DR. KATHY ARCHER
Colangelo College of Business
Title: Associate Professor of Economics
Years at GCU: 7
Academic degrees: Doctor of Business Administration (GCU), Master of Business Administration (Wichita State University) and Bachelor of Arts, Journalism (Wichita State University)
Faculty scholarship (publications, scholarly presentations, fellowships, etc.):
Publications:
Archer, K. K. (2018). "Do Multiple Homework Attempts Increase Student Learning? A Quantitative Study." The American Economist, 63(2), 260-269. doi:10.1177/0569434518774790
Archer, K. K. and Olson, M. (2018). "Practice. Practice. Practice. Do Homework Management Systems Work?". International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: 12(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2018.120212
Archer, Kathy K. and Olson, Mark, "Practice. Practice. Practice. Do Homework Management Systems Work?" (2017). SoTL Commons Conference. 9. http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2017/9
Presentations:
American Economics Association Conference on Teaching and Research in Economic Education (CTREE), St. Louis, May 2019. "Student Motivation in Online Intro Classes: Is It about the Teaching Presence?"
The Teaching Professor Conference, New Orleans, June 2019. "Motivate Them With Video: A Community Of Inquiry Analysis."
SoTL Commons Conference, Savannah, Ga., Jan. 2019. "When Homework Management Systems Work Best: The Role Of Tenacity."
OLC (Online Learning Consortium) Accelerate, Orlando, Fla., Nov. 2017. "Does Practice Make Perfect? Multiple Homework Attempts and Student Learning: A Quantitative Study."
SoTL Commons Conference, Savannah, Ga., March 2017. "Practice. Practice. Practice. Do Homework Management Systems Work?"
Notable employment in your field: I had a career in business until I transitioned to higher education in 2009. In my business career I worked as a newspaper reporter and creative director at an advertising agency and ran a publishing company for 14 years. My professions might seem unrelated, but what they have in common is exploring, writing and communicating complex information into everyday language. I always had been interested in economics, but in my work at the advertising agency it came into play directly in my work with clients. My interest in economics continued to grow throughout my MBA. By the time I finished my MBA, I had made the move to the top position at a small publishing company, where I put my economics training into practice every day. Around 2008, I got the opportunity to teach university economics classes on the side and fell in love with teaching. I moved into teaching full time in 2009, and the doctoral degree soon followed. In 2012, I moved from Wichita, Kan., to Phoenix to take my current position at GCU.
What are you most passionate about in your field? In my humble opinion, economics is the cornerstone of all business decisions and much of life. (There’s a smile and a wink right there.) In my role here at GCU, I teach the entry-level economics courses, which means I have the honor of laying the foundation in an important area that will impact lives and business careers for years to come.
What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? I suppose you would get a better answer if you asked my students. Asked to assess myself, I would say I am forever curious and my natural curiosity spills over into the classroom. Economics intersects with everything from public policy to consumer choices we all make every day to business scenarios of every variety. I enjoy bringing the examples and ideas that come out of my reading and curiosity into the classroom.
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? In my spare time, I do a lot of different things that I’m not very good at. It goes back to that curiosity. I play pickleball, poorly. I play the piano, poorly. I read a lot, mostly fiction. I love travel, especially to other countries and cultures. And. of course. I spend time with my husband, Lee, family and friends.
What is something interesting about you that most people don't know? I went to high school in Puerto Rico. I was there because I grew up in an Air Force family -- the high school in Puerto Rico was one of 13 schools I attended. That time in Puerto Rico so expanded my world view that it changed trajectory of my life. Undoubtedly, this is the source of my unquenchable curiosity.
