Resume

• 1982

  Oskar

  Harmon

  University of Connecticut

  Stamford

  CT

  Two primary research areas: \n *Online Education -- investigating mechanisms for improving online learning outcomes; \n *State Taxes - estimating growth

  volatility

  and incidence of state taxes.\nTeaching Areas: Public Finance; Empirical Methods; and Service Learning.

  Associate Professor of Economics

  University of Connecticut

  National Tax Association

  American Economics Association

  Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

  CD Design Award

  Neato.com

  Grillo Outstanding Teacher Award

  University of Connecticut

  Economics Department

  Chancellor's Information Technology Award

  University of Connecticut

• 1976

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Economics

  Rutgers University-New Brunswick

• Statistics

  Student Development

  Microsoft Word

  Microsoft Excel

  Research

  Microeconomics

  Data Analysis

  Program Evaluation

  Microsoft Office

  Teaching

  SPSS

  Public Speaking

  University Teaching

  Stata

  PowerPoint

  Grant Writing

  Higher Education

  Class Skipping And Distributing the Instructor’s Lecture Notes

  The hypothesis is whether making available to students the lecture notes of the PowerPoint presentation used for the “live” lecture positively influenced exam performance for students absent from class. With IRB approvalwe collected observational data from a Uconn Economics Principles level class

  with an enrollment of 125 students. Using a panel data model

  it is estimated that the average student with less than perfect attendance is better off attending the lecture

  but studying from instructor provided lecture notes can significantly reduce the negative effect of absence on exam performance.\n\nAdditional estimates of the differential effects of intellectual styles show the notes were the least beneficial for the auditory intellectual style. This research provides support for the view that effectiveness of instructional materials to supplement the reduced instructor contact time in blended /hybrid courses can be improved by designs incorporating differences in intellectual styles. It also suggests that more research on intellectual styles would beneficial to students as they select among the expanding choices of online

  blended

  and traditional course modalities.

  Class Skipping And Distributing the Instructor’s Lecture Notes

  Introduces tax distributional considerations to the optimal state tax policy model and estimates a three-goal efficiency frontier.

  The Optimal State Tax Portfolio Model: An Extension

  Past studies estimate the permanent income elasticity of demand for single-family owner-occupied housing to range from 0.14 to 1.5

  a range much too broad to be of any use for solving policy questions. Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used herein to test the sensitivity of this income elasticity to several factors. The results suggest that differences in sample population with respect to duration of housing tenure explain a large portion of the variation in the estimates of this elasticity. The paper concludes that for short-run applications the probable value of this elasticity is approximately 0.70 and for long-run applications the probable value of this elasticity might best be taken as approximately 1.00.

  The income elasticity of demand for single-family owner-occupied housing: An empirical reconciliation

  This Web site (http://www.harmon.uconn.edu/Wikispaces.htm) describes using an online drawing\nprogram and bulletin board to create active-learning activities for a class on principles of\neconomics. In the activity

  the student downloads an initial diagram that sets up a textbook\nscenario on principles of economics. To finish the activity

  the student uses a free online image editing\nprogram to diagram the outcome predicted by economic reasoning and then posts it to a\nfree online bulletin board. The approach of digital drawing and posting is a teaching innovation\nwe have not seen described elsewhere. The Web site presents examples of this activity and a\nquick-start guide for using SumoPaint.com and WikiSpaces.com.

  Active-Learning Exercises for Principles of Economics Courses