The Uncommon Econ project is a series of modules instructors can easily plug into introductory economics courses. The videos are designed to expose students to diverse role models and a range of exciting and relevant topics through professionally produced videos. There are also accompanying curricular materials, grounded in evidence-based active learning principles, which are designed to deepen student engagement and learning. The project hypothesizes that this classroom intervention will positively influence students' perceptions about economics, strengthen their sense of belonging in economics and their belief in their own abilities, and improve learning, persistence, and retention, particularly among diverse students. The modules will also provide professional development opportunities for economics instructors, enabling them to implement best practices in their classrooms.

Read more about what we do and why it matters.

Our first season covers common topics in Principles of Microeconomics, include five videos on the following topics: supply and demand, production and costs, market structure, price controls, and externalities.

Our second season, currently in production, will include five episodes related to Principles of Macroeconomics.

The teaching materials for each episode include a research brief that provides a brief bio and showcases the work of the research scholars, a lesson plan with discussion and extension questions, a graph visualizing the key economics concept of the episode, an accompanying podcast, and a list of references on which the episode is based.

The lesson plan will provide brief background information on the topic to help prepare instructors before showing the video and connect it to their principles course. The activities included are scalable to classes of any size.

The Season 1 videos and all instructional materials, including research briefs, are available for free download on our website. Access these resources on our Curriculum page now.

Our second season is currently in production, and will be available on the Fall of 2026.

The scholars who are featured in these videos are PhD economists whose rank ranges from doctoral candidate to full, tenured professors. They are from universities all over the world and are experts in their field. Our episodes draw from their recently published papers, and the experts explain their work in their own words.

We will use pre- and post-surveys that the selected faculty adopters distribute to their classes to measure student engagement impacts as well as other outcomes. We will also measure overall class performance (final grades) and persistence (taking more classes, majoring/minoring in economics) using institutional research data collected from your home institution.

Please email us at uncommonecon@gmail.com.