Background: Professor Harmon is associate professor of economics at the University since 1994. He teaches economics courses in online format since 2004 and in 2015 became a Service Learning Fellow at the Institute of Teaching and Learning at the University . He publishes articles in academic journals on the subject of technology and innovation in online instruction, and state and local tax policy analysis. He conducts field experiments investigating instructional innovations for improving learning outcomes in online courses. He was a recipient of the Grillo Teaching award 2012, the Chancellor’s Information Technology Award 2000 and was awarded a Large-Impact Grant from the Institute of Teaching and Learning. He has consulted for the Connecticut and New York Legislatures, served as an expert witness and consults on the design of online/blended courses. He developed tax-revenue estimating software (TAM) for the Office of Policy and Management in the Executive Office of the Governor of Connecticut.
Vita link this in a window display?
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
COURSES TAUGHT
— Sports Economics
— Information Technology for Economics
— Public Finance
— Contemporary Problems in Economics
— Principles of Economics (Intensive) Online
— Principles of Microeconomics Online
— Principles of Macroeconomics Online
— Empirical Methods in Economics I
News Articles on Prof. Harmon’s Information Technology Activities at Uconn
Upcoming Presentations:
“Online, Blended, and Classroom Teaching of Economics Principles: A Randomized Experiment”, By Oskar Harmon, William Alpert, and Ken Couch, forthcoming
PUBLICATIONS by Topic:
Economic Damages
Tax Policy
Housing Economics
Information Technology
Where it started
Selected Publications of Prof. Harmon:
Information Technology
“Class Absence, Instructor Lecture Notes, Intellectual Styles, and Learning Outcomes“ By Oskar Harmon, William Alpert, Archita Banik and James Lambrinos Atlantic Economic Journal. 43:349–361, 2015
“Testing the Effect of Lecture Delivery Modality on Learning Outcomes”, with William T. Alpert, and James Lambrinos.Journal of Online Teaching and Learning, 10(1) 2014 121-129
“Online Discussion and Learning Outcomes”, with William T. Alpert, and Joseph Histen, International Advances in Economic Research, 20(1), 2014, 33-44
“Active Learning Exercises for Principles of Economics Courses”, with J. Lambrinos, Journal of Economic Education, 43(2), 2012
“Graph Tool” with D. Mercier, B.Gulag, ,C. Burdick, and M.Brown, Journal of Economic Education, 43(1), 2012, 107-108
“Assessment Design and Cheating Risk in Online Instruction”, with J. Lambrinos and J. Buffolino, Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, vol. 13, no. 3, Fall 2010
“Are Online Exams an Invitation to Cheat?”, with J. Lambrinos, Journal of Economic Education, vol. 39, no. 2, Spring 2008
“Partnering for a Wireless Classroom”, with Nancy Gillies, T.H.E. Journal Web Exclusive, June 2004,
“Comparing the Effectiveness of Different Presentation Formats for Workshops on Introductory Library Skills” with S. Cudiner, Research Strategies, vol. 18, no. 1 , pp 49-61, 2001
“An Active Learning Approach to Teaching Effective Online Search Strategies” with S. Cudiner, T.H.E. Journal, December 2000.
top
Tax Policy :
The Federal Estate Tax: Repeal or Reform?, Tax Notes (Tax Analysts: Washington, DC), June 15, 2001.
Neutrality and the Marriage Tax Penalty, Tax Notes (Tax Analysts: Washington, DC), May 21, 2001
AMT: How and Why to Reform, Tax Notes (Tax Analysts: Washington, DC), April 23, 2001
Portfolio Analysis and Vertical Equity: A New York Application, with R. Mallick, Public Finance Quarterly, October 1994, vol. 22, no. 4, 418-438.
The Optimal State Tax Portfolio Model: An Extension, with R. Mallick, National Tax Journal, June 1994, vol. 47, no. 2, 395-402. (Reprinted in State Tax Notes, September 26, 1994, vol. 7, no. 13, 851-857.)
top
Economic Damages
Plaintiff Bias in the CPLR 50-A/50-B Statute, with J. Lambrinos, Albany Law Review, vol. 59, no. 2, 1995.
An Empirical Evaluation of Different Methods for Estimating Earnings Losses, with J. Lambrinos, The Journal of Risk and Insurance, Vol. 56, No. 4, December 1989, 733-739.
top
Housing Economics
Specification Tests in Hedonic Models, with J. Burgess, Journal of Real Estate FInance and Economics, December, 1991, 373-393.
Housing Adjustment Costs: Measuring Their Impact on Mobility and Housing Demand Elasticities, with M.Potepan, The American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association Journal, Vol. 16, No. 4, Winter, 1988, 459-478.
The Income Elasticity of Demand for Single-Family Owner-Occupied Housing: An Empirical Reconciliation, Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 24, No. 2, September 1988, 173-185.
top
News Articles on Prof. Harmon’s Information Technology Activities at Uconn:
Sandwich an Economics Course Around New Year’s?, Uconn Econ Blog, January 23, 2012
Cheating by online students a concern, The Arizona Republic, December 12, 2011
Smartphones Can Make You Smarter When Used as Mobile Teaching Tools, Uconn Today, Nov. 16, 2011
Prof. Harmon Leads Workshop on Instructional Methods in a Wireless Classroom Stamford Advocate, Business Section, November 8, 2001
Prof. Harmon’s Workshop Wireless Instructional Methods is a Hit Uconn Libraries Newsletter, November/December 2001, p. 1
Prof. Harmon Organizes A Library Collection of Faculty Publications Uconn Libraries Newsletter, November/December 2001, p. 5
Review of UConn-Stamford Website, co-developed by Prof. Harmon , Stamford Advocate, Business Section, August 27, 2001 (link broken)
Prof. Harmon Reviews Developments in Usage of WebCT at the Stamford Campus Uconn Institute for Teaching and Learning Newsletter, September 13, 2000
Prof. Harmon Leads Summer Makeover of Stamford WebSite Uconn Advance, September 11, 2000
Prof. Harmon Awarded Large Impact Grant to Lead WebCT Effort at Stamford Campus Uconn Advance,May 1, 2000
Prof. Harmon A Winner of the Chancellor’s Information Technology Award Uconn Advance,May 1, 2000, The Award
Storrs TAs Grade Stamford Students’ Homework Over the Internet in Prof. Harmon’s Classes Uconn Advance,December 13, 1999
Smart CIties Use the Internet: Prof. Harmon’s Courses, Stamford Advocate, Business Section, Feb. 23, 1999, p. 13
top
Presentations:
2016
2016 “Evaluation of Programs to Recruiting and retaining scholars of color in the Academy” AAUP Conference on the State of Higher Education, Washington, DC, June 16-17
2016 “A Randomized Assessment of the Facebook v Blackboard as a Discussion Tool”, Sixth National Conference on Teaching and Research on Economic Education, Atlanta, GA. June 1-3
2016 Organizer and Moderator of Panel: The Experience of Managing a team in the FED Challenge Competition: Pointers and Pitfalls Sixth National Conference on Teaching and Research on Economic Education, Atlanta, GA. June 1-3
2016 “Factors Contributing to Differences in State Economic Outcomes Over the Great Recession”, 42nd Annual Eastern Economic Association Conference February 25 – 28
2016, “A Randomized Assessment of Online Learning”, with K. Couch and W. Alpert, American Economic Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, January 3-5
2015
2015, Organized and Chair of Panel: “Google Tools in the Classroom”, presenting the paper: “Learning by Doing: Using Google Draw for Homework Exercises”, 85th Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association November 22-24, New Orleans, Louisana
2015, Organized and Chair of Panel: “The Great Recessions: Labor Market and State Fiscal Experiences’, 85th Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association November 22-24, New Orleans, Louisana
2015, “Comparing Outcomes from Online, Blended and Classroom Formats”, 85th Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association November 22-24, New Orleans, Louisana
2015, Organized and Chair of Panel: “The Great Recessions: Labor Market and State Fiscal Experiences’, presenting the paper: “Factors Contributing to Differences in State Economic Outcomes Over the Great Recession”, 80th International Atlantic Economic Conference, October 8-12, Boston, MA
2015, “co-organized Panel: Nontraditional Magic: Online and Service‐Learning Pedagogy and Teaching Roundtable, presented paper “Using Google Suite in the Classroom” 2015 AAUP Conference on the State of Higher Education, Washington, DC, June 10
2015, “Online, Blended and Classroom Teaching of Economics Principles: A Randomized Experiment”, with K. Couch and W. Alpert, Fifth National Conference on Teaching and Research on Economic Education, San Francisco, CA. May 28
2015, Organizer, of Panel: How Effective are Alternatives to Chalk and Talk: presenter of ” Social Media as an Online Classroom Discussion Forum: A Randomized Trial Approach”, with W. Alpert, Fifth National Conference on Teaching and Research on Economic Education, San Francisco, CA. May 28
2015, “Online, Blended and Classroom Teaching of Economics Principles: A Randomized Experiment”, with K. Couch and W. Alpert, American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, January
2014
2014, “Online, Blended and Classroom Teaching of Economics Principles: A Randomized Experiment”, with K. Couch and W. Alpert, 2014 National Conference on Teaching and Research on Economic Education, Washington, D.C. May 28
2014, “Interactive Graphing Exercise”, with W. Alpert, A. Nemeroff, P. Tomolinos and R. Szwarka, Poster Session, American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Philidalphia, PA, January
2013
2013, ” Practical Experience with Online/Blended Course Delivery: Questions for Research?s” with W. Alpert, 75th International Atlantic Economic Conference , Philadelphia, PA, 4-7 October.
2013, ” Can social media be an effective medium for classroom discussion in the online classroom? ” , with W. Alpert and J. Lambrinos, submitted to the American Economic Association National Conference on Teaching Economics and Research in Economic Education, Chicago, IL, May 29 – May 31.
2013, “Designing Online and Blended Courses”, with William Alpert, Uconn Department of Public Policy Speaker Series, Feb. 19
2013, “The Effectiveness of Interactive Online Exercises across Delivery Format” , with W. Alpert and J. Lambrinos, American Economic Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, January
2012
Starting Point Workshop for Online Instruction, invited panel member, Carleton College, St. Paul MN, March 27-9, 2012.
“Using Facebook As a Discussion Board in an Online Class”, accepted for presentation at the Conference Shaping the Future: Driving Innovation in Online Higher Education, Post University April 20, 2012.
, “Interactive Online Exercises: An Evaluation of Their Effectiveness in a Large Size Principles of Economics Class at a Public University” Department of Economics Brown Bag Seminar May 2, 2012
Accepted for Presentation, “Interactive Online Exercises: An Evaluation of Their Effectiveness in a Large Size Principles of Economics Class at a Public University” AEA sponsored 2012 National Conference on Teaching Economics and Research in Economic Education, May 30 – June 1, 2012, Boston, MA.
top
Expertise: Online Instruction, State Tax Policy,
Addresses:
Department: Economics
Office: 3.22
One University Place
Stamford, CT 06901
Cell: (518) 859-8099;
Office: (203) 251-8415;
Office:(518) 478-0216.
Email: Oskar.Harmon@uconn.edu