper like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or Washington Post regularly and to be prepared to discuss current labor-related issues in class.
Student Comments:
“Professor Modestino is one of the best teachers I've had at Northeastern so far. She is incredibly experienced and intelligent and integrates her life experiences working in economics into the course. She provides extremely interesting articles for us to read on blackboard, makes us think critically through policy exercises, is extremely organized and thorough, provides examples, and sets her students up for success. If I were Northeastern, she would be promoted, tenured, given a raise, and praised ceaselessly.”
“I have recommended her course to many of my schoolmates. Truthfully Professor Modestino is the best professor I've had at Northeastern so far. Her instructions are clear, you know what’s expected of you, and she is an incredible speaker, she has very strong communication skills and displays information in a way that makes sense.”
“Modestino is very knowledgeable in this subject and is able to teach it very well. I like that she asked us for a mid-term evaluation and actually followed through with our feedback and changed the course for the better, I felt like my input was actually taken into account.”
“The policy debates are another strength that forces us to objectively argue points from an economic standpoint even if it doesn't align with our own political beliefs.”
“Professor Modestino is engaging and clear, and she cares a lot about the success of her students. Her experience in the working world of economics allows her to bring relevant and thought-provoking experiences to the classroom.” – ECON 3410
PPUA 6502 Economic Institutions and Analysis (MPA/MPP) [SYLLABUS]
Our goal is to see how learning to think like an economist can illuminate the world of public policy. This course is designed to introduce the essential ideas and methods of economics and their applications to a wide range of domestic public policy issues at the national, state, and local level. Students should develop a solid understanding of how economic analysis can be applied in the formulation and administration of public policy. The course will be delivered in lecture format with ample time for discussion of critical economic theories and applications each week.
In this course, students will develop a fundamental understanding of:
• The key building blocks of economics – the four big ideas of cost-benefit analysis, opportunity cost, marginal analysis, and interdependence – and how they can guide you to make better decisions.
• The “economic approach” and how economic concepts such as supply and demand and models of economic behavior can help us understand social issues such as climate change, labor market discrimination, and income inequality.
• The critical differences between “market goods” and “rights” – between the role of the private market and the role of government – and how to use economic tools to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of public policies.
• The historical context of racial, ethnic, gendered, and sexuality based economic differences from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Student Comments:
“I love Professor Modestino! I wish I could have her teach every class. She is very engaging, has us do work that actually helps you learn, and is clearly committed to every student's success. The policy debates were fantastic and made it much more interesting to learn the material.”
“Dr. Modestino is an astounding professor with excellent teaching skills. Not only did we learn how to apply economics to certain topics discussed in class but she cultivated a framework for assessing all policy issues through the lens of economics. She is enthusiastic and creates a positive environment for learning.”
“The true strengths of this course were in the most difficult aspects: reading the difficult microeconomic theory, learning how to make graphs that support issues in the context of those theories finally learning how to mold contemporary policy issues into an economic context. The work products: a research paper, a policy brief, a presentation and an op-ed were extremely helpful to me as a developing policy professional and I will be able to use them as writing samples in the future.”
“Professor Modestino is passionate about economics and empowering the next generation. She was always willing to answer emails at anytime, her door was always open and she possesses a can-do spirit that was extremely beneficial for me as a student. I really enjoyed how she would draw on her experiences at the Fed to describe some of our concepts.”
PPUA 7673 Capstone in Urban and Regional Policy (MPA/MPP) [SYLLABUS]
This course provides a faculty-guided team project for students completing course work in any of our master’s degree programs. The goal is for students to apply what they have learned in their academic coursework in a real-world professional setting working on a project for a client. As you work towards completion of the project, we will work on developing a number of professional skills such as:
This course provides a faculty-guided team project for students completing course work in any of our master’s degree programs. The goal is for students to apply what they have learned in their academic coursework in a real-world professional setting working on a project for a client. As you work towards completion of the project, we will work on developing a number of professional skills such as:
- Defining the scope of work
- Creating productive group dynamics
- Maintaining client relationships
- Managing work flows
- Building research-practice partnerships
- Making use of research evidence
- Developing feasible policy recommendations
- Writing professional reports
- Giving effective presentations
Student Comments:
“Professor Modestino is a fantastic professor—extremely knowledgeable and made what is usually a dry topic into a very tangible, digestible topic. She was always able to answer tough questions and provide examples, making the lectures very relevant. Coursework outside of class was helpful for applying concepts learned in class.”
“This course was one of the most challenging and enriching courses I've taken in the MPA program. I learned a lot and almost wish it were a two-semester course because I wanted to learn more.”
“I have taken many classes at NU, both undergrad and graduate and I cannot recommend Prof. Modestino strongly enough. If I had the opportunity to take another course with her, I would.”
“Excellent delivery and ability to listen and respectfully respond to all students. Alicia provides strength-based feedback on all assignments, is a fair grader, and is an immensely congenial and interesting professor to have in class! I truly enjoyed taking this course and know that students for years and years (hopefully decades!) will enjoy this stimulating yet fun course experience!”
ECON 7764 Topics in Labor Economics (Ph.D.) [SYLLABUS]
The ultimate goal of this course is to prepare students to be practicing applied labor economists in any number of contexts: academia, policy analysis, or business. Along the way, students will gain a deeper understanding of the functioning of labor markets, become familiar with the latest developments in the literature on emerging topics, and learn about the research process itself. The fundamental outcome is to ensure that students are given the tools necessary to begin writing their dissertations including instruction on topic choice, commonly used data sources, and innovative methodologies. To that end, many of the assignments will be practical in nature and give students hands-on experience with data analysis, interpretation of results, and policy recommendations. Students should also feel free to use my office hours not only for questions about class material, but also any reading or other work you are doing in preparation for dissertations.
Student Comments:
“She made herself extremely available for consultation outside of class and even official meeting hours, regardless. She is extremely enthusiastic and displays passion for economics which is excellent and I would say it is infectious (her enthusiasm). She displays theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge which is valuable to explain how a theoretical model applies to real situations and what are the implications of enforcing different perspectives when approaching policy design. She is also a good lecturer able to communicate well with the class and even crack jokes, which helps everyone stay alert during late classes.”
“The professor was perfect for this course. Her lectures were engaging and broke down difficult topics into easy to understand pieces. She uses great examples that helped me to learn the material. She is also very accessible outside of class to answer any questions or explain anything that was confusing. I felt Professor Modestino was a very effective professor for this course and I learned a lot because of her.”
“I really enjoyed this professor. She is not only extremely smart, but also experienced in both the field of economic practice, but also its pedagogy. She is able to make learning both informative and funny, something most professors can only sufficiently do one or the other. Her expectations were not too extreme but were also challenging enough to force us to learn every single week.”
“Professor Modestino is engaging and clear, and she cares a lot about the success of her students. Her experience in the working world of economics allows her to bring relevant and thought-provoking experiences to the classroom.”
