Casey M. Pinckney

Teaching

I am currently the primary instructor  for two sections of Calculus I for Engineers at the University of Maine in Orono, ME (Fall 2023, Spring 2022 and Fall 2021).

Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 at UMaine:


This course was an introduction into topics in combinatorics and discrete mathematics. Topics included enumeration techniques, graph theory, recurrence equations, generating series, special number sequences (e.g. Fibonacci, Bell, Stirling, etc.), summation techniques, partitions of integers and sets, the pigeon-hole and inclusion-exclusion principles, permutations, combinations, identities involving binomial coefficients, applications
of mathematical induction, and a foray into some Putnam problems.


This course is a standard introduction to Real Anaysis.


This course is a standard introduction to Linear Algebra with an emphasis on vector spaces and related structures.


I served as course coordinator for Math for Social Sciences (Fall 2020 and Spring 2021) at Colorado State University (CSU) and as instructor of record for the following courses at Colorado State University.


Fall 2020 and Spring 2021:


We implemented a new online active learning model which includes oral exams administered via Zoom. Students complete pre-lecture assignments from independent reading, and weekly homework which tests both conceptual understanding and computational skills. As a teacher, this is a refreshing and enjoyable alternative to written exams, and we saw strong student engagement and interaction throughout the semester.


This is a general education course designed to fulfill university mathematics requirements. Topics covered include voting theory, statistics, graph theory, and sharing theory. 

The course consisted of 305 synchronous online students, 26 asynchronous online students, and 39 face-to-face students (the total enrollment across all sections is 370). I was course coordinator for all sections, and primary instructor for two synchronous online sections (218 students total) and the asynchronous online section (26 students). 


Spring 2020 and Prior: (face-to-face unless otherwise noted)


This is a course designed to fulfill university mathematics requirements for non-STEM majors. I designed the course curriculum for my version of this course. We explore logic puzzles, Fibonacci and Lucas numbers, graph theory, Euler characteristics, enumerative combinatorics, the Golden Ratio, prime numbers, and topology. I introduce students to computational tools (for instance, SageMath's Cocalc) as an aid for exploration.






As primary instructor for Patterns of Phenomena, I was sole instructor of one section and structured all components of the course from scratch. 

As primary instructor for the coordinated Calculus and Differential Equations courses listed above, I prepared and delivered lectures, wrote quizzes and worksheets, contributed to exam questions, led groupwork sessions, led computer labs, held weekly office hours, led exam review sessions, and graded exams, quizzes, labs, and homework.

Mentoring

I was one of four senior graduate students chosen by the CSU math department to mentor incoming graduate students in 2017/18. I was invited by the department to be lead mentor the following year. 

I enjoy mentoring in both formal and informal settings, and encouraging people at all levels of their studies to pursue their academic goals and find their passions. 

Differential Equations with sidewalk chalk in the snow