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1.
Mehdi Razzaghi 《PRIMUS》2017,27(4-5):517-525
Abstract

Undergraduate research has become the centerpiece of many institutions of higher education’s efforts to attract and recruit high school graduates. Since 1987, throughout my tenure at Bloomsburg University, I have involved over 20 students in my research. In my experience, there is clear evidence that students of mathematics substantially benefit if they engage in research during their undergraduate studies. Whether the student plans to apply for employment after graduation or continue with graduate studies, the undergraduate research experience has a tremendous effect on the student’s success. In this paper, I will provide some personal insight on my experience in working with undergraduate students. In most cases, my experience has been in working with one student on a long term (one semester or mostly year-long) research problems. I will discuss my approach to identifying students, the type of projects, providing guidance, and finally the challenges that we face in supervising undergraduate research. To exemplify, emphasis will be placed on the status of a recent 1-year research project, which was funded by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and a senior undergraduate student worked on it for one year.  相似文献   

2.
Robert W. Bell 《PRIMUS》2017,27(3):406-417
Abstract

Mentoring undergraduate students in research is both rewarding and challenging. In this paper we present how we established a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the mathematical sciences at Michigan State University. A goal of our REU is to include students who are at an early stage of their study of mathematics. We share our experiences in recruiting students, designing research projects, and mentoring our participants. We discuss the challenges we faced and the solutions we found while working with a diverse group of undergraduate students from across the nation.  相似文献   

3.
Abstract

This paper offers a strategic initiative designed to boost the level of collaborative mathematical research involving undergraduate mathematics students at Butler University. It describes goals, program design, logistics, and outcomes for an 8-day intensive summer experience in which undergraduate mathematics majors engaged in original mathematical research at an introductory level.  相似文献   

4.
Abstract

Winthrop University is a public comprehensive university of about 6000 students, 5000 of whom are undergraduates. The Department of Mathematics offers a baccalaureate degree in mathematics, but has no graduate degree programs. As late as 2009, there was essentially no undergraduate research in the department. At this time, faculty made efforts to cultivate a research program that would motivate faculty to pursue more scholarly opportunities and include undergraduates in their scholarship. These efforts began with in-house-sponsored summer programs that lasted a few weeks and grew over the subsequent 5 year period to several externally funded undergraduate research programs, including a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates program. In this paper, we discuss some lessons we learned in developing a culture of undergraduate research. We focus on the advantages and challenges of undergraduate research at primarily undergraduate universities, offer advice for starting or growing a research program, and provide resources for funding undergraduate research.  相似文献   

5.
Jason Parsley  Joseph Rusinko 《PRIMUS》2017,27(4-5):442-450
Abstract

The Collaborative Research Project (CRP)—a mathematics research experience for undergraduates—offers a large-scale collaborative experience in research for undergraduate students. CRP seeks to widen the audience of students who participate in undergraduate research in mathematics. In 2015, the inaugural CRP had 100 undergraduate participants from across the United States; they collaborated on a month-long research effort applying tropical geometry to phylogenetics. CRP is envisioned as an annual event, one that scales to accommodate large numbers of interested students. This article describes the motivation for CRP, its structure, and the results of its inaugural iteration, and closes by assessing its future.  相似文献   

6.
Michael A. Karls 《PRIMUS》2017,27(4-5):461-475
Abstract

In this paper I will outline the process I have developed for conducting applied mathematics research with undergraduates and give some examples of the projects we have worked on. Several of these projects have led to refereed publications that could be used to illustrate topics taught in the undergraduate curriculum.  相似文献   

7.
Background: The relationship between attitudes and behaviour has led to a focus on the role played by attitudes in the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Purpose: This paper reports on an investigation into student teachers’ self-reported attitudes towards mathematics in the context of a mathematics education programme. The programme had been developed by the authors in response to a new, reformed four-year undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) for primary teachers in Ireland. The authors aimed to use the feedback to evaluate and develop the course further.

Sample: We report on the attitudes of 345 pre-service primary teachers enrolled in a four-year undergraduate ITE programme. 281 of these participants had matched survey data before and after participating in the mathematics education programme.

Method and Design: Four evaluation criteria were used as a conceptual framework for the evaluation of the mathematics education programme. A multi-method approach was taken in investigating the students’ attitudes to mathematics by using a scale as a quantitative measure of attitude alongside open-ended survey items that provided qualitative insights into changes in attitudes.

Results and conclusions: Results from the survey data suggested overall that the participants’ attitudes towards mathematics were more positive after they had experienced the mathematics education programme. Overall, the written responses suggested that according to self-reportage, participants perceived that participation in the mathematics education programme had affected their attitudes towards mathematics positively. Comments indicated that the ‘small group’ tutorial structure was particularly well received and was associated with opportunities to actively engage, explore, interact and reflect. Suggestions offered by the participants will be used to inform planning and development of the mathematics programme.  相似文献   

8.
Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how fifth grade students were impacted by the infusion of multiple writing tasks in mathematics. In this study, writing tasks provided opportunities for students to communicate prior knowledge, share ideas to construct and justify arguments, for reflection, and assessment. In this deductive qualitative study, students’ work samples were analyzed. Findings indicated that students grew in their understanding of mathematics and ability to self-reflect and self-evaluate through multiple opportunities to write for a variety of purposes. The opportunities for constructing mathematical understanding with activities that included writing and discourse also fostered learning between peers. The findings suggest a variety of opportunities to write and engage in mathematics discourse encouraged reflection, evaluation, and learning. Implications for future research include the need to examine the impact of these activities on students’ mathematics understanding as measured by assessments or an analysis of student work samples.  相似文献   

9.
Numerous studies are demonstrating that engaging undergraduate students in original research can improve their achievement in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and increase the likelihood that some of them will decide to pursue careers in these disciplines. Associated with this increased prominence of research in the undergraduate curriculum are greater expectations from funders, colleges, and universities that faculty mentors will help those students, along with their graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, develop an understanding and sense of personal and collective obligation for responsible conduct of science (RCS). This Feature describes an ongoing National Research Council (NRC) project and a recent report about educating faculty members in culturally diverse settings (Middle East/North Africa and Asia) to employ active-learning strategies to engage their students and colleagues deeply in issues related to RCS. The NRC report describes the first phase of this project, which took place in Aqaba and Amman, Jordan, in September 2012 and April 2013, respectively. Here we highlight the findings from that report and our subsequent experience with a similar interactive institute in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our work provides insights and perspectives for faculty members in the United States as they engage undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, to help them better understand the intricacies of and connections among various components of RCS. Further, our experiences can provide insights for those who may wish to establish “train-the-trainer” programs at their home institutions.  相似文献   

10.
Martha Byrne 《PRIMUS》2017,27(2):271-280
Abstract

This paper discusses the author’s experiences of getting advanced undergraduate math students to engage in mathematical inquiry by using games as a vehicle for exploration. The students explored the mathematics behind SET®1, Spot it!®2, Blokus®3, and Six®4. Specifically, we present the experience of the instructor and students and how the games were used to promote and incite inquiry.  相似文献   

11.
Abstract

This paper brings together general principles for teaching inquiry across disciplines with those generally employed in mathematics classrooms. It describes some broad principles of teaching inquiry to first-year writing students and shows how these can be employed in the context of a course on game theory in popular culture. Although undergraduate mathematics may seem miles away from undergraduate writing, especially in first-year courses, we show how common educational practices in inquiry-based mathematics courses are easily adapted to teaching a writing course and how these pedagogical methods can be used to encourage students to develop habits of inquiry.  相似文献   

12.
ABSTRACT

Undergraduate research experience has been shown to enhance student learning and improve persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Researchers studying undergraduate research experiences have largely focused on student outcomes and have seldom investigated the outcomes of graduate and postdoctoral mentors. Here, we report a non-credit, year-long mentor professional development program designed for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and research staff in STEM. Mentors attended a series of six interactive and discussion-based workshops and mentored first-year undergraduate students in independent summer research projects. We report evaluation findings for three mentor cohorts using a combination of qualitative analysis of mentoring philosophies and quantitative assessment of pre- and post-surveys about mentoring objectives and skills. Results indicate that mentors gained self-efficacy in some objectives and skills. However, many other objectives and skills remained unchanged. We explore possible explanations for the lack of more broad-scale gains across survey items and present ideas for program improvement.  相似文献   

13.
Abstract

This article discusses and describes how to use film as a creative, powerful, and effective technique for teaching social work with older adults at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of education. An analysis of student responses about the effectiveness of this teaching pedagogy is presented. The findings support the idea of using film as a technique to engage students in learning about the process of aging.  相似文献   

14.
Abstract

This article explores how critical conversations engage undergraduate mathematics faculty in a community of practice that enhances their knowledge about teaching and learning mathematics for social justice. More broadly, critical conversations are defined as a cooperative learning strategy that can be used to identify, explore, and respond to various interests and issues situated across differing values and beliefs. We present a case study of a critical conversation that took place at a 2016 Mathematics for Social Justice workshop organized by a group of junior faculty. Participant reflections situate perspectives that can help novice and experienced instructors design conversations about teaching mathematics for social justice. Specifically, individual and group reflections highlight the importance of: (i) framing and reflecting on the conversation; (ii) exploring implications and content connections; and (iii) identifying barriers. Implications for faculty members and mathematics departments are provided.  相似文献   

15.
L. Christine Kinsey 《PRIMUS》2015,25(3):212-220
Abstract

Our goal with this paper is three-fold. We want to increase awareness of inquiry-based learning by presenting the strategy we use to develop and implement lessons and activities. We describe our approach to structuring lessons in mathematics in a way that engages the students by using language and constructs with which they are familiar from other non-science classes. Finally, we include samples from an exploration of celtic knots that we think works well to engage students in the inquiry process, making use of these ideas.  相似文献   

16.
Padmanabhan Seshaiyer 《PRIMUS》2017,27(4-5):476-493
Abstract

In this article, we provide some useful perspectives and experiences in mentoring students in undergraduate research (UR) in mathematical modeling using differential equations. To engage students in this topic, we present a systematic approach to the creation of rich problems from real-world phenomena; present mathematical models that are derived from calculus, but can be suitably modified to solve more complex problems; and finally provide pointers on how to train students through the UR process that can help to impact student’s future academic and non-academic careers.  相似文献   

17.
This paper attempts to engage the field in a discussion about what mathematics is needed for students to engage in society, especially with an increase in technology and digitalization. In this respect, mathematics holds a special place in STEM as machines do most of the calculations that students are taught in K-12. We raise questions about what mathematical proficiency means in today’s world and what shifts need to be made in both content and pedagogy to prepare students for 21st Century Skills and mathematical reasoning.  相似文献   

18.
ABSTRACT

Feedback is an important part of design education. To better understand how feedback is provided to students on their engineering design work, we characterised and compared first-year engineering students’, undergraduate teaching assistants’, and educators’ written feedback on sample student design work. We created a coding scheme including two domains: Substance and Focus of feedback. Educators made more and longer comments than undergraduate teaching assistants, and undergraduate teaching assistants made more and longer comments than first-year students. The first-year students focused on giving specific directions in their feedback while educators and undergraduate teaching assistants asked thought-provoking questions. Students tended to make more comments about the ways that their peers had communicated their design work while educators and undergraduate teaching assistants made more comments about the design ideas presented in the sample work. This study offers implications for practice for supporting educators, undergraduate teaching assistants, and first-year engineering students to be able to provide feedback on design work.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract

In three narrative vignettes, this paper challenges scholars and practitioners of teacher education to consider ways that our courses do and do not engage white teacher candidates to take on racially conscious orientations. The work addressed in this paper has implications for our understandings of how preservice teachers can learn about racial identity in ways that benefit individual teachers and support their work in schools and communities. These findings buttress previous work in ‘second wave’ white teacher identity research and can translate directly into teacher education course and program design. Simultaneously, this research speaks to the broader literature in teacher education, offering evidence to support the value of extended periods of time for new teachers to build authentic relationships and conduct critical study of self and society in a climate where teacher preparation programs face pressure to reduce credits to degree and intensify their focus on preparing students for externally mandated assessments.  相似文献   

20.
Alana Unfried  Judith Canner 《PRIMUS》2019,29(3-4):210-227
Abstract

Many students experience mathematics as a neutral entity, without understanding its impact on social justice and equity. Students must understand that mathematics and statistics are powerful tools for creating social change, and that students themselves are capable to enact positive social change through their mathematical abilities. In this paper, we discuss how we have integrated both service learning and mathematical consulting into a single course to promote civic engagement by mathematics majors through professional applications. We outline methods to engage with community partners to create consulting projects for students while integrating discussions of professionalism, practice, ethics, and social justice into the classroom. We provide qualitative evidence that the integration of service learning and consulting empowers mathematics students to make a difference by doing social justice with mathematics.  相似文献   

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