OPENing the World of Professional Development

As told by PI Doug Ensley Edited by Audrey Malagon, Lead Editor, DUE Point Blog Professional development has traditionally been a face-to-face endeavor, but Dr. Doug Ensley (Professor Emeritus, Shippensburg University) and team are reimagining what is possible for professional development delivered online. The OPEN Math project seeks to not only broaden the availability of...

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NAM Undergraduate MATHFest XXXIII: A Reflection

By Lakeshia Legette Jones The National Association for Mathematicians (NAM) held its annual Undergraduate MATHFest on the campus of Clark Atlanta University (CAU) in September. MATHFest is one of the organization’s signature programs, focused on being a space for undergraduate students to gain conference experience in an accessible, supportive way. The conference is held at...

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Graduate Student Mentorship

By Deewang Bhamidipati Cars 3 is one of my closest friend’s favourite movies, and based on her enthusiastic recommendation, I watched it recently. If asked to describe this movie in a nutshell, I’ll have to say that it’s a movie about mentorship. It’s a movie that makes you feel romantic about mentors and exhibits how...

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Taking a Student-Centered Approach to Math Instruction

By Greta Anderson The strongest beliefs we have about the teaching and learning of mathematics often stem from the experiences we had as students in school. In many cases, math is understood to be about compliance and memorization, often without understanding. Supporting school communities through adaptive change can be challenging, but with a strong curriculum...

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“It’s Awesome Up Here!”: Engaging with Math Outside the Classroom

By Lauren Siegel @mathhappensorg @mathhappensfoundation This morning was the first time I was able to introduce Vallejo youngsters to the fractals. They loved them! They always enjoy coloring, but were blown away by the idea of using numbers, math, and shapes to create art. I let them imagine, and two little girls teamed up to...

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Selected Data from the 2021 CBMS Survey, Part I

By David Bressoud @dbressoud Starting in January 2024, Launchings will begin a new practice of coming out on the third Tuesday of the month. The CBMS surveys of undergraduate programs in the mathematical sciences in the United States have run every five years, starting in 1965. Because of COVID, the 2020 survey was postponed until...

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Fifty Years of Integer Sequences

By Keith Devlin @KeithDevlin@fediscience.org, @profkeithdevlin.bsky.social It would be remiss of me to let 2023 pass by without acknowledging that it’s the 50th Anniversary of the appearance of Neil Sloane’s A Handbook of Integer Sequences back in 1973. That was just two years after I completed my PhD, so his reference source has been part of...

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Feedback

By Lew Ludwig If nothing else, I am a grading machine. Students turn in homework every week except for testing weeks in each of my classes – ten weeks of homework, four tests, and a final exam. Yes. I am a grading machine. Or, a retired colleague often said, “They pay me to grade; I...

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Amber and the “Real” Semester

By Richard Delaware In fall 2014, I taught an introductory real analysis course (Math 402) at the University of Missouri--Kansas City. One of my students, Amber, struggled with the material, as many students do. In analysis, students need to prove or provide a reasoned argument for statements that it seems just a moment ago in...

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Faculty Professional Development as a Path to STEM Student Success

As Told By Melinda Lanius Edited By Erin Moss, Co-Editor, DUE Point, Millersville University Research demonstrates that evidence-based, inclusive pedagogical practices increase student success in STEM coursework.  The Inclusive Course Design for Enhancing Active Learning in STEM (IDEALS) project is designed to expand the knowledge base by investigating the impact of faculty professional development on...

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