Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Computational Thinking In Mathematics And Computer Science: What Programming Does To Your Head, Al Cuoco, E. Paul Goldenberg

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

How you think about a phenomenon certainly influences how you create a program to model it. The main point of this essay is that the influence goes both ways: creating programs influences how you think. The programs we are talking about are not just the ones we write for a computer. Programs can be implemented on a computer or with physical devices or in your mind. The implementation can bring your ideas to life. Often, though, the implementation and the ideas develop in tandem, each acting as a mirror on the other. We describe an example of how programming and …

Using Mathematical Equations To Communicate And Think About Karma, Kien H. Lim, Christopher Yakes

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Two equations are presented in this article to communicate a particular understanding of karma. The first equation relates future experiences to past and present actions. Although the equation uses variables and mathematical symbols such as the integral sign and summation symbol, it reads more like a literal translation of an English sentence. Based on the key idea in the first equation, a second equation is then created to highlight the viability of using math to communicate concepts that are not readily quantifiable. Analyzing such equations can stimulate thinking, enhance understanding of spiritual concepts, raise issues, and uncover tensions between our …

Real-World Modelling To Increase Mathematical Creativity, Robert Weinhandl, Zsolt Lavicza

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Modelling could be characterised as one of the core activities in mathematics education. However, when learning and teaching mathematics, mathematical modelling is mostly used to apply and deepen mathematical knowledge and competencies. Our educational study aims to explore how mathematical modelling, using real objects and high-quality mathematical technologies, could be utilised to acquire mathematical knowledge and competencies, and how learners could creatively use their existing knowledge. To discover the potential of mathematical modelling using real objects and high-quality mathematical technologies to acquire mathematical knowledge and competencies, and to stimulate learners' creativity, first, we combined cognitive and creative spirals and mathematical …

A Holistic Mathematics Curriculum Revision: An Adelphi University Case Study, Salvatore J. Petrilli

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Join me as I take you on a journey with the faculty of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Adelphi University during our two-year re-envisioning and implementation of our mathematics curriculum. From the beginning this involved a data-driven initiative that naturally led to the revisions. Here I describe in detail the process that our department followed. In closing I end with some recommendations for interesting research directions in the field of mathematics education.

Peer Motivation: Getting Through Math Together, Jessica Mean, Wes Maciejewski

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Students have a complex relationship with mathematics. Some love it, but more often than not, the feelings are less favorable. These feelings can lead to decreased motivation which makes it difficult for students to engage with the subject as the semester progresses. Instructors also have difficulty addressing this waning motivation. In this paper, we claim peers are better able to connect with the students and this can be leveraged to better motivate students. We present an approach to having peers motivate their students. These peer interactions integrated with a mandatory mathematics course might improve students’ motivation.

Raise The (Proportion) Bar!, Michael Waters

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This article, drawing mainly on references to teacher preparation textbooks, proposes proportion bars as a somewhat novel graphical approach to solving simple (direct) proportion problems and to illustrate the advantages of such an approach, which include accessibility with materials at early grade levels, allowance of students to better develop number sense and estimation, facilitation of setting up proportions, allowance for conceptual understanding and motivation of the procedure for solving direct proportions, assistance with part-to-part and part-to whole comparisons, and drawing of connections among mathematical topics. The emphasis is on teaching with understanding, rather than procedural knowledge.

Evaluating The Trustworthiness Of Online Sources: Assessment For Students Of Universitas Indonesia, Yasmine Anabel Pandjaitan

International Review of Humanities Studies

In 2019’s presidential election in Indonesia, the Internet was flooded by unverified and contradicting claims, which only blurred the lines between fact, opinion, and straight-out hoax. This research investigates how an educated group (college students) evaluates online sources in the context of Indonesia’s political campaigns. An assessment was designed for the students to judge the credibility of five political news articles appearing online in April 2019, the election month. The framework used was inspired by similar assessments conducted by the Stanford History Education Group, researchers who study digital literacy among American students. For this research, fifty students from five faculties …

Mathematical Zendo: A Game Of Patterns And Logic, Philip Deorsey, Corey Pooler, Michael Ferrara

Journal of Math Circles

Mathematical Zendo is a logic game that actively engages participants in pattern recognition, problem solving, and critical thinking while providing a fun opportunity to explore all manner of mathematical objects. Based upon the popular game of Zendo, created by Looney Labs, Mathematical Zendo centers on a secret rule, chosen by the leader, that must be guessed by teams of players. In each round of the game, teams provide examples of the mathematical object of interest (e.g. functions, numbers, sets) and receive information about whether their guesses do or do not satisfy the secret rule. In this paper, we introduce Mathematical …

Using Quantitative Methods To Investigate Student Attitudes Toward Chemistry: Women Of Color Deserve The Spotlight, Guizella A. Rocabado Delgadillo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The field of Chemistry Education Research (CER) has been interested in understanding the reasons why students struggle in organic chemistry courses. Reports show that students perceive the material as difficult and have trouble keeping pace with the volume of content taught within the course. Beyond these and other explanations of why students struggle in organic chemistry are affective factors, such as attitude toward chemistry, that influence students’ success and retention in this course. Studies have shown that in many instances, underrepresented groups of students report less positive attitudes than their peers. Of greater concern are the students representing multiple marginalized …

Science In Your Naturehood, Alison Sloat

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Engaging students in hands-on scientific research in their NatureHoods, or local neighborhoods, improves student outcomes, learning, and success in remote learning environments.

Collection Development For Librarians In A Hurry: A Survey Of The Physics Resources Of The Libraries Of The Association Of American Universities, Amanda Mccormick

Law Librarian Journal Articles

This study examines the library resource guides of the 65 member institutions of the Association of American Universities (AAU) to determine the resources recommended to the physics community for teaching, scholarship, and research. Data on the most frequently recommended information resources are presented. There were over 970 resources named in the library guides, including databases, journals, reference works, monographs, and professional organizations. Building off previous collection development studies and guides, this study is meant to assist librarians in developing and maintaining collections to recommend to their physics communities.

Umaine System Data Governance Annual Report 2020, University Of Maine System Data Advisory Committee

General University of Maine Publications

This report constitutes the third, annual UMS Data Governance Report. UMS Data Governance processes are becoming integrated into all of the work undertaken across the System, ensuring collaborative and effective solutions to data issues and, most importantly, consistency in the use and understanding of data among the UMS universities and users. Data Governance ensures and maintains the quality of data for the long term and identifies areas where updates in technology are required.

National Numeracy Network Officers And Board Of Directors, Milo Schield

Numeracy

National Numeracy Network Officers and Board of Directors in the year 2020.

Using Covid-19 Vaccine Efficacy Data To Teach One-Sample Hypothesis Testing, Frank Wang

Numeracy

In late November 2020, there was a flurry of media coverage of two companies’ claims of 95% efficacy rates of newly developed COVID-19 vaccines, but information about the confidence interval was not reported. This paper presents a way of teaching the concept of hypothesis testing and the construction of confidence intervals using numbers announced by the drug makers Pfizer and Moderna publicized by the media. Instead of a two-sample test or more complicated statistical models, we use the elementary one-proportion z-test to analyze the data. The method is designed to be accessible for students who have only taken a …

Applying High Impact Practices In An Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Program, Brian K. Payne, Lisa Mayes, Tisha Paredes, Elizabeth Smith, Hongyi Wu, Chunsheng Xin

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research at Old Dominion University has expanded its use of high impact practices in the university’s undergraduate cybersecurity degree program. Strategies developed to promote student learning included learning communities, undergraduate research, a robust internship program, service learning, and electronic portfolios. This paper reviews the literature on these practices, highlights the way that they were implemented in our cybersecurity program, and discusses some of the challenges encountered with each practice. Although the prior literature on high impact practices rarely touches on cybersecurity coursework, the robust evidence of the success of those practices provides a sound …

From Ideas To Items: A Primer On The Development Of Ordered Multiple-Choice Items For Investigating The Progression Of Learning In Higher Education Stem, Katherine Lazenby, Morgan E. Balabanoff, Nicole M. Becker, Alena Moon, Jack Barbera

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Identifying effective methods of assessment and developing robust assessments are key areas of research in chemistry education. This research is needed to evaluate instructional innovations and curricular reform. In this primer, we advocate for the use of a type of assessment, ordered multiple-choice (OMC), across postsecondary chemistry. OMC assessments are grounded in a developmental perspective, which treats students’ knowledge as developing in sophistication over time. This is in contrast to a dichotomous perspective, which asserts that students’ knowledge is either aligned or misaligned with scientifically accepted knowledge. By drawing on a developmental perspective, OMC assessments offer insights into student understanding …

The 12th Annual Graduate Research Symposium 2021 Poster Tu Dublin: How To Recruit And Retain Women In Computer Science, Alina Berry, Susan Mckeever, Brenda Murphy, Sarah Jane Delany

Other resources

While in recent decades a number of efforts have been coordinated to address the issue of gender imbalance in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines, the problem still persists. Many authors speak of the ‘leaky’ pipeline metaphor that describes the loss of women in STEM areas before reaching senior roles. Research shows that women who leave are unlikely to return. The issue is particularly severe in the area of computer science, where women represent less than 20% of the labour force across the EU.

This poster introduces a summary of findings from the literature on how to effectively recruit …

Accessibility: Disabilities Treasure Hunt, Devorah Kletenik

Open Educational Resources

This is a treasure hunt game that simulates various disabilities and gives a sense of how frustrating non-accessible content can be for people with disabilities. Suitable for a general audience, no programming experience necessary.

An editable copy is also given, along with ideas about how to make it more accessible.

Floor Plan Assignment In Elementary Mathematics Education, Tunde Jakab

Open Educational Resources

In this upper elementary mathematics education assignment, the prospective teachers gain hands-on experience in measuring distances in feet and inches, calculating areas, and converting distance and area measurements. Moreover, they solve a real-life situation by choosing the most economical tiles for their kitchen. This last part (3) of the assignment develops critical thinking and expressing one's thought processes. Part 3 can be used as an in-class discussion, which further promotes reasoning skills.

Non-Academic Support Math Faculty Members Provide In Developmental Accelerated And Corequisite Support Courses In California Community Colleges, David Vakil '92

Doctoral Dissertations

To guide practitioners of rapidly evolving developmental math reform in community colleges, this study surveyed California community college math faculty who taught accelerated developmental courses or corequisite support courses. The survey was conducted during the early implementation phase of both course types, during spring and fall 2018 terms. This study measured faculty’s self-reported provision of forms of non-academic support, frequency of implementation, and reasons faculty believed the support would help students succeed. The literature review guided grouping non-academic support into five forms: nurturing, helping students’ motivation, providing a growth mindset theory of intelligence, helping provide social integration, and helping to …

Quantum Computing For The Quantum Curious, Ciaran Hughes, Joshua Isaacson, Anastasia Perry, Ranbel F. Sun, Jessica Turner

Open Access Books and Manuals

This open access book makes quantum computing more accessible than ever before. A fast-growing field at the intersection of physics and computer science, quantum computing promises to have revolutionary capabilities far surpassing “classical” computation. Getting a grip on the science behind the hype can be tough: at its heart lies quantum mechanics, whose enigmatic concepts can be imposing for the novice.

This classroom-tested textbook uses simple language, minimal math, and plenty of examples to explain the three key principles behind quantum computers: superposition, quantum measurement, and entanglement. It then goes on to explain how this quantum world opens up a …

Interdisciplinary Thinking: Financial Literacy Crosses Disciplinary Boundaries, Marla A. Sole

Publications and Research

Financial literacy is ideally suited to be integrated into mathematics courses and taught in an interdisciplinary manner. Students learn best and are motivated when tackling real-world meaningful questions. This article shares how elementary mathematics was applied to better understand the debate about raising the minimum wage and the United States National Debt. To serve as a guide for other teachers who wish to incorporate financial literacy into their mathematics courses and take an interdisciplinary approach, this article suggests readings, data sets, and pedagogical practices. Students were engaged and enthusiastic to work on problems that challenged their thinking about financial issues.

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Instructor Perspectives: Transitioning From Face-To-Face To An Online Or Hybrid Graduate Level Mathematics Education Course, Heather Nunnally, Toni P. Sorrell, Kristina C. Anthony

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In this paper, the authors reflect on their transitions from teaching a face-to-face mathematics education course for teachers to teaching using an online or hybrid model. As three veteran educators at two different universities, we share lessons learned in constructing and implementing an online or hybrid learning environment. For us, learning to be flexible in how students completed assignments was important. Although we faced many challenges, we looked at the experience through a novice learner’s lens, and recognized that each of us grew from teaching these classes. We found that the instructors’ experiences in working with mathematics specialist candidates in …

Mathematical Representations In A Synchronous Online Mathematics Specialist Preparation Program, Theresa Wills, Deborah Crawford, Kate Roscioli, Shruti Sanghavi

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Universities are implementing more online courses (Yamagata-Lynch, 2014). However, instructors may feel a sense of trepidation in transitioning a mathematics class to a synchronous online platform because they do not want to compromise quality pedagogy (Herrington et al., 2001) for the convenience of an online environment (Wills, 2021). Some courses have successfully transitioned to a synchronous online environment while maintaining rich discussion and student collaboration (Baker & Hjalmarson, 2019); however, mathematics content courses include the additional challenge of incorporating problem solving with multiple representations. This paper focuses on how mathematical representations emerge in a synchronous online course for mathematics specialists.

Team Teaching For Discourse: Perspectives Of Instructors And A Student In An Online Probability And Statistics Course For Preparing Mathematics Specialists, V. Rani Satyam, Kristina C. Anthony, Madhumita Basu, Monica Swoyer

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Team teaching is a form of collaborative work where teachers plan lessons and/or teach together. We discuss the strengths of discourse in the planning stage for an intensive, team-taught, three-week probability and statistics course for mathematics specialists as a way to create and sustain a sense of community and show multiple perspectives in an online course. We delve into two cases of lessons––one about stem-and-leaf plots and another on averages––to describe the interactions of and reflections from three online instructors and a preparing mathematics specialist across the phases of planning, enactment, and the resulting student learning. The conversations about our …

Equity And Access: Empowering Change Agents, Kateri Thunder, Nely Ara-Is, Ashley Carter, Francisca Fowler, April Hawkins, Holly Tate

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

All learners must have access and opportunity to engage meaningfully in the highest levels of mathematics. Mathematics specialists are uniquely situated to contribute to the creation of access and equity for all learners by addressing three target areas with their mathematics teachers and administrators. In order to catalyze change, mathematics specialists need to be prepared to target three obstacles to access and equity: beliefs and expectations, curriculum and instruction, and intervention. This preparation can take place through leadership courses intentionally created to explore the role of change agent and provide practice in negotiating the role.

Online Education: Transferring Personal Experiences To Professional Development, Tracy J. Proffitt, Erica R. Miller, Elicia M. Fleshman

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In this paper, we discuss how one candidate’s experience as she participated an online mathematics specialist program bolstered her confidence and ability to provide online professional development for her teachers. We include personal accounts by the mathematics specialist program instructors, the mathematics specialist candidate, and an elementary school teacher to illustrate how the experience of completing online graduate courses led to the candidate providing online learning opportunities for teachers. In particular, we highlight the importance of building relationships and using high-quality mathematical tasks in both the online preparation program and the online professional development. This case study provides evidence that …

Virtual Mentorship Of Teacher Leaders: The Ripple Effect, Joan Kernan, Joy Denoon, Eric Roberts, Tammy Sanford

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Abstract

In this paper, the authors reflect on the first completely online mathematics specialist preparation and mentoring program. Candidates across Virginia successfully completed this program and are now serving as teacher leaders, interventionists, department leaders, instructional coaches, mentors, and program specialists. They are impacting mathematics instruction across the state at all levels. As two mathematics specialists serving as mentors and two candidates, we share our thoughts and ideas as we continue to learn from our mentorship process. The goal is to provide continuous professional development as candidates share problems, successes, research, and best practices to improve mathematics teaching and learning. …

A Relationship Built To Impact Instruction: Developing And Sustaining Productive Partnerships Between Mathematics Specialists And Principals, Nathan D. Potter, Hannah Adera Rooney, Melody Locher, Debra Kinsey

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

How does the mathematics specialist provide a profound and lasting impact on instruction? We believe that a productive partnership between the principal and specialist, which we will call the principal-specialist relationship, is at the crux of the matter. When the principal-specialist relationship is built upon a foundation of a shared vision, clear roles, communication, and trust, both the teachers and students in the school benefit. We will explore the impact of the principal-specialist relationship on teacher success during the era of distance learning as necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to explore how these ideas come alive in the …