ALEKS (Cara Warne) This session offers an introduction to ALEKS. Challenges facing faculty and administrators are different today than five years ago: poor preparation for math course work, gaps in knowledge in mathematics, mastery issues, all resulting in poor pass rates and retention challenges. Through adaptive questioning and artificial intelligence, ALEKS accurately assesses a student's knowledge base and delivers targeted instruction. All Math Software is Not Created Equal: What's the Difference? (Anthony Belen) The need for and use of technology has become increasingly prevalent in Mathematics courses. But with all the software options available, it can be difficult to determine the differences from one system to another. Hawkes Learning System (HLS) is a unique program that stands out from the rest. Curious about the differences that HLS has to offer? Come and discover how HLS is the perfect solution for student success! Approximating the Square Root of 2 (David Friday) A question was posed: For what value of n will the sum of the first positive n integers be a perfect square? A thorough investigation of the problem and the introduction of the concept of an isosceles "almost" right triangle yielded a number of interesting results. One of the results involves a sequence of rational numbers that converges to square root of 2, yielding some excellent approximations. Are All College Algebra Textbooks Created Equal? (Vilma Mesa, Heejoo Suh, Tyler Blake, and Tim Whittemore) We present findings from an analysis of textbooks for college algebra used in several community colleges and universities in Michigan. We sought to characterize the cognitive demands and the mechanisms for "controlling the work" that were evident in examples. We concentrated on three topics: transformation of graphs, exponential functions, and logarithmic functions. Our results will be presented, along with time for participants to look at some of the data and ask questions. Connecting Concepts to Skills: Four ways to encourage critical thinking in Developmental Math (Mark Clark) How can we challenge our students to understand the meaning of math within real-world applications? How can we make students think and write more and look at results critically? This talk will focus on practical techniques and activities that help students connect the concepts to the skills being taught. Filling the Gap: Helping returning algebra students quickly get up to speed in an Introductory Algebra Course (Jill DeWitt) This session will summarize the creation and implementation of a workbook (paid for with a 2009-2010 JEF Grant) that was used as a preventative tool to help students "hit the ground running" on day one of their Introductory Algebra class. The session will include a presentation of the data that was collected as part of the project. New Life for Developmental Mathematics (Jack Rotman) Discouraged about your developmental math classes? Come to this session to learn about the New Life project of AMATYC ... a project that involves faculty from various organizations (such as NADE and MAA). Fresh perspectives on the purpose of developmental mathematics, along with inspiring visions of appropriate mathematics, will be shared. You will also learn of current and upcoming projects using these approaches. New Life for YOUR Developmental Mathematics Program (Jack Rotman) What would it look like ... if we started over with "developmental mathematics" and built a couple of courses in the "New Life" paradigm? We will work together to begin the process of designing courses with substantive mathematics designed to work for your students. Based on the best thinking from around the country, you will develop ideas that you can take back to your campus to truly bring 'new life' to your mathematics program. Playing to Learn Math? (Maria H. Andersen) Current technology gives us systems that teach students algebra using mastery and flexible pacing, but they just mimic the process of working through a textbook. To better engage today’s students, we should leverage technology and research about learning to use games and play as a method for learning algebra - not just on the computer. Recreational Math: What's That? (Nancy Sattler) Teaching mathematics can be more than solving equations. How can teachers get students to think critically? Examples of games, puzzles, and brain teasers will be shared after the presenter shows participants how to walk through a 3x5 card. Participants will be asked to share ideas from their own bag of tricks. SMARTHINKING: Making an Impact on Student Success and Retention in Mathematics (Doug Shepelak) This session will discuss the implementation of SMARTHINKING Online Tutoring to support mathematics students 24/7 with live, online tutoring. Discussion will include independent research by colleges and universities showing that online tutoring by qualified educators, 24/7, from any Internet connection, makes a positive impact on student success and retention. The Importance of Mathematics in Computer Science and Technology (Paul Nong-Laolam) Mathematics has long been recognized as an indispensable source of intellectual tools in science. However, its connection with computer science has not been quite transparent. Computer science has its roots in mathematics. This presentation focuses on the important role of mathematics in computer science and technology, drawn from classroom pedagogy. The Pythagorean Theorem (Dr. Gerry Cox) The Pythagorean Theorem has been ranked as one of the top five most beautiful equations in mathematics. Its history dates back to the Babylonians. At this time, there are at least 400 known proofs (one proof is from a 16-year-old Indiana high school student). Some of these proofs will be presented along with their impact on mathematics at that time. Using Math to Understand the Future (Peter Bishop) Have you ever wondered what a futurist does? We can't predict the future with much certainty, but what futurists do is forecasting and scenario planning. When you're examining data, how do you know when a forecast is reliable and when it's not? It has a lot to do with assumptions (you know, what get's left out of application problems) We'll look at several real-world examples and discuss the assumptions and reliability of the forecasts. |