State-wide Professional Development to Promote Active Learning in Mathematics for Michigan Community Colleges

Kellogg Community College, Battle Creek MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving mathematics instruction at community colleges in the state of Michigan through professional development on research-based effective teaching practices. A collaboration between a two-year college and the Michigan Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MichMAYC) provides the foundation to support project activities focused on enhancing teaching practices in mathematics. Specifically, the project brings together six college teams of mathematics faculty from across Michigan. These teams will be immersed in activities focused on implementation of active learning pedagogical practices and will be guided to work towards transforming their mathematics courses. This project seeks to align with state-level goals to provide equitable and inclusive learning opportunities across the two-year college landscape. Ultimately, this project will engage mathematics faculty in the effort to increase access and broaden participation in STEM academic pathways. Three objectives provide a framework for project implementation: 1) increase Michigan two-year college mathematics instructors' awareness and use of evidence-based instruction, 2) provide mentorship to faculty to support implementation of active learning strategies, and 3) explore relationships between instructors' self-efficacy for active learning and its implementation in mathematics courses. To achieve these objectives, faculty will engage in two training programs on active learning, mentoring and peer observation, and a state-wide community of faculty learners through Teaching Squares. Consequently, three Teaching Squares of mathematics faculty will be formed and to develop an instrument to assess community college faculty self-efficacy for active learning. A formative and summative evaluative process will be utilized to guide the project toward meeting its goals and outcomes. Overall, the project seeks to generate knowledge that will support similar efforts at two-year colleges across the nation. Project outcomes will be disseminated locally, regionally, and nationally through both MichMATYC and the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC). The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program seeks to accelerate the impact of and advance knowledge about emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.