Teaching Statement

Mohammad Khan

Introduction:
It has been eleven years since I started studying economics as an undergraduate student. I taught
economics at Florida International University as an instructor and Southwestern University as a
visiting assistant professor for two years. Besides the sole instructor experience, I also had the
privilege of having a wide variety of teaching-related experiences as a graduate student in the
Economics Department at Florida International University. In my teaching statement, I describe
my approach to teaching and provide related materials (e.g., list of classes taught, teaching
interests, a sample syllabus, and evaluations from the students and future teaching interests).
Statement of Teaching Philosophy:
Coming from a very different background than the USA, I had to adapt to a different education
system after coming to Florida International University. During my adaptation period, I tried to
learn new and effective methods of teaching. From my experience, both as a student and as a
teacher, I feel that my primary duty is to facilitate the learning process of the students' in the
classroom. I try to create an interactive and problem-solving-oriented teaching environment in my
classroom. For instance, I always try to discuss some real-life problems with my students before
starting any topic in the class to motivate them to learn more about that topic. For example, when
I was teaching supply and demand, I explained how the shift in demand during the Christmas break
increases travel costs. And when I taught the impact of tariff, I asked my students to think about
the potential impact of the new trade war between the US and China on their daily lives. When
students saw how theoretical concepts could influence their lives, the course material was relevant
to them, and they became more enthusiastic learners. Also, sometimes I make relevant jokes or
give funny real-life examples familiar to the students to convey the appropriate message or
concept. Afterward, I used all these experiences at Southwestern University, where I taught
Econometrics and Environmental Economics for two semesters.
During my Ph.D. program study at Florida International University, I have dedicated much of my
time to working as a teaching assistant for various courses such as Introduction to
Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, International Trade, and Econometrics. My
duties as a teaching assistant were creating and grading homework questions, grading exam
questions, and helping students during my office hours. I also interacted with the students during
review sessions. These experiences helped me tremendously when I was the sole instructor of my
own courses.
Teaching Experience:
I was allowed to be the sole instructor of the Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of
Macroeconomics at Florida International University (FIU) during the summer semester in my third
year, which is rare for a third-year student at FIU. This was a unique experience for me as I had to
give three-hour lectures twice every week. I used different techniques to keep the students attentive
and motivated during the long lecture. I used a real-time interactive tool (Kahoot!) to take surprise
quizzes, show different visual presentations, and discuss current national issues relevant to my
course. My responsibilities as the instructor were teaching, making lecture slides, designing my
course syllabus, creating and assigning homework, and creating exams and grading them. It was a
different experience for me and was very rewarding to teach students who came from various
backgrounds. When I was teaching, I also thought about various real-life issues where the basic
economic theories can be applied that I didn't realize before. So, this experience has helped me a
lot as a teacher and as a researcher. I used all these experiences when I taught Principles of
Macroeconomics during the Fall semester, 2019. The number of students was almost double in
this course compared to the summer semester. I used different techniques such as exit slips and
google polls to understand the expectations of the students from this course and tried to design my
course according to that. I think this adaptability will help me become a better teacher when I
encounter different situations.
I taught Econometrics and Environmental Economics for two semesters at Southwestern
University. This was another unique experience for me as I taught two advanced courses to a
diverse group of students during a pandemic. As I was teaching these courses during the Covid-19
pandemic, I had to employ different methods such as online tests, homework, and other innovative
techniques to keep students interested and occupied during a challenging time. I also tried to
consider the student's unique situation as they were also facing a very unfamiliar and challenging
time. All these experiences helped me to become a better educator.
Finally, I always try to create a learning environment where constant communication between the
instructor and the students is present. To create this environment, it is imperative to understand the
perspectives of the students, their backgrounds, and their expectations from the instructor.
I also feel that students respond more to the teacher who communicates with them individually.
After the midterm exams, I sent personalized emails of encouragement to those doing excellent in
class. I asked them to consider taking economics as a major as they showed promise in the field.
For those who were not on the path to a satisfactory grade, I encouraged a face-to-face meeting. I
found these nudges to be beneficial learning tools, and from my teaching evaluation comments
like: "Professor Khan is very caring for his students and goes out of his way to help them" and "He
is very accessible outside class and is always ready to help" confirmed my belief.
Workshop attendance:
I believe, to be a successful instructor, it is beneficial to learn new and effective methods of
teaching, and that's why I attended the Economics Course Design Institute by the Center for the
Advancement of Teaching (CAT) at Florida International University. In the workshop, I worked
with other faculties to design a practical course syllabus. I discussed various teaching methods that
we can implement in class to improve the student’s learning environment and make them more
interested in our course materials.
Teaching Interests:
I have a strong background in teaching microeconomics, macroeconomics, environmental
economics, health economics, econometrics, and public economics. I am also fully trained to teach
courses on international trade, data analysis, statistics, and urban economics at the undergraduate
and graduate levels.
Drawing from my diverse teaching experiences, I feel confident about teaching effectively in
undergraduate and graduate programs. As I transition into a career as a faculty member, I look
forward to developing more courses and plan to further my pedagogical skills continuously. I
would welcome the opportunity to teach classes beyond the fields I have already taught to expand
my teaching portfolio.