Teaching Portfolio
Marquise J. McGraw
University of California – Berkeley
Department of Economics
Last Updated: Fall 2014
1
Contents
Description of Teaching Responsibilities – SUMMARY: ............................................................. 3
Description of Teaching Responsibilities - EXTENDED: ............................................................. 4
Statement of Teaching Philosophy ................................................................................................. 7
Evaluation of My Teaching: Comments from End-of-Semester Emails ........................................ 9
Commitment to Improvement as an Instructor ............................................................................. 12
Appendix Materials ....................................................................................................................... 13
2
Description of Teaching Responsibilities – SUMMARY:
My teaching experience to date is comprised of:

Instructor of record for UC Berkeley undergraduate summer course in Urban Economics
(twice);

Five-time leader of required one-day discipline-cluster workshop for new Graduate
Student Instructors (GSIs), sponsored by the UC Berkeley GSI Teaching & Resource
Center

Workshop Leader, Encouraging Student Participation, Spring 2014, UC Berkeley GSI
Teaching & Resource Center

Head GSI for Intermediate Microeconomics (twice);

GSI for Introduction to Economics;

Co-Instructor for AEA Summer Training Program in Economics, in Labor Economics
and Research Design

Informal advisor to Kathleen Hui, Krista Chan and Priscilla Luu on undergraduate theses

Informal advisor and mentor to numerous AEA Summer Training Program alumni

Involvement of undergraduates in my dissertation research (Alice Wang, Cathy Liu)
My commitment to teaching excellence has been recognized by the Department of Economics
and the Graduate Division, as evidenced by the following competitive awards:

Teaching Effectiveness Award, UC Berkeley Graduate Division

Outstanding GSI award, Department of Economics
Mean ratings from courses taught (teaching effectiveness):

(Instructor) Urban Economics, Summer 2013: 6.4 / 7

(Head GSI) Intermediate Microeconomics, Fall 2012: 6.4 / 7

(GSI) Introduction to Economics, Fall 2011: 6.15 / 7
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Description of Teaching Responsibilities - EXTENDED:
UC Berkeley Classroom Teaching
Currently. I am the Head Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for Intermediate
Microeconomics (ECON 100A) during the Fall 2014 semester, under the direction of Professor
Calanit Kamala. (I also held this role in Fall 2012.) In addition to teaching two sections, I strive
to ensure that the other seven GSIs I work with are prepared to teach and are equipped to do so
effectively. To this end, I work with them on teaching strategies and issues, and also coordinate
the production of section notes and the grading of problem sets and exams. Additionally, I ensure
that exams are administered efficiently and work to troubleshoot unexpected issues arising in the
450-student course. I also lead supplemental review sessions prior to each of the midterms and
the final exam. Most students are in their second, third or fourth year, many of whom are firstsemester transfer students from community colleges. My Fall 2012 average teaching
effectiveness rating was 6.4 out of 7.
As Instructor for Urban Economics (ECON 155) during UC Berkeley’s summer session
for 2013 and 2014. I was given full latitude to design and teach the course as I saw fit. I created a
course that incorporates traditional lectures, exams and problem sets, but also debates, student
presentations, one-minute papers and longer reflective essays that promote active student
participation and learning. Most students were international students and senior undergraduates
from within the University of California system. In general, the course was well received and
highly rated (average Summer 2013 teacher effectiveness rating of 6.4 out of 7). While many
students were initially apprehensive about the amount of student participation I expected of them,
in the end most saw it as beneficial, and for some, it was a great way to conquer some of their
fears (such as that of public speaking).
4
In Fall 2011, I was a GSI for Introduction to Economics (ECON 1) at UC Berkeley. Most
of my students in this course were first- and second-year undergraduates. In this course, under
the direction of Professor Kenneth Train and a head GSI, I designed lesson plans for discussion
section to supplement the main lectures. I provided section outlines to assist students with their
review and understanding of the course material. I gave supplementary quizzes to assist with
retention of the material. I also graded homework assignments and exams. Finally, I led review
sessions – for the first two midterms, approximately 70-90 students were in attendance. For the
final exam, over half the class (400 out of 720 students) attended my review session. Finally, I
offered and led an optional discussion, attended by eleven students, where we discussed the
connections between economic theory and world events.
Other Teaching-Related Experience
At the start of each semester, from Fall 2012 to Fall 2014, I served as a Discipline-Cluster
Leader for the Quantitative Social Sciences as part of the GSI Teaching and Resource Center’s
one-day Teaching Conference for new GSIs. In this four-hour workshop, we cover everything
from how to prepare a syllabus, to how to handle common fears that new teachers have. The
workshop is generally well-received by the new GSIs, with many commenting that it was
“surprisingly helpful”.
Additionally, I have experience mentoring and advising undergraduate students in a
variety of contexts. I informally helped three undergraduates with their senior theses, two of
whom went on to graduate with honors. I have also brought on and supervised undergraduates as
part of my research on airports and local economic development. These research assistants
assisted me with data collection, literature reviews, and case studies.
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As part of my commitment to diversity, in Summer 2012 I worked with the American
Economics Association (AEA) summer program in economics as a teaching assistant at the
University of New Mexico. The program is designed to introduce students from low-income,
minority, and other underprivileged backgrounds to the demands of graduate school in
Economics. Here, I co-taught the master’s level economics policy course (with Professors
Refugio Rochin and Meg Blume-Kohout), assisted students with their work, and provided
general assistance as needed. I also spent much of my time informally mentoring students on
study strategies, how to get into and survive graduate school, and a variety of related topics. I
maintain strong mentoring relationships with many of these students to this day.
Prior to that, I was a teaching assistant for the Applied Economics – Game Theory course
at UC Santa Barbara. This course, which was taught by Professor Fernando Lozano of Pomona
College, was taught as part of the 2010 AEA Summer Training Program in Economics. For this
course, I led weekly sections and graded homework and exams. I also spent time conversing with
students outside of class, mostly in the dining hall during lunch and dinner. In this way I was
able to build strong, meaningful educational relationships with my students.
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Statement of Teaching Philosophy
The future of American society hinges upon its ability to continue to produce great
innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, risk-takers, and others who can otherwise contribute and
thrive in an ever-changing, oftentimes unpredictable world. My core mission as an educator is
not simply to instill content knowledge in my students. Rather, my goal is to help them learn
how to think critically and creatively, to empower them to work through situations where there
may be ambiguity, and to hone their ability to communicate clearly. Armed with these skills,
students will be empowered to successfully solve real-world problems and to make prudent
decisions in all areas of their lives.
My courses and classroom time are structured to accomplish this goal. In far too many
cases, especially in economics, students often become passive consumers of information rather
than critical thinkers and contributors. To counteract this, in my Urban Economics course
students not only complete problem sets and take exams, but also participate in debates, class
discussions, and student presentations. Incorporating the latter activities into the curriculum
forces students to leave their comfort zones and to venture into areas where answers are not
always clear-cut. To maximize engagement and reduce anxiety regarding grades, grading of
these activities is holistic and heavily weighted towards effort. This, in turn, produces an
environment where students feel free to take intellectual risks and to exercise their critical
thinking skills. Moreover, as each student learns differently, utilizing a mix of teaching
techniques ensures that every student has an opportunity to learn in a way best suited to him or
her. Taken together, this approach enables students to learn not only the course material, but to
sharpen higher-level critical thinking and synthesis skills as well.
If a course is to help students become critical thinkers and contributors to society,
students must be able to make connections between various streams of information. Stated
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differently, they should have the ability to link coursework to real-world issues. For example, in
Introduction to Economics, I relate topics such as supply and demand to questions such as: Why
is the U.S. Postal Service having financial issues? and What are the pros and cons of having a
minimum wage? In my Intermediate Microeconomics course, I expect students to master both
the mathematics of the models and the related economic intuition. Students must understand, for
example, the traditional mathematical and graphical representations of the Slutsky equation,
which models changes in demand for a good as a price response (substitution effect) and income
response (income effect). Additionally, they should also be able to articulate the role that these
concepts play, for example, in the design and functioning of public programs such as Social
Security and public assistance. To stimulate thinking this way, as I walk students through
concepts and exercises, I constantly ask “Why are we doing this?” or “What does this
accomplish?” and have students respond in their own words. The result is that students’ learning
is greatly enhanced.
Finally, constant and consistent assessment of student learning is vital to ensuring that
these skills are being developed. In addition to the standard tools such as exams and problem sets,
I use one-minute papers, quizzes, and mid-semester evaluations to gauge learning. With this
information, I can adapt my methods in real time as needed. Long-term, I gauge the effectiveness
of my teaching by posing the following question: “Can you, after taking this class, open up an
economics-related article in a respected publication such as The Wall Street Journal, The New
York Times, or The Economist, understand what the article is saying, and then think critically
about its content?” If it turns out that six months or later after taking my course, students are
successful at this task, my students will have picked up the essential transferable skills that will
lead them to success in their current and future endeavors.
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Evaluation of My Teaching: Comments from End-of-Semester Emails
Urban Economics, Summer 2013 and 2014
Brookshield X TRAN br--------an@berkeley.edu
8/16/13
Hi Marquise,
…I wanted to thank you for teaching such an interesting an applicable class. This is one of my
last classes as I am graduating this summer and I'm glad I chose to take it. It was very
worthwhile and renewed my interest in economics. You are one of the best instructor I have
encounter in my years at Berkeley and I hope that you will continue to teach. Unlike other
professors, I can see that you do genuinely care about your students and what they learn. Thus, I
hope you enjoy this class as I did.
I wish you the very best in your future endeavors and that you will continue to teach this course
in the future.
Best,
Brooke
QIFAN WU w----an@berkeley.edu Aug 15, 2014
Hi Marquise,
Econ 155 is the last class for my undergraduate study. It is great to have you during this
summer. You are an amazing instructor! Thank you so much!
Qifan Wu
______________________________________________________________________________
Susan Shen s---------94@gmail.com Aug 14, 2014
Good morning,
I had a really good time in your class this summer. This was the first class I've taken in my
college career where I've felt like I'm actually taking away something from the class that is
applicable (somewhat) to the real world. It really re-sparked my interest in Economics and
refocused my initial reason for pursing it. Thank you so much for teaching this course. Your
passion for public policies and drive to make a change in urban economic policies really inspires
me.
Best regards,
Susan Shen
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s-------------l@berkeley.edu <s---------------l@berkeley.edu> Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 10:42 PM
To: marquise.mcgraw@gmail.com
Marquise,
Just wanted to let you know you did a great job on the review session on
sunday. I found it very helpful and you covered the most essential
material. Also, I wanted to thank you for your flexibility with my
athletic's schedule and for helping me out during office hour last time.
It is really helping me succeed in the class.
All the best,
Joel
___________________________________________________________________________
To: mmcgraw@berkeley.edu Wed, Nov. 30, 2011
My brother goes to Cornell! I actually went there for Thanksgiving break... don't you like it
here much more?
Anyway, I wanted to express my thanks again for teaching me and being such a great GSI. I
mentioned you in my evaluation about how you're the best GSI I ever had.... when you're not
even my GSI... and told Prof. Train of how great you are. He said he feels really lucky to
have gotten you as a GSI and says that you are a "treasure."
I hope to become an individual like you who puts in his all as a teacher, and teaches beyond
knowledge of the classroom. I just wanted to express how there are so many qualities I want
to learn from you- being bright, thorough, responsive to questions (qualities that are not
always prevalent in my GSI experience), among much more!
Thanks for being so awesome! See you during your office hrs/review sessions! :)
Eunice
____________________________________________________________________________
Matthew d.<m---------o@gmail.com> Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 9:22 PM
To: Marquise McGraw <mmcgraw@berkeley.edu>
Marquise,
Hey it's Matt . I just wanted to say thanks for all your help this semester. I know you are
considering teaching, and I just want to let you know I think you did an amazing job this
semester. The outlines, review session, and your willingness to help your sections was amazing. I
am extremely glad I was able to switch into your section. Thanks for everything. Hope to stay in
touch.
Thanks,
Matthew
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Train, Kenneth <Kenneth.Train@nera.com> Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 1:15 PM
To: Marquise McGraw <marquise.mcgraw@gmail.com>
Marquise,
Thanks….[confidential information redacted]
I've been wanting to tell you but never did: Several students have told me how
wonderful you have been as their GSI, and that they feel very grateful to you. One
even wrote me an email just to say that. This is very unusual, since students
seldom talk about their GSIs to me unless it is to complain about a grade. So, you
should be very proud. I really appreciate all the good work you put into the course.
Best wishes,
Kenneth
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Commitment to Improvement as an Instructor
I am committed to constant and continual improvement as an instructor. In Fall 2011, I
enrolled in the pedagogy course for GSIs (ARE 300) offered by my department. Among other
things, that course enabled me to obtain a much better idea of how students learn and how
effective teaching works. I learned how to use strategies such as mid-semester evaluations (see
sample in Appendix) and two-minute reflection papers to gauge student learning and teaching
effectiveness.
For me, the most important part of the course was having my teaching videotaped and
critiqued by one of my peers. Watching the video, I noted the need to build in more time for
questions from students. My observer noted that I would often ask “Any questions?” but if a
student did not raise their hand immediately that I would just go immediately into the next topic.
This is despite the fact that as a shier student myself, I know that it often takes students at least
15 to 30 seconds to formulate a question. When students did ask questions, I dismissed them
quickly without fully addressing them.
Based on the videotape and the mid-semester evaluations that I administered to my
students, I addressed this by reducing the amount of material that I covered, only focusing on the
most troublesome concepts and content. I also built in more pauses for questions, and checked in
with students to make sure their questions were being answered. Finally, I constantly reminded
students that questions are encouraged, both verbally and on the section outlines. As noted in my
final reflection note to my students (in the Appendix), I believe I was able to make good on these
promises.
As part of my commitment to professional development, I regularly attend optional
seminars on teaching offered by the GSI Teaching and Resource Center. In Spring 2012, I
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completed a four-week workshop on Syllabus and Course Design, as well as a related workshop
on Assessing Student Learning. Also, I have improved my craft by regularly sharing what I’ve
learned with other GSIs. To this end, at the beginning of each semester since Fall 2012, I have
led a four-hour workshop for new GSIs to orient them to teaching at Berkeley and to get them
through their first few weeks. Additionally, in Spring 2014 I co-led a workshop on encouraging
student participation, where I focused on the use of strategies such as small-group discussion and
one-minute papers as ways to stimulate student participation. As I complete the requirements of
my program and progress throughout my career, I will continue to seek out opportunities to
improve my teaching.
Appendix Materials
I.
Sample Section Outline
II.
Mid-Semester Evaluation Instrument
III.
Reflection Letter to Students (Parting Words)
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Department of Economics
University of California, Berkeley
GSI: Marquise McGraw
Fall 2011
ECONOMICS 1 – Section 103/108
Section Meeting #4
September 12, 2011
Section Objective: To improve our understanding of how demand and supply curve analysis can
be used for policy analysis. To understand how taxes and elasticities work.
Learning Goals: At the end of today’s section, you should be able to:
 Show that the actual economic effects (burden) of a tax is equivalent regardless of
whether it is paid by producers/suppliers or consumers/demanders.
 Understand the concept of elasticity and its relation to the flatness or steepness of a
supply or demand curve. Also, understand how elasticity changes as we move along a
demand or supply curve.
 To combine these concepts and carry out a coherent policy analysis using only the basic
tools of demand curve, supply curve, (possibly) taxes, and elasticity.
Announcements:
 We will discuss policy analysis for the last 15 minutes of class. Students from each
section will discuss two examples of policy analysis. Please be courteous and attentive to
your classmates! 
Outline of Today’s Section:
I.
Effects of taxation (~20 minutes) Note: you might want to use graph paper!
a. Recall that an excise tax is a tax levied on a good on a per-unit basis.
b. An excise tax can be represented as an upward shift in the supply curve (as shown
in lecture) or as a downward shift in the demand curve.
c. Working example: Suppose the demand and supply curves for potatoes are given
by the tables below.
Supply
Price
0
1
2
3
4
5
Demand
New price
Quantity w/ tax (2)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Price
6
5
4
3
2
1
New price
Quantity w/ tax (5)
0
1
2
3
4
5
d. Plot the supply and demand curves. What is the equilibrium price received by
producers and quantity in this market?
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e. Now the government levies a tax on producers of $1/potato. How does this affect
the numbers in the table above? Now plot the new supply curve. What is the
equilibrium price paid by consumers? What is the net price received by producers
after they pay the tax to the government?
f. How much of the $1 tax did producers pay in the end? Consumers?
g. Now go back to the original table. Suppose that the $1 tax is now levied on
consumers. Because “price” in this graph is “price received by producer”, explain
intuitively why the consumer’s demand curve would shift down.
h. Now change the appropriate numbers in the table above to represent this
downward shift in demand. What is the new equilibrium price and quantity?
i. How does the equilibrium price and quantity in (4) compare to the equilibrium
price and quantity in (2)? How about the answer to (3)?
We have now shown that the equilibrium price paid by the consumer =
equilibrium price received by the producer + tax.
j. How would a sales tax, as opposed to an excise tax, shift the supply curve in this
framework? (Hint: An excise tax is a tax on the good, regardless of its price. But
sales taxes DO vary with the price of a good. How is this fact relevant?)
II.
Elasticity (~15 minutes)
a. We will do a very brief primer on this in section. The textbook has a great
discussion of this topic (Chapter 5).
b. Elasticity is the percent change in quantity for a one percent change in price. The
formula is
Q
Q P Q2  Q1 P
Q


 

P P Q P2  P1 Q
P
c. We say demand is elastic if  >1. We say demand is inelastic if  <1.
d. Note that the slope of a linear demand curve is P Q , a quantity which does not
change along the demand curve. However, P and Q do change along the demand
curve. So elasticities can differ at different points on the demand curve.
e. Using the original, pre-tax demand curve in (I), compute the elasticity at the
points Q = 1, Q =5, and Q=3. Discuss.
f. What would a demand curve look like if it were perfectly elastic (that is, price is
the same, regardless of supply)? Perfectly inelastic (that is, supply is the same
regardless of price?)
g. Why might a monopolist (who is the only seller in a market, and thus has the
power to set prices on her goods) always choose to raise prices when demand is
inelastic?
h. How can we use the answer to (f) to determine whether or not a market is
monopolized?
III.
Policy Analysis (15 minutes)
a. Additional handouts will be provided when your classmates present.
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Department of Economics
University of California, Berkeley
GSI: Marquise McGraw
Fall 2011
ECONOMICS 1 – Section 103/108
Mid-Semester Section and GSI Evaluation
Please answer the following questions in as much detail as possible. Your answers will be used
to improve the remaining section meetings. Please be candid, but fair and constructive in your
feedback. Do not write your name on this evaluation.
I.
Feedback on the Section
1. Do you find the subject matter of this course easy, average, or difficult? Explain.
2. Do you find the pace of section:
Too Fast
About Right
Too Slow
3. How often do you come to section?
Almost Always
Sometimes
A Few Times Almost Never
4. How much time per week do you devote to this class outside of scheduled class hours?
0-3 hours
3-6 hours
6-9 hours
9-12 hours
More than 12 hours
5. Do you ask questions or make comments in this class?
Never
Seldom Occasionally
Frequently
What would encourage you to participate more?
6. Is the section material presented in a clear and well-organized manner? Explain.
7. Are you able to read what is written on the blackboard? Yes / No
Is the information on the board organized effectively? Yes / No
8. What three things do you like most about this section?
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9. What three things would you change about this section if you could? (Besides the early
morning time slot.) You may continue your answer on the back.
II. Feedback on the GSI
10. Have you been to office hours? If so, about how many times? Do you find them helpful?
On a scale of 1-7, with 1 being “strongly disagree” and 7 being “strongly agree”, please rate your
level of agreement with the following:
11. The GSI is approachable.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
12. The GSI provides enough opportunities for me to ask questions in section.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
6
7
13. The GSI is knowledgeable about the subject matter.
1
2
3
4
5
14. The GSI explains the course material and answers questions clearly and thoroughly.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
15. The GSI seems to be genuinely interested in helping me succeed in the course.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
16. If I had to rate my GSI overall based on the sections so far on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is
“a poor GSI” and 7 is “an outstanding GSI”, I would give him a
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
17. Please provide specific comments on what the GSI can do to improve the quality of
teaching in section and to make the section meetings more helpful to you.
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Parting Words to my Students – December, 2011
I hope that this course has been able to provide you with some of the tools that you need to
become an engaged citizen in life.
I have done my best to give you plenty of opportunities to learn the material. I have tried to break
this stuff down into digestible bits and pieces and I hope this was useful to you. I hope some of
the unconventional methods I’ve tried to use in section – group work, presentations, work on the
computer, slides, section notes – have been useful. Judging by the relatively high attendance for
an 8:00 and 9:00 section, I believe that I have been successful in engaging most of you.
I think that those of you who get an A- or above in this class should consider taking the honors
sequence, 101A and 101B in lieu of 100A and 100B and consider majoring in Economics. You
now understand that Econ is not about business, but is about figuring out what’s best for the
well-being of society, which is a very important question. Those of you who get Cs will probably
go do something else, but don’t feel bad about that. The curve is brutal, and from my vantage
point most of you have learned SOMETHING. That is the important part.
Regardless of whatever your final grade ends up being, my hope is that you have learned enough
economics to be able to pick up a newspaper such as The Wall Street Journal or a magazine like
The Economist and to be able to follow along with the main arguments. I also hope that you’ve
learned enough to be able to think about some of the pressing economic issues of today and to
formulate opinions about them.
As you move forward in your career here as a student and later on out in the work force, I hope
that you will consider doing something in your life that won’t just benefit you, or just benefit
those who already have, but consider devoting some time to those pursuits that can help to make
the world a better place. Use what you’ve learned in this class to make reasoned, well-thought
out decisions. Let’s try to make this University, State, Country and World a better place than it
currently is.
I strongly encourage you to ask questions, challenge authority, and don’t be afraid of what others
will think. Fight the good fight and always do what you think is right, even when no one is
looking.
Please feel free to keep in touch if you’d like to. Contact me anytime. Thank you for making my
first semester of teaching here at Berkeley interesting and enjoyable. Thank you for your
feedback on my teaching – it has made me a better teacher, lecturer and communicator.
It has been a pleasure serving as your GSI. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
Thank you.
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