Collaborative Research: Data Integration in Undergraduate Mathematics Education

Nazareth College Of Rochester, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

This project will engage early-stage undergraduate students in the mathematical study of real world problems by using computationally-focused modules that infuse authentic data into the first two years of the undergraduate mathematics curriculum. The project will focus on four courses: Calculus I, Calculus II, Multivariate Calculus, and Linear Algebra at Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College of Rochester. The leadership team will study the: (i) impact of computer-based modules on undergraduate students' mathematical disposition and achievement and (ii) effectiveness of professional development on undergraduate mathematics faculty. The project will contribute to the study of data and technology integration in mathematics education at the collegiate level, and will facilitate the uptake of new methods by developing high-quality educational tools for educators to use in their classrooms. In this way, the project will support the National Science Foundation's mission of promoting the progress of science and advancing the national prosperity. This project will develop in-class modules based on real-world data so that students have authentic experiences that support and motivate the investigation of mathematical concepts and techniques; will study the impact of these modules on undergraduate students' disposition towards and achievement in mathematics; and will study the effect of professional development on undergraduate faculty members. Students will be given questionnaires and will participate in focus groups, courses will be videotaped, and undergraduate faculty members will be given questionnaires and asked to write reflective journals. There will be roughly 50 professors trained internally and externally, and the project will impact approximately 1,000 students distributed between Rochester Institute of Technology (a technical university) and Nazareth College of Rochester (a comprehensive college). This project will provide information about the ways that encountering authentic data affects students' attitudes and their willingness to engage with computers, and also undergraduate mathematics faculty members' response to professional development activities. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program will provide co-funding for this project in recognition of its alignment with the broader teacher preparation goals of the Noyce effort.