Overview

Student and Instructor Learning Materials

Clear from the current evidence base is that an activity-based approach to mathematics teaching and learning can result in better outcomes for undergraduate students, both in terms of achievement and quality of learning experience. However, this is the first project in undergraduate discrete mathematics/structures to create, and pilot classroom use of, team-worthy tasks (i.e., activities designed to require and support development of teamwork skills). The project has also created an asynchronous short-course for instructors to support them in effective use of the new team-worthy tasks.

Who?

Materials were developed by and for full- and part-time instructors and their students in 2- and 4-year colleges and universities. Lessons are useful for undergraduate discrete mathematics and discrete structures courses. The materials have been piloted in 2-year and 4-year contexts in mathematics and computer science departments.

What?

7 team-based lessons with instructor guides for each lesson. Instructors report replacing lecture with lessons on the same topic; each typically takes 50-75 minutes.
- Introduction to Teamworthy Tasks
- Binomial Concepts
- The Handshake Lemma
- Properties of Ramsey Graphs
- Introduction to Logic
- Mathematical Induction
- Introduction to Algorithms and Functions

An asynchronous Canvas short-course about teaching with the materials. The short-course includes three sets of activities (90 min. modules) where you:
- Review and respond to “how-to” readings and video-vignettes from classrooms.
- Discuss your experiences teaching the lessons with other instructors.
- Compile and share reflections on student work (e.g., work completed on whiteboards or on paper) responses to questions about each lesson.
Complete some surveys about your professional experiences and about lesson use.
Support students to complete anonymous post-lesson surveys

When?

Before the term starts:
Cruise through the 1.5 hour introductory module of the instructor short-course. Review the 1-page descriptions of each activity and suggestions about pacing of the activities across weeks available in the lesson materials.

During the term:
Use the activities. Each is a substitute for 1 to 1.5 hours of lecture. Complete the remaining short-course modules to help you along the way.

Why?

There are many ways to teach the ideas of discrete mathematics. But, there are few resources available for faculty seeking to improve their skills with activity-based learning. The project has developed and is refining team-worthy tasks along with professional learning materials for instructors to support student engagement in-class with such tasks.

All materials are freely available with a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license.

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