FSCJ has the best and brightest faculty who are committed to providing meaningful and rewarding educational experiences for our students.

As a way to continue the 2015–16 theme of “engagement,” Dr. Angela Browning will be highlighting the extraordinary work of a faculty member each month to share his/her teaching and engagement techniques, professional development, community service, and unique College contributions.

This month’s spotlight is Adrienne Sachse, professor of economics at South Campus.

Engaging with and supporting students:

• Uses a “flipped classroom”
• Students preview a 5-10 minute video prior to class, confirming their familiarity with the video by answering four quick questions
• Instructs groups to complete a worksheet illuminating the concepts from the reading and the quick questions
• Adopted a free eBook from OpenStax for her micro- and macroeconomics courses in an effort to mitigate the high cost of textbooks
• Students only need to buy the online homework system for $40

Reimagining course assignments:

• Creates ways to make economics tangible to students
• Current Events: Students briefly summarize and explain how and why a current event of their choice applies to their economics class
• Assignment helps increase students’ awareness of current events and news
• Campaign 2016: Students choose a presidential candidate, present one of the candidate's planks, and explain potential economic consequences of implementing that plank
• You in the Global Economy: Assignment aims to help students realize they are part of the global economy
• Students find goods they use that come from 20 different countries. They then explain why those goods were not produced in the U.S. 
• Students instructed to find each of the 20 countries on a map
• Supply and Demand Case Studies: Uses current events to build case studies that summarize what a news story reports to be happening in a given market
• Asks students to apply their knowledge of economics to each case study

Engaging with her profession:

• Has presented special assignments at CEFE and Jacksonville Branch of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Workshops
• Models the instruction to the attendees, and provides them with materials and lesson plans to modify as they see fit for their classrooms

Engaging with the community: 

• Volunteers as a math and college algebra tutor with Wounded Warriors in fall and spring, two days a week
• About 300 hours of volunteer time
• A United States Air Force veteran with a soft spot for helping other vets

*Tell me about the engaging activities in which you and your students are involved.  Email angela.browning@fscj.edu with information about your class or a colleague’s.