Robert J. McKeown, PhD, CFA

Associate Professor

Department of Economics, York University

About

Robert J. McKeown, PhD, CFA, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at York University. His work focuses on economics education, quantitative readiness, and technology-enhanced learning in large introductory courses.

He studies how active learning, adaptive platforms, and generative AI can support student success in economics, with recent work on LLM-supported tutoring, ALEKS, and peer-assisted learning. His teaching has been recognized with York University’s Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

He is the former Academic Director of the Student Numeracy Assistance Centre at Keele (SNACK) and a contributor to GAMES: A Gentle Approach to Math, Excel, and Stats, an open educational resource for students preparing for economics, business, and related fields. His recent academic engagement also includes a visit to the Changchun University of Finance and Economics.

View my Curriculum Vitae

Interests

Quantitative-focused pedagogy
Generative AI in teaching
Adaptive learning systems
Financial economics

Education

PhD Economics, 2017

Queen's University

Projects

GAMES: A Gentle Approach to Math, Excel, Stats

GAMES is an open education resource (OER) designed to prepare a diverse set of learners and students, some of whom may lack a strong background in math and stats, to succeed in university business, economics, and the social sciences, The content covers precalculus, calculus, multivariate calculus, probabilities and statistics, and real world examples are often demonstrated using Excel or Googlesheets. The modular design allows you to access the content you want.

Student Numeracy Assistance Centre (SNACK)

The Numeracy Centre is proudly led by its inaugural Academic Director, Robert McKeown. Launched in Fall 2021 through generous funding from the Office of the Dean, SNACK is dedicated to empowering Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS) students by boosting their numeracy skills. Whether you’re grappling with math, stats, computer programming, or Excel, SNACK is your friend and ally. Our mission is to make complex concepts comprehensible, converting your numerical challenges into triumphs.

Improving Undergraduate Math with ALEKS

ALEKS, a math learning environment with adaptive questions powered by AI and machine learning, is embedded in the first four weeks of a first-year math for economics course to improve fundamental math skills. Student performance on ALEKS is compared with performance during the remainder of the course. We found that students self-reported that their time on ALEKS increased their self-confidence, understanding, and the likelihood that they would continue in a math-based discipline.

Media

SNACK aims to satisfy hunger for math assistance

Robert McKeown Presented at `Leveling-Up: an Event for Canadian Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math Faculty'

Algebra assistance at the ready for first-year York undergrad students

Introduction to Microeconomics makes a splash online

Economics Students Compete in Bank of Canada’s Governor’s Challenge

Research

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.

McKeown, Robert (2026). A Replicable 15-Minute LLM Tutoring Exercise for Quantitative Problem Solving in a Flipped Classroom. Journal for Educators, Teachers, and Trainers (forthcoming).

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McKeown, Robert (2017). How vulnerable is the {C}anadian banking system to fire-sales?. Queen’s University Working Paper 1381.

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McKeown, Robert (2017). Costs, size and returns to scale among {C}anadian and {U.S.} commercial banks. Queen’s University Working Paper 1382.

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McKeown, Robert (2017). Where Are The Economies Of Scale In Canadian Banking?. Queen’s University Working Paper 1380.

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McKeown, Robert (2017). An overview of the {C}anadian banking system: 1996 to 2015. Queen’s Working Paper 1379.

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