I am grateful to Professors Ralph Andreano, Arthur S. Goldberger, and W. Lee Hansen of the University of Wisconsin for their encouragement and comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Many valuable suggestions were contributed by two anonymous referees and the participants in the Workshop in Applied Welfare Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Fall 1970, especially Morley Gunderson. Charles Leitzke assisted in the arduous task of data collection. The usual caveat is applicable.

We are indebted to Elisabeth Allison, G. L. Bach, William Becker, Frank Bonello, Kenneth Boulding, Stephen Buckles, J R. Clark, George Dawson, Daniel Fusfeld, Malcolm Getz, W Lee Hansen, RobertHeilbroner, RobertHighsmith, CliffHuang, ThomasJohnson, Allen Kelley, Darrell Lewis, Michael MacDowell, Campbell McConnell, Richard McKenzie, David Morawetz, Donald Paden, Phillip Saunders, Alex Scott, Howard Tuckman, John Vahaly, Henry Villard, Burton Weisbrod, Arthur Welsh, and Thomas Zak for comments on an earlier draft; to Thomas Overstreet and James Lewek for research assistance; to the members of Economics 380, Kaye James, Noel Lim, Katherine Maddox, Hal McClure, Mary Ann Meiners, and George Nomikos, for papers and discussions on economics education; to Violet Sikes for typing; and to Marjorie Churchill for editorial assistance.

This survey summarizes the main research findings about teaching economics to undergraduates. After briefly reviewing the history of research on undergraduate economic education, it discusses the status of the economics major—numbers and trends, goals, coursework, outcomes, and the principles courses. Some economic theory is used to explain the likely effects of pedagogical decisions of faculty and the learning choices that students make. Major results from empirical research are reviewed from the professor perspective on such topics as teaching methods, online technology, class size, and textbooks. Studies of student learning are discussed in relation to study time, grades, attendance, math aptitude, and cheating. The last section discusses changes in the composition of faculty who teach undergraduate economics and effects from changes in instructional technology and then presents findings from the research about measuring teaching effectiveness and the value of teacher training.