Tag: Bill Harbaugh

The Increased Danger of High Drivers: Evidence from the Fatal Accident Reporting System

Presenter: Mitchell VanVuren

Co-Presenters: Daniel Palau

Faculty Mentor: Benjamin Hansen, Bill Harbaugh

Presentation Type: Oral

Primary Research Area: Social Science

Major: Economics, Mathematics

As recreational marijuana legalization grows increasingly prominent, one possible externality of its use concerns its impact on driving; motorists under the influence of marijuana may have increased risk of being involved in a fatal accident. We use national-level data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System to estimate the increased risk due to high drivers. Using a multinomial model of car accidents, we estimate that a high driver is at least 2.8 times more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than a sober driver. Ours is the first study to estimate this parameter while accounting for changes in driving patterns across geography and time over nine years.

Teaching, Learning, and Achievement: Are Course Evaluations Valid Measures of Instructional Quality at the University of Oregon?

Presenter(s): Emily Wu − Economics, Mathematics And Computer Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Bill Harbaugh

Data Story Session 1CS

Research Area: Economics

This study explores the legitimacy of the use of Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs) as a measure of teaching quality. To do so, we seek to answer two questions surrounding the creation and implications of SETs. Using data from the University of Oregon (UO) we first analyze the influence of a variety of factors commonly hypothesized to bias SET scores. Second,
we investigate the relationship between SET scores and future student achievement. We find that a many of these factors influence SET scores, and that SET scores for a class are not a useful measure for predicting how well students will do in future classes. These findings suggest that SET scores are not a valid measure of teaching quality at the UO.

A Comparison of Market Based and Government Enforcement Environmental Policies across US States to Observe How Oregon Employment Rates are Impacted

Presenter(s): Blake Dressel − Economics

Co Presenter(s): Natalie Valent

Faculty Mentor(s): Bill Harbaugh

Oral Session 3S

Research Area: Social Science

In an effort to combat climate change, the Oregon State legislature has proposed a cap-and-invest program that establishes a ceiling on total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions through covered entities and a market-based compliance mechanism. The mechanism will promote carbon sequestration, adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change
and ocean acidification. The legislation establishes a Climate Investment Fund, Just Transition Fund, and a Transportation Decarbonized Fund, which allocates permit funds. The program funding should be allocated in a way that is feasible, cost- effective, and consistent with the law. To find changes in employment rates across Oregon economic sectors, we classify United States (US) state policies as either command-and-control, market-based, or information instruments with the goal of increasing renewable energy development. This data comes from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE). Furthermore, the paper uses a difference-in-difference-in-difference (D3) econometric estimator, which compares environmental conditions before and after policy implementation, that looks to compare various policy types across US states, across economic sector, and over time with the goal of estimating changes in employment. The employment data comes from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Based on the literature and data gathered from other US states’ laws, we propose measures that reflect the most cost effective abatement instruments. We then examine changes in emissions through policies to observe changes in employment in Oregon. This information helps inform the analysis of Oregon energy and environmental policies.

Measuring instructor quality and student learning at the University of Oregon, using a value added measure

Presenter(s): Marie-Rose Tonguino—Economics

Faculty Mentor(s): Bill Harbaugh

Session 2: Oregon Trails

Student evaluations of instructors are widely used in higher education to measure the quality of teaching of professors and instructors . Yet, recent research suggests that these evaluations are often biased, especially toward women and ethinic minorities, and that they do not necessarily provide an accurate measure of teaching quality . Research has found that some instructors tend to teach to the test in order to improve student performance on standardized tests, therefore omitting important skills that students need as they further their education . Other instructors have also been found to have bad evaluations and yet appear to be the ones who better prepare students for subsequent classes than their counterparts . For this reason, some researchers have been looking at value added and continuation rates to measure teaching quality, as opposed to measuring instructor quality solely using student evaluations and student performance on standardized tests . Value added is a method of measuring teaching quality through evaluating a student’s performance in a subsequent course compared to their counterparts, after taking the first course from different instructors . Continuation rate is a measure of the percentage of an instructor’s students who go on to take a subsequent related course . This research paper focuses on value added and continuation rate methods to measure instructor quality using University of Oregon data, as opposed to using student evaluations of instructors .