New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Incorporating Problem Based Service Learning into the

Public Finance Course

James Booker

Economics and Environmental Studies Departments Siena College

jbooker@siena.edu

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Problem based service learning

“a rigorous integration of service-learning with real-life problem-solving in curriculum design and teaching.”

(Vermont Campus Compact, 2009)

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Contexts

• service learning and mission

• community based work

• alternative learning styles

• group work and engagement

• undergraduate research

• oral communication skills

• existing “Siena Hudson Greenway Project”

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Where is the Economics?

Conduct cost-benefit analyses of selected greenway corridors as about 50% of a Public Finance course.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Opportunities for integration with a Public Finance course

• cost benefit analysis

• nonmarket valuation

• tax incidence (e.g. consequences of reassessment)

• local government economic impact analysis (e.g. costs and revenues from new development)

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

More generally ...

Is PBSL simply new language and a new argument for:

• undergraduate research• client based course projects• group research

?????????????????

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

PBSL paradigm (after Gordon, 2003)

1. Project Design (meetings and more meetings)2. Community Partner (client letter)3. Building Community in the Classroom

(“charrette”)4. Building Student Capacity (BCA emphasis)5. Problem Statements6. Project Management7. Assessment of Learning (peer evaluations)8. Reflection and Connection

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Community partner

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Building Community in the Classroom

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

ECON 320/FINC 422 – Public FinanceAnalysis 2: CBA for a Direct Walkway to the New Residential Core

The new residential core will be centered roughly on the current location of the student parking lot and debris pile next to Colbeth. A proposal to build a direct walkway to the main campus (joining it near Morrell) would require a bridge over the wetland area abutting Cushing Village. Below are rough cost and benefit estimates for the impacts on Siena students of such a walkway. Prepare a cost benefit analysis, for construction of such a direct walkway to the new residential core. Because costs are largely paid through tuition, there is no substantial difference between a student, college, or national perspective carrying out your analysis. time period (years) 15(real) discount rate 0.04

Size of dorm (beds):268Time savings per single trip (min): 4Value of student time savings ($/hr) 5Round trips/day (average) 1.5Construction cost ($) 250,000O&M cost ($/yr) 10,000 1. Find the present value of benefits and costs, and find the NPV and BCR for the project. Make other appropriate assumptions as needed; be explicit about these.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

More capacity building: a wiki as a collaborative tool

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Peer assessment of charrette

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

Will community and capacity building lead to learning?

New York State Economic Association Annual Meeting, October 16-17, 2009, Ithaca, NY.

What I think I know

• Coverage of disciplinary material reduced more than proportionally

• Team building is time consuming

• Whole enterprise is risky

• I need to engage my passions in PBSL

• Rewards come at unlikely times from unlikely places

• Student benefit observed over long run