Teaching Experimental Political Science: (Elgar Guides to Teaching)

This insightful book delivers a wealth of innovative ideas, models, examples, and advice for teaching experimental political science in the classroom and beyond, emphasising that teaching experimental research is necessary to prepare students to succeed as researchers, practitioners, active citizens and civic leaders. It illustrates how teaching experimental methods sparks students curiosity by allowing them to ask and answer questions about the world they live in. With a core focus on successfully engaging a diverse range of students at all levels, this book includes a variety of approaches from contributing authors who are leading scholars in their field. Chapters provide both new and experienced teachers with concrete guidance on how to: facilitate student-designed survey experiments, use workbooks and templates to overcome mathematical and writing anxiety; use mock Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews to teach students about the ethics of experimental research; follow an apprenticeship model to teach students to carry out their own lab experiments; and train students to go out into the field. Proposed models of teaching are supported throughout by the latest empirical research on the science of learning. Teaching Experimental Political Science will be a key resource for faculty and staff working across a variety of educational contexts including political science, international relations, international politics, domestic politics, public administration and public policy.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction: innovative approaches to teaching experimental methods in the political science classroom 1 Elizabeth A. Bennion 1 Experiments for all! Introducing freshmen to social science research using innovative experiments 16 Debra Leiter and Beth Miller Vonnahme 2 Included and set up to succeed: an evidence-based approach to teaching experiments in the diverse classroom 33 Elaine K. Denny and Reagan Bijou 3 Engaging students as researchers: the value of an inquiry-based one-semester survey experiment 52 Jeffrey L. Bernstein 4 Using class-designed survey experiments to teach data collection, analysis, and reporting protocols 66 Jennifer Bachner 5 Using templates to make survey experiments accessible to math-anxious students 85 Eric Loepp 6 Nurturing problem-solvers: using workbooks to teach experiments in international development 105 Lindsay R. Dolan 7 Incorporating experimental methods training into your political science courses: a practical, topic-informed approach 124 Angie Bos and Bas van Doorn 8 From concept to implementation: engaging student researchers in get-out-the-vote field experiments 137 Melissa R. Michelson and Mara Ostfeld 9 Train the trainer: a field experiment workshop for graduate students and faculty 155 Elizabeth I. Dorssom 10 Teaching lab experiments using an apprenticeship model 177 Rose McDermott 11 Using mock institutional review boards to teach the ethics of experimental research 194 Christopher B. Mann 12 When things go wrong in the lab: teaching new experimenters to anticipate and adapt to the unexpected 212 Jonathan Rogers 13 Creating an experimental lab on your campus 226 Kim Fridkin, Manuel Gutierrez, Trudy Horsting, and Alexandra M. Williams Index

About the Author :
Edited by Elizabeth A. Bennion, Chancellor’s Professor of Political Science and Director of Community Engagement, Indiana University South Bend, US

Review :
‘The infectious enthusiasm with which the authors convey their teaching techniques and experiences draws the reader in, much as the hands-on pedagogy of experimental political science draws in students who might otherwise be reluctant to learn about research methods. Readers will find a wealth of innovative teaching ideas, but mainly they will be struck by the authors’ deep commitment to making political science research relevant and meaningful to students from all walks of life.’ ‘This essential volume demonstrates how to bring one of the most important developments in social science—the experimental revolution—to the classroom. While teaching and research are often thought to be at odds, this book demonstrates that they can—and should—go together. Instructors will benefit from the concrete examples and advice; their students will benefit from being taught state of the art research methods. We all will benefit from a more informed citizenry.’