Phillip VanFossen
Interim Dean, Director & James F. Ackerman Distinguished Professor of Social Studies Education, Faculty Athletic Representative for Purdue University
Social StudiesCurriculum and Instruction
A former middle and high school economics teacher, VanFossen has published more than 80 scholarly works including refereed articles in Theory and Research in Social Education, The Senior Economist, and Economics for Kids. He is the program author for the high school economics text Economics Alive! The Power to Choose (Teachers Curriculum Institute, 2009). In addition, he has co-authored seven volumes of classroom curriculum materials for economics, and authored chapters in 3 handbooks.
- Ph.D. — Social Studies/Global Education, Economics, Teacher Education, The Ohio State University (1994)
- M.Ed. — Miami University, Oxford, OH
- B.S.Ed. — Miami University, Oxford, OH
- 2017 – Present
Faculty Athletic Representative
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2016 – 2017
Interim Associate Dean for Learning
College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2011 – 2016
Department Head
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2010 – 2011
Interim Head
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2005 – Present
James F. Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 2000 – Present
Director
James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, College of Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 1997 – Present
Associate Director
Purdue University Center for Economic Education
- 1997 – 2001
Assistant Professor
School of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- 1994 – 1997
Assistant Professor
School of Education, SUNY-Geneseo Field Representative
New York Council on Economic Education
- 1994 – 1999
Faculty Associate
The Mershon Center, The Ohio State University
- Purdue University Faculty Scholar (2002)
- CIC Academic Leadership Program Fellow (2009)
- Profound Impact Award, Miami University (2009)
- Kappa Delta Pi Outstanding University Professor (1999, 2002, 2009)
- Kehler Technology Award, National Council for Economic Education (2014)
- Krannert School of Management Outstanding Teacher for “dedication, commitment, and skill in delivering high quality education in undergraduate programs.” (Fall 2015)
- Review Board
- Editorial Board
- Theory and Research in Social Education – 2017-2020
Research interests include K-12 economic education, the potential of online role playing games (e.g., MMORPGs) for K-12 civic and economic education, Internet use in social studies classrooms, the impact of technology on citizenship and citizenship education, the intersection between civics and economics, and the degree of social studies in K-5 curriculum.
Selected Publications
- VanFossen, P. J. (2020). Who invented the Electoral College? The Conversation; published November 4, 2020. https://theconversation.com/who-invented-the-electoral-college-147083. 130,382 reads as of December 2, 2020.
- VanFossen, P. J. (2016). Preparing elementary teachers to be economic educators: An overview of ECON 21900, a hybrid course for elementary teacher education candidates. In M. B. Henning (Ed.) Innovations in economic education. New York, NY: Routledge.
- Fitchett, P.G., Heafner, T.L. & VanFossen, P.J. (2014). An analysis of time prioritization for social studies in elementary school classrooms. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 8 (2), 7-35. (http://www.joci.ecu.edu/index.php/JoCI/article/view/v8n2p7/pdf).
- Anderson, C., Burkey, B., Meszaros, B., Raymer, M., Rush, M., and VanFossen, P. (2014). FOCUS: High School Economics. New York, NY: Council for Economic Education. (Note: authorship was equal, names listed alphabetically)
- Fichett, P. G., and VanFossen, P. J. (2013). Survey on the status of social studies (S4): An instrumentation description. In Passe, J. and Fitchett, P. G. (Eds.) The status of social studies: Views from the field. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
- Thiemann, G., O’Brien, J., VanFossen, P. J. and Berson, M. (2013). Characteristics of high-frequency technology users. In Passe, J. and Fitchett, P. G. (Eds.) The status of social studies: Views from the field. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
- Ferrarini, T., Haskell, D., Hill, A., Lopus, J. Meszaros, B., Scahill, E., and VanFossen, P. (2011). FOCUS: Middle school world history. New York, NY: Council for Economic Education. (Note: authorship was equal, names listed alphabetically)
- VanFossen, P.J.* and McGrew, C. (2010). Is the sky really falling?; An update on the status of social studies in the K-5 curriculum in Indiana. International Journal of Social Education, 23(1), 139-179.
- VanFossen, P.J.* and McGrew, C. (2010). An ?economic way of thinking?: Approaches and curricula for teaching about social issues through economics. In, J. Pederson & S. Totten, (Eds.), Teaching and studying social issues: Major programs and approaches. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
- VanFossen, P.J. (2010). Best economic education practices for children. In, M. Schug and W. Wood (Eds.), Teaching economics in troubled times. Oxford, UK: Routledge.
- Friedman, A.* and VanFossen, P. J.* (2010). The Internet in social studies classrooms: Lost opportunity or unexplored frontier? In, R. Diem and M. Berson (Eds.), Technology in retrospect: Social studies in the information age, 1984-2009 (A volume in the International Social Studies Forum: The Series). Charlotte, NC: Information Age, 51-74.
- Friedman, A.*, Hartshorne, R.*, and VanFossen, P.J.* (2010). Exploring guild participation in MMORPGs and civic leadership. In, Y. Baek (Ed.), Gaming for classroom-based learning: Digital role playing as a motivator of study. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference (imprint of IGI Global), 176-203.
- VanFossen, P. J. (2009). Econ Alive!: The Power to Choose. Palo Alto, CA: Teacher’s Curriculum Institute.
- Shiveley, J. M. & VanFossen, P. J. (2009). Toward assessing Internet use in the social studies classroom: Developing an inventory based on a review of relevant literature. Journal of Social Studies Research, 33 (1), 1-32.
- EDCI 36100 — Social Studies in the Elementary School
- EDCI 59000C — Integrating Technology into Citizenship Education
- EDCI 59100 — Developing Integrated Internet-Based Curriculum
- EDCI 60400 — Elementary Social Studies
- EDCI 62400 — Teaching Social Studies Using the Internet
- ECON 21900 — Economics for Future Educators
- ECON 51900 — Teaching International Economics (co-taught with Michael Watts, ECON)
