Teaching expertise and experience

 

Brief Overview​

​In my current position as a Senior Lecturer in Economics (on Educator Track), at LKYSPP, NUS, I primarily teach courses relevant to macro/international economic policy issues, which include Macroeconomics for Public Policy, Analytical Issues in Money and Banking and International Economic Development. All these courses are taught with significant policy emphasis and calibrated for students from diverse academic backgrounds (which typically involves very little background or training in economics). Over the last decade since graduating from George Mason University (GMU), I have gained a fairly wide-ranging teaching experience. One of the distinct advantages of being trained in an inter-disciplinary setting with an applied economics and public policy orientation is to be able to teach a variety of courses drawn from different fields like international economics, macroeconomics, international development and quantitative methods in an accessible, pragmatic and innovative way without compromising the analytical rigor. 

​

Educational Leadership: I'm currently an Affiliate at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) at National University of Singapore, as part of the CTLT Affiliates Program (CAP) 2025-26. I'm also the co-chair of our flagship graduate program - Master in Public Policy and the co-convenor of the Policy Analysis Exercise. In the past, I have been engaged both in extensive curriculum and program development as a member of various faculty committees in different universities. 

​

Teaching ​Experience: In my past teaching stints across both public policy and business schools across South East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, I have taught a wide range of courses from macroeconomics, to empirical methods, to money and banking and international economics (trade/finance) at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.  

​​

Pedagogical Research and Outreach (Works in Progress)

​​

• Gopalan, S., and Gan Joo Seng, M. “Making Thinking Visible through Dynamic Feedback Loops,” (Under Preparation)

  • December 10, 2025: Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2025, “Building Relationships in Teaching and Learning,” National University of Singapore, Singapore​

  • 30 April, 2025: Workshop on “Using Evidence to Improve Teaching Expertise: Assessment and Feedback Matter” Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT), National University of Singapore

​​

• Gopalan, S., “Mastering the CRAFT of Roleplay: A Framework for Economics Educators”

  • November 06-07, 2025: 23rd Annual St. Louis Fed Professors Conference “Active Learning in the College Classroom” Federal Reserve of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA​

​​​

• Gopalan, S. "From Concepts to Country Reports: A Scaffolded Approach to Teaching Macroeconomics to Policy Students"

  • Project on a small change teaching intervention as part of Reflective Inquiry in Teaching (RITE)​, under the guidance of Dr. Kiruthika Ragupathi (Senior Associate Director, CTLT, NUS). 

​

• Gopalan, S., Ong, C., Varma, N., and Nair, S., “Experiential Learning for New Policy Sciences: The Potential of Simulation Based Learning” 

  • Presentation at the International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP) 2025, Chiang Mai, Thailand.​

 

Teaching Portfolio

​

• Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS) [Spring 2024-]

  • Senior Lecturer in Economics (Educator-Track)

    • PP5545: Macroeconomics for Public Policy 

    • PP5211: Analytical Issues in Money and Banking

    • PP5906: International Economic Development 

    • PP6704: Economic Analysis for Public Policy (PhD)

    • PP5110A: Policy Analysis Exercise (Co-Convenor)

​​

• College of Business and Economics, United Arab Emirates University [2021-2023]

  • (Advanced) Assistant Professor of Economics​

    • Principles of Macroeconomics​ (Undergraduate)

      • Spring & Fall 2021, 2022, 2023​ 

    • Money and Banking (Undergraduate)

      • Spring & Fall 2021, 2022, 2023​

    • Selected Topics in Economics (Undergraduate)

      • Fall 2021​

    • International Economics and Globalization (Undergraduate)​

      • Spring 2023​

    • UAE in the Global Business Environment (MBA)​

      • Fall 2022​

​​

• Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University [2018 - 2019]

  • Assistant Professor of Economics

    • Fall 2018: International Economic and Financial Policy (Masters)​

    • Fall 2018: Advanced Quantitative Methods (PhD)

    • Spring 2019: Macroeconomics and Public Policy (Masters and PhD)

​

• Asia Competitiveness Institute, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore [2015-2017]

  • Research Fellow and Lecturer
    • Capacity Building Modules on “Applied Econometrics for Policy Analysis,” Asia Competitiveness Institute (2017).  

    • Executive Education Lectures

      • “Productivity Tracking and Efficiency Monitoring of Singapore’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs),” Advanced Executive Program on Strengthening Knowledge and Practice of Governance & Public Administration for Senior Administrative Officials from State Government of Andhra Pradesh, India, Singapore (April-May 2018)

      • “Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business in India’s Sub-National Economies,” Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Singapore (March 2018).

      •  “Globalization and Competitiveness,” Aviation Leaders Program in Public Policy (ALPPP), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (May 2016).

      • “Ease of Doing Business for Sub-National Economies: Case Studies of India and Indonesia,” Aviation Leaders Program in Public Policy (ALPPP), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (May 2017).

​

Guest Lecturer (Ad-Hoc) and Teaching Assistant Experience

​​

• ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacific, Singapore, 2016-2017.

  • International Economics (Undergraduate) 

  • Asian Economies (Undergraduate)

  • Macroeconomics for Finance (Graduate)

​

• Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (2018). 

  • International Economic Development (Masters) (Spring 2018) 

​

• Teaching Assistant, George Mason University School of Public Policy, VA, USA (Spring 2011–2014)

  • Investment and Macroeconomics (Graduate)

  • International Financial Institutions and Policies (Graduate)

  • Trade, Investment and Financial Issues in Asia (Graduate)

  • International Political Economy (Graduate)

​

• Guest Lecturer and Teaching Assistant, Singapore Management University, Singapore (Summer 2013, 2014, 2015)

  • International Economics (Undergraduate Honors)

​

• Teaching Assistant, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India (2007- 2008)

  • Macroeconomics​