Open resources for the mathematics curriculum

American Institute Of Mathematics, Pasadena CA

Investigators

Abstract

Finding online resources for the learning and teaching of college mathematics is not difficult -- resources abound. However, finding resources that are readily available, field-tested in a variety of settings, and known to be high quality is more of a challenge. This exploration project will (1) provide materials such as textbook content, videos, interactive applets, and instructor guides; (2) identify optimal methods for building comprehensive, quality-controlled, and curated libraries of freely reusable instructional materials for college-level mathematics courses; and (3) investigate the impact of such a library on faculty adoption of evidence-based teaching practices. The materials will be created and curated collaboratively, and the project will provide training in the development and use of such content. The project will explore how this new approach enables instructors to locate and utilize a variety of curricular materials in the classroom. As a starting point for a curated course, the project will focus on linear algebra because these courses are important for real-world applications as well as for the mathematical theory. The project team will develop a platform for hosting and disseminating open mathematics content, identify optimal ways to foster a collaborative approach to content creation, and run workshops to train faculty in the use of open content. By measuring how the open content is being used and reused by instructors, the investigators will discover what features of online content are especially effective at encouraging broad adoption by mathematicians.