Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Using Active Learning Strategies In Calculus To Improve Student Learning And Influence Mathematics Department Cultural Change, Melissa A. Dagley, Michele Gill, Erin Saitta, Brian Moore, Jacquelyn Chini, Xin Li

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (Archived)

An interdisciplinary team of physics, education, math and chemistry faculty developed MATH-GAINS (Growing as Adaptive INstructors) creating an ecosystem where mathematics faculty persistently and sustainably apply active learning strategies in their teaching of calculus courses. As a result of implementation, MATH-GAI NS proposed to positively affect the wide-spread adaptation of active learning strategies by department faculty as well as student learning, retention and graduation of over 900 students annually. The objective of this paper is to provide details on how the project was conceived and implemented; instruments, research methodologies and active learning strategies used; and examples of faculty projects and …

The Effects Of Integrating Lego Robotics Into A Mathematics Curriculum To Promote The Development Of Proportional Reasoning, Shelli L. Casler-Failing

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (Archived)

A mixed methods, action research case study was conducted to investigate the effects of incorporating LEGO robotics into a seventh-grade mathematics curriculum focused on the development of proportional reasoning through the lens of Social Constructivist Theory. This study applied students’ prior knowledge of the distance, rate, and time formula as they used LEGO EV3 robots to calculate the rate of a robot. The information gained was applied to different iterations, and structures, of the formula to support the development of proportional reasoning skills. The purposefully designed lessons were integral to the development of the students’ understanding of the proportionality existing …

Volume 2. Proceedings Of The Interdisciplinary Stem Teaching And Learning Conference

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (Archived)

Full version of volume 2 of the Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Learning Conference

Augmented Reality Chemistry: Transforming 2-D Molecular Representations Into Interactive 3-D Structures, Derek Behmke, David Kerven, Robert Lutz, Julia Paredes, Richard Pennington, Evelyn Brannock, Michael Deiters, John Rose, Kevin Stevens

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (Archived)

Spatial reasoning is defined as the ability to generate, retain, and manipulate abstract visual images. In chemistry, spatial reasoning skills are typically taught using 2-D paper-based models, 3-D handheld models, and computerized models. These models are designed to aid student learning by integrating information from the macroscopic, microscopic, and symbolic domains of chemistry. Research has shown that increased spatial reasoning abilities translate directly to improved content knowledge. The recent explosion in the popularity of smartphones and the development of augmented reality apps for them provide, a yet to be explored, way of teaching spatial reasoning skills to chemistry students. Augmented …

Back Cover

Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching & Learning Conference (Archived)

Back Cover for V.2 2018

Precise Energy Efficient Scheduling Of Mixed-Criticality Tasks & Sustainable Mixed-Criticality Scheduling, Sai Sruti

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, the imprecise mixed-criticality model (IMC) is extended to precise scheduling of tasks, and integrated with the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique to enable energy minimization. The challenge in precise scheduling of MC systems is to simultaneously guarantee the timing correctness for all tasks, hi and lo, under both pessimistic and optimistic (less pessimistic) assumptions. To the best of knowledge this is the first work to address the integration of DVFS energy conserving techniques with precise scheduling of lo-tasks of the MC model.

In this thesis, the utilization based schedulability tests and sufficient conditions for such …

Influential Factors In Consumer's Adoption Of Innovative Products, Mahdokht Kalantari

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the challenges involved with the process of diffusion of innovations in the contexts of innovative educational materials and technological innovations.

Chapters 2 and 3 discuss building and using Online Brand Communities (OBCs) to disseminate innovative math educational materials. OBCs are known to be important platforms where consumers can communicate with the brand as well as other consumers. Through the effective use of these platforms, brands could accelerate the process of diffusion of their innovations. However, OBCs will not survive if consumers do not get engaged and participate in these communities. The purpose of this section of the …

Online Teaching Module: Council For The Accreditation Of Educator Preparation (Caep) Key Assessment Example, Stacie K. Pettit, Susan Edwards

Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Association for Middle Level Education

The Augusta University Online Teaching Module is a key assessment administered once during one specified course in each educator preparation program. Augusta University teacher candidates are required to show proficiency in ISTE standards and CAEP standard 1.5. The online teaching model measures candidates’ ability to apply technology standards in order to design, implement, and assess learning experiences to engage students and improve learning. In order to pass the Online Teaching Module, candidates must score 3 out of 4 possible points on at least five of the six indicators. If a candidate does not pass this assessment, goals will be created …

Effective Teaching For Place Value Understanding: A Case Study Of A Literacy-Integrated Math Curriculum Module, Young Rae Kim, Mi Sun Park

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications (Archived)

A lesson sequence for place value was developed as an early intervention for kindergarteners. The sequence begins with a children’s picture book involving language familiar to children and continues with hands-on activities for children to make connections between and within multiple representations of place value. Through engaging in the literacy-integrated math curriculum module, kindergartners deepened their understanding of place value and the base-ten number system, as they were consistently engaged in problem solving and mathematical discourse triggered by their own mathematical thinking, as well as purposeful questions prompted by the teacher.

Analyzing School-Wide, Project-Based Learning In A Middle School: From A Cultural Historical Activity Theory Perspective, Laura Venegas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recognizing the importance of preparing students for the 21st century along with meeting the accountability measures, educators must continually seek those educational practices that will support both endeavors. Through the literature and during this research, project-based learning has emerged as a promising curriculum tool that answers these objectives. To implement 21st century educational experiences, project-based learning has been attempted in various capacities of specific contents, grade levels and individual teachers; however, there has been limited application of a school-wide practice. While there is potential of project-based learning as a transformative curriculum tool in education, challenges of implementation still exist. Given …

Nebraska Summary: S1150 Challenger 1050, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Pivoting Toward The Future: Fifty Years Of Summer Research Fellowship Success Catalyzes Institutional Change, Patricia Marten Dibartolo, Kathryn M. Aloisio, Margaret Lamb, Minh Ly, Cate Rowen

The Office of Institutional Research

For 50 years, Smith College’s Summer Research Fellowship (SURF) has provided undergraduate women scientists the opportunity for an immersive experience to conduct independent research under the mentorship of science faculty and staff. This article highlights summative assessment data on SURF program outcomes as well as the institutional planning and responses that followed from careful consideration of SURF’s success and challenges. SURF participation was associated with a full range of student benefits, including a higher overall college gradepoint average, greater advanced research participation, and increased likelihood of completing an advanced degree. Evidence of these powerful and lasting student impacts associated with …

Reflections On Stem, Standards, And Disciplinary Focus, Philip A. Reed

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article offers information concerning STEM education, technology education discipline, and standards for technological literacy. It discusses a revision of the "Standards for Technological Literacy" transcending the existing K-12 focus as well as including PreK, informal and extracurricular technology education, adult learning, and other settings.

Fostering Giftedness And Creativity: Implementing Engineering By Design In Kuwait, Nathan Mentzer, Philip A. Reed, Meshari Alnouri, Mohammad Barbarji

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article offers information on a partnership between the International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) and the Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) to support innovation and design education. The partnership is aimed towards the implementation of the Engineering byDesign (EbD) curriculum and contribute towards building a Kuwaiti society that fosters giftedness and creativity.

Mississippians In Physics: Perspectives And Practice In A Search For Physics Excellence, Paul D. Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-method study represents a broad evaluation of the physics views of Mississippi physics students and physicists, along with an analysis of graduate school data, in a search for answers which might improve physics education in Mississippi. Descriptive statistics were calculated using data from eight graduate degree programs (from Fall 2003 through Full Summer 2012) at the University of Mississippi. This was done to find the percent of graduate degrees in each degree program which were awarded to in-state residents. It was found that of the eight University of Mississippi graduate degree programs in the study, two programs awarded a …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Successful Women In Science Fields, Jonathan Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Girls and women face several forms of gender-based biases and discrimination in the science community. These issues create difficult circumstances for them to develop positive science identities. Since these difficult circumstances exist, science education and sociology researchers have used a deficit model to learn about their experiences, achievements, and attitudes. Understanding the experiences of successful women in science offers insight into how women can navigate the challenges presented by the science community and how science educators can support them. However, research studies that explore the experiences of successful women in science are scant. Therefore, the objective of this study was …

The Utility Of Storytelling Strategies In The Biology Classroom, Elizabeth Csikar, Jill E. Stefaniak

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Conveying scientific information with high intrinsic cognitive load to students is a challenge. Often, students do not have the existing schema to incorporate the information in a comprehensive manner. One method that has shown promise is storytelling. Storytelling has been successfully used to convey public health information to non-experts. Therefore, it was of interest to determine whether storytelling could be used in the classroom to present information with high intrinsic load to students in a meaningful manner. This study used a post-test only quasi-experimental study design to explore the utility of storytelling as an instructional strategy in anatomy and physiology …

Motivation As A Complex System: Semester-Long Recursive Dynamics Of Expectancy-Value Constructs In Undergraduate Biology, Avi Kaplan, Xi Hang Cao, Ting Dai, Zoran Obradovic, Tony Perez, Jennifer G. Cromley, Kyle Mara, Michael J. Balsai

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The predominant aggregate-statistical analyses in motivational research manifest assumptions that stand in tension with understandings of motivational phenomena as dynamic, contextual, and variable among individuals. Using constructs from expectancy-value theory, we collected 13 weekly waves of data from 145 undergraduate students during one semester of an introductory biology course. We analyzed the data using dynamic autoregressive mixed-effects modeling, which captures the individual-level recursive processes among constructs, and then examined patterns across individuals’ motivational trajectories to discern general principles by which the expectancy-value system operates. The findings contribute to robust theoretical understandings of expectancy-value processes, and demonstrate the application of an …

Measuring Presence: A Review Of Research Using The Community Of Inquiry Instrument, Ana E. Redstone, Jill E. Stefaniak, Tian Luo

Distance Learning Faculty & Staff Publications

This systematic review provides a summary of studies on teaching, social, and cognitive presences in the community of inquiry (CoI) model using the CoI instrument in a higher education setting since its development in 2008 by Arbaugh et al. A total of 24 peer-reviewed studies on the CoI instrument from 2008–2017 were selected and analyzed explore the types of research on the instrument in higher education settings have been published, ways the instrument has been used for learning and teaching, and the implications the instrument poses for online instructors and instructional designers. It is organized into 4 themes: testing the …

Improving Mathematical Skill: The Perceptions Of Rural Minnesota Mathematics Educators, Michael Haskins

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study is focused on the perceptions of mathematics educators on how to improve mathematical skill in high school students. The main purpose was to describe, recognize, and interpret the lived experience that have allowed educators to achieve the best results for their students. The population for the current study was mathematics educators that were located in a rural Southwest Minnesota city with medium population. These educators were either college educators or middle and high school teachers. The measures that were used to select the participants for the study were that they must hold at least a bachelor's …