My teaching philosophy is centered around encouraging and fostering learning. Having experienced classroom environments in both the United States and Europe, I believe in a balanced approach between utilizing assignments and in-class activities with structured lectures and comprehensive exams. To read more my complete teaching philosophy: Shear Teaching Philosophy.
My first teaching experience was gained at the University of Arkansas as an instructor in the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Department, where I taught 5 different courses. I also taught during my Ph.D. program at Kansas State University during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am now an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University where I teach Farm and Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Finance, Introduction to Agricultural Economics, as well as our freshman seminar class. Course descriptions, syllabi, and student evaluations are below.
Courses taught at Oklahoma State University:
AGEC 1101 Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics Experience: Developing connections between the student’s major curriculum; career goals specific to Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness; and networking with other students, faculty, and alumni.
AGEC 1113 Introduction to Agricultural Economics: Economic theory of production, marketing, and consumption of agricultural products and natural resources. The role and structure of agricultural sciences and natural resources within the American economy. Policies to achieve efficiency and welfare goals in agriculture. AGEC 1113 Syllabus
AGEC 3423 Agribusiness & Farm Management: Application of economic principles for the profitable organization and operation of the farm business. Focuses upon agricultural production management decision making tools: budgeting techniques (enterprise, partial, and cash-flow), balance sheet, income statement, investment analysis and risk management.
AGEC 3603 Agricultural Finance: Analysis of capital investments, interpretation of financial statements, capital structure considerations for agricultural firms, and farm real estate pricing. Agricultural Economics 3603 is a study of the tools used in finance. The course emphasizes using and applying the tools of finance, and as such it is intended that the course go beyond the introductory level. Students will work on developing skills for analyzing financial situations.
Select Student Evaluation Quotes
“Dr. Shear is an excellent professor! She made what would have normally been a boring subject fun and interesting without sacrificing any of the difficulty or quality of information in the class. She teaches things in an easy to understand way and genuinely wants her students to succeed.”
“Dr. Shear truly wanted us to succeed in her class and would often explain things in a way that people who didn’t know much about economics would be able to understand. I really learned a lot in lecture and enjoyed the class.”
“Dr. Shear was everything I had hoped for in a college professor. She helped my learning experience by making it challenging but easy at the same time. She would have short quizzes to test ourselves to see what we struggled on before she would give out an exam.”
Courses taught at Kansas State University:
AGEC 115: Decision Tools for Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness: Development of foundational computer-based empirical skills that address economic and business issues in food and agriculture. Students will learn how to model information on an issue or problem using mathematical spreadsheets to find relevant answers for decision makers and stakeholders.
Syllabus: AGEC 115 Syllabus Spring 2020
Select Student Evaluation Quotes
“Overall Hannah did a fantastic job in this class even with all of the bumps that came along as well. she was very good at making sure everyone in class understood every step that we were doing and she took time to make sure we knew what we were doing.”
“A very understanding professor who is always willing to help in the best way possible, my personal best experience since I’ve been at K-State.”
“Professor Shear is one of the best professors that I have had at K-State so far. She engaged very well with the class and increased my desire to do well in the class as well as learn the information well. She was extremely organized and cared a lot not only about her students’ education, but also about them as people.”
Courses taught at the University of Arkansas:
Select Student Evaluation Quotes
“One of my favorite professors, she pushes her students to be better while also giving them the assistance and resources to do well in the class.”
“Great teaching techniques! Had an easy time understanding difficult material because of the way this course was taught!”
“Ms. Shear did an excellent job explaining material in a clear manor, so it was easy to understand. I went into this class without a clue about accounting, I didn’t know the difference between an asset and owners-equity, and now I have an A in the course and am in a much better place to make financial decisions as a manager.”
“Ms. Shear is extremely helpful and willing to do whatever it takes for you to understand the material. You can tell she really wants her students to learn the material and do well in the class, which is very refreshing in college when some professors don’t care if you do well or not.”
Sample Teaching Materials:
AGEC 4163 Rural Development Syllabus
Hannah Elizabeth Shear 