Robert J. McKeown, PhD, CFA

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream

York University

About

Robert McKeown is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Economics at York University. He brings a unique combination of academic and practical experience to his role, thanks to his dual qualifications as a Chartered Financial Analyst^® and holder of a PhD in Economics.

Teaching Philosophy

His teaching philosophy is centered around active learning in the classroom and leveraging technology to deliver an authentic learning experience, even in large classrooms. Technology has the power to enhance student success through frequent quizzes, interactive videos, and Ai powered learning software. He advocates for creativity in building student engagement and innovative ways to deliver subject matter.

Areas of Focus

Since joining York University, his primary focus has been on teaching first-year undergraduate courses including the principles of economics and mathematics for economics. These courses have also driven his scholarly pursuits, prompting him to research the efficacy of ALEKS, a math learning environment, in preparing students for economics majors.

Contributions

Robert McKeown is also the Academic Director of SNACK, the Student Numeracy Assistance Centre at York University, and collaborates on GAMES — A Gentle Approach to Math, Excel, and Stats. GAMES is a cutting-edge 24-week open-education resource (OER) designed to equip a diverse range of students for studies in economics, business, and the social sciences.

Download my Curriculum Vitae.

Interests

Economics Education
Finance
Macroeconomics
Principles of Economics

Education

PhD in Economics, 2017

Queen's University
Masters of Economics, 2009

Ryerson University
Bachelor of Commerce, 2008

Ryerson 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.