PUBPOL-303D
MICROECONOMIC POLICY TOOLS
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Instructor
Overview
Feedback is mixed. The clearest upside is that teaching clarity stands out. Best for students who want a structured class rather than chaos.
DepartmentPPS
Terms offeredFall, Spring
Typical enrollment15–74
Semesters of data5
4.3
Hrs / week
106
Responses
616
Enrollment
17%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
3.7
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
3.8
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
3.8
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.7
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysishigh
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 308 comments across 14 sections
Feedback is mixed. The clearest upside is that teaching clarity stands out. Best for students who want a structured class rather than chaos.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A is doable but not automatic
The signal here is more do-the-work-and-you-should-be-fine than easy-A chatter. Students do not describe the A as automatic, but the evidence also does not paint grading as punishing.
Homework Load
Moderate homework load
Homework load looks moderate. The recurring signal is steady weekly work, but not a course that turns every assignment into a grind.
Lecture Load
Lecture load is mixed
Lecture burden appears to vary by section. Some comments describe a discussion-driven format, while others emphasize denser or more central lectures.
Strengths
• Teaching clarity stands out; students repeatedly say the material is explained clearly and effectively.
Tradeoffs
• There is no single dominant complaint theme, but the feedback is not uniformly glowing either.
Best fit for
Best for students who want a structured class rather than chaos.
Student Responses
econ
Fall 2023 · Sutherland, Sara
- Supply and Demand - Price Fixing - A number of other microeconomic concepts, very helpful!
Fall 2023 · Sutherland, Sara
econ and policy
Fall 2023 · Sutherland, Sara
Applying microeconomic policy tools to current policy issues, analyzing supply and demand curves, deadweight loss, and pareto efficiency.
Fall 2023 · Sutherland, Sara
Economic analysis and graph skills
Fall 2023 · Sutherland, Sara
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Pfaff, Alex 3.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.4Difficulty3.9Would retake40%Based on 8 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.2 | 3.6 | 5.9 | 30 |
| Spring 2025 | Johnson, Matthew 3.0Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.0Difficulty3.5Would retake40%Based on 10 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 188 |
| Fall 2024 | Pfaff, Alex 3.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality3.4Difficulty3.9Would retake40%Based on 8 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 74 |
| Spring 2024 | Garcia-Perez, Monica | 2.9 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 239 |
| Fall 2023 | Sutherland, Sara 1.7Rate My ProfessorsQuality1.7Difficulty3.7Would retake33%Based on 3 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 85 |
Instructor
Pfaff, AlexPPS
Also teaches
PUBPOL-574 ECON EVAL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVEL4.5PUBPOL-901 CHOICE AND PUBLIC POLICY4.0