Computer Sciences Commons^™

Cultivating Mathematical Affections Through Engagement In Service-Learning, Josh Wilkerson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Why should students value mathematics? While extensive research exists on developing the cognitive ability of students, very little research has examined how to cultivate the affections of students for mathematics. The phrase "mathematical affections" is a play on the affective domain of learning as well as on the general notion of care towards something. Mathematical affections are more than a respect for the utility of the subject; the term is much broader and includes aesthetic features as well as habits of mind and attitude. This paper will analyze the findings from a research project exploring the impact of service

Reading Journals: Preview Assignments That Promote Student Engagement, Productive Struggle, And Ultimate Success In Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Sarah Nelson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

We spend lots of time searching for the best textbook for students. We want our students to have a reliable and useful resource to reference, as needed. We even ask them to read over certain material before classes. Often, however, we fail to guide our students in how to read the text productively. Incorporating reading journals into your classes is an excellent way to simultaneously develop your students' ability to read mathematical text and capitalize on what the students already have to offer. In this presentation, we will look at how reading journals motivate students in a variety of mathematics …

Blended Courses Across The Curriculum: What Works And What Does Not, Ryan Botts, Lori Carter, Catherine Crockett

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Recent hype around online and blended courses touts the benefits of immediate student feedback, flexible pace, adaptive learning, and better utility of classroom space. Here we aim to summarize the results of a 3-year pilot study using blended courses across the quantitative science curriculum (Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science), in both upper and lower division, major and GE courses. We present findings on student attitudes towards this format, most helpful course components, time on task, progress on learning outcomes and faculty perspectives. This summary can be used to inform best practices in hybrid design, implementation and faculty expectations in the …

Variations On The Calculus Sequence, Christopher Micklewright

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Many institutions have embraced a standard format for the Calculus sequence, comprising three four-credit courses covering a fairly consistent set of topics. While there is much to recommend this approach, it still leaves some fantastic concepts rushed or untouched, and it can be argued that it demands too much of students with weaker backgrounds. As such, some schools have experimented with variations on the standard format. In this talk, I will present the model that my institution currently uses, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of our particular approach. I will also suggest ideas, developed in conversation with other ACMS members …

Using Real-World Team Projects: A Pedagogical Framework, Mike Leih

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

The use of team projects in a program capstone course for computer science or information systems majors has been a popular method for reinforcing and assessing program learning objectives for students in their final semester. Using real-world group projects as a learning activity is an excellent pedagogical approach in helping students develop critical thinking, team work, real-world problem solving, and communication skills. However, real-world group projects also provide many challenges to both the instructor and students alike. Instructors or students must find real-world projects appropriate for the learning objectives in the course. Instructors must determine how to provide teams with …

The Set Of Zero Divisors Of A Factor Ring, Jesús Jiménez

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Let A be a ring and a an ideal of A. In this paper we show how to construct factor rings A/ a and a finite set of ideals a1, a2, ... , ak, of A/a, such that: each ideal aj is contained in the set of zero divisors of A/a, the factor ring A/a is a direct sum of these ideals, and each ideal aj is a ring with unity when endowed with addition and multiplication modulo a. Explicit examples are given when A is the ring of integers, Gaussian integers or the ring of polynomials over a field.

Developing The Underutilized Mathematical Strengths Of Students, Patrick Eggleton

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

This session is intended for presenting the findings from a Spring 2017 research study conducted at Taylor University regarding influences that contribute to a student's disposition toward mathematics. In the foundation level mathematics course taught for non-majors at Taylor, students are asked to share a reflection on their past mathematical experiences. Analysis of these reflections shows general themes regarding the influences, both good and bad, that have contributed to how these students approach mathematics. We would like to use this information as well as related studies to help instructors of mathematics develop positive dispositions toward mathematics in their students.

Axioms: Mathematical And Spiritual: What Says The Parable?, Melvin Royer

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Relational structure A is compact provided for any structure Jffi of the same signature, if every finite substructure of Jffi has a homomorphism to A then so does Jffi. The Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) for A is the computational problem of determining whether finite structures have homomorphisms into A. We explore a connection between the hierarchy of logical axioms and the complexity hierarchy of CSPs: It appears that the complexity of CSP for A corresponds to the strength of the axiom "A is compact". At the top, the statement "K3 is compacts" is logically equivalent to the compactness theorem. Thus …

A Pre-Calculus Controversy: Infinitesimals And Why They Matter, Karl-Dieter Crisman

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

In teaching calculus, it is not uncommon to mention the controversy over the role of infinitesimals with Newton's and Leibniz' calculus, including Berkeley's objections. In a history of mathematics course, it is a required topic! But rancor over infinitesimals and their role in mathematics predates calculus- so much so that a popular new book is dedicated to this topic. In this talk, I will discuss not just the relevant controversies between Cavalieri and the Je

The Resolved And Unresolved Conjectures Of R.D. Carmichael, Brian D. Beasley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Even before heading to Princeton University to work on his doctoral degree, Robert Daniel Carmichael started influencing the path of number theory in the 20th century. From his study of Euler's totient function to his discovery of the first absolute pseudoprime, he set the stage for years of productive research. This talk will present a brief overview of Carmichael's life, including his breadth of mathematical interests and his service on behalf of the Mathematical Association of America. It will focus mainly on his two most famous conjectures- which one has been settled, and which one remains open to this day?

"Big Idea" Reflection Assignments For Learning And Valuing Mathematics, Jeremy Case, Mark Colgan

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

While participating in a Faculty Learning Community, we explored the "big questions" we wanted our students to take away from our mathematics courses. We called these questions the Big Ideas of the course and developed a Big Ideas Reflection Assignment, which we continue to assign at the end of each of our courses. Students are able to demonstrate understanding and application of their learning as well as their values and appreciation of mathematics. The assignment encourages students to move beyond a focus on technique and symbolic manipulations towards a broader and more holistic approach, including making connections between their learning …

Mentoring As A Statistical Educator In A Christian College, L. Marlin Eby

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

In this paper, I present principles based on more than thirty years of intentional mentoring as a statistical educator in a Christian college. I believe this mentoring has been enhanced due to the setting- a Christian college, and the discipline - statistics. I discuss distinctives of the Christian college setting that positively impact mentoring in any discipline with respect to the mentor, the mentee, and the pervading campus atmosphere. I focus on mentoring as a statistical educator by specifically considering the following: attracting students to the discipline of statistics, preparing students for careers using statistics, and preparing students for graduate …

The Daily Question: Building Student Trust And Interest In Undergraduate Introductory Probability And Statistics Courses, Matthew A. Hawks

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Introducing probability or statistics to disinterested undergraduate students is challenging. Adding faith in such a classroom at a secular institution only increases the complexity. We share an unobtrusive way to build trust with students, creating a medium to both naturally share your faith and have your students look forward to attending each class. The context is the United States Naval Academy, a four-year undergraduate institution with an emphasis on leader development. In addition to a calculus sequence, Humanities majors enroll in Probability with Naval Applications or Introductory Statistics. These sophomores or juniors are split between those who have no intention …

The Topology Of Harry Potter: Exploring Higher Dimensions In Young Adult Fantasy Literature, Sarah Klanderman, Alexa Schut, Dave Klanderman, William Boerman-Cornell

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

As one of the most beloved series in children’s literature today, the Harry Potter books excite students of all ages with the adventures of living in a magical world. Magical objects (e.g., bottom-less handbags, the Knight Bus, time turners, and moving portraits) can inspire generalizations to mathematical concepts that would be relevant in an undergraduate geometry or topology course. Intuitive explanations for some of the magical objects connect to abstract mathematical ideas. We
offer a typology with a total of five categories, including Three Dimensions in Two Dimensions, Higher Dimensions in Three Dimensions, Two and Three Dimensional Movement, Higher Dimensional …

Start A Math Teacher Circle: Connect K-12 Teachers With Engaging, Approachable, And Meaningful Mahtematical Problems, Thomas Clark, Mike Janssen, Amanda Harsy, Dave Klanderman, Mandi Maxwell, Sharon Robbert

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Many K-12 math teachers are not ready to teach from a conceptual and inquiry-oriented per

Ten Mathematicians Who Recognized God's Hand In Their Work (Part 2), Dale Mcintyre

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) once observed that "Whoever is moved by faith to assent to [the Christian religion], is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience." Evidently Hume's cynical pronouncement did not apply to Descartes, Newton, Riemann, and other profound thinkers who believed God had commissioned and equipped them to glorify Him in their pursuit of truth through mathematics - And based on their extraordinary achievements the principles of their understanding do not appear …

Introduction (2017), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

No abstract provided.

Paper Abstracts (2017), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

No abstract provided.

The Introduction Of Informal Cooperative Learning Into Our Programming Laboratories, Guity Ravai, Ludmila Nunes, Ronald Erdei

IMPACT Presentations

Presented at the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) Change Leader Forum: Creating a Mindset for Action in Westminster, CO, USA

Conference Schedule (2017), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents (2017), Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

No abstract provided.

Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences Proceedings 2017, Association Of Christians In The Mathematical Sciences

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2017

The conference proceedings of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences biannual conference, May 31-June 2, 2017 at Charleson Southern University.

We Are Alfred: Empathy Learned Through A Medical Education Virtual Reality Project, Barbara Swartzlander, Elizabeth Dyer, Marilyn R. Gugliucci

Library Services Faculty Posters

Poster describing project collaboration among University of New England (UNE) librarians and College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) faculty, whose goal was to adopt technology which will teach UNECOM students to be empathic with older adults and familiarize medical students with information resources from the NIH/NLM related to older adult health. Technology tested was the Alfred Lab developed by Embodied Labs. First year medical students were required to complete the ‘We Are Alfred’ virtual reality module and a pre and post assessment. Descriptive statistics were applied to finite questions on pre and post assessments, and content analysis on open ended answers. …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2017, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Mining Helpdesk Databases For Professional Development Topic Discovery, Joel T. Lowsky

All Theses And Dissertations

This single-site, instrumental case study created and tested a methodological road map by which academic institutions can use text data mining techniques to derive technology skillset weaknesses and professional development topics from the site’s technical support helpdesk database. The methods employed were described in detail and applied to the helpdesk database of an independent, co-educational boarding high school in the northeastern United States. Standard text data mining procedures, including the formation of a wordlist (frequently occurring terms), and the creation and application of clustering (automated data grouping) and classification (automated data labeling) models generated meaningful and revealing themes from the …

Effects Of The Use Of Leaderboards In Education, Yu-Hsien Chiu, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Gamification has been used in education to increase student motivation and performance. In this research, we are interested to examine the effect of leaderboards on student motivation by assessing the interest of students to complete optional practice questions provided to them in a course. Based on goal setting theory and cognitive evaluation theory, we hypothesize that the use of leaderboards will lead to increased student motivation. We designed a within-subject experiment where leaderboards were not provided in the first half of the semester for the optional assignments comprising practice questions but were provided in the second half of the semester …

Experiences With Scala Across The College-Level Curriculum, Konstantin Läufer, George K. Thiruvathukal, Mark C. Lewis

Emerging Technologies Laboratory

Various hybrid-functional languages, designed to balance compile-time error detection, conciseness, and performance, have emerged. Scala, e.g., is interoperable with Java and has become an early leader in adoption, especially in the start-up and open-source spaces.

As educators, we have recognized Scala’s value as a teaching language across the CS curriculum. In CS1, the read-eval-print loop and simple, uniform syntax aid programming in the small. In CS2, higher-order methods allow concise, efficient manipulation of collections. In a programming languages course, advanced constructs facilitate the separation of concerns, program representation and interpretation, and concurrent programming. In advanced applied courses, language mechanisms and …

Hiding In Plain Sight: Identifying Computational Thinking In The Ontario Elementary School Curriculum, Eden J.V. Hennessey, Julie Mueller, Danielle Beckett, Peter A. Fisher

Education Faculty Publications

Given a growing digital economy with complex problems, demands are being made for education to address computational thinking (CT) – an approach to problem solving that draws on the tenets of computer science. We conducted a comprehensive content analysis of the Ontario elementary school curriculum documents for 44 CT-related terms to examine the extent to which CT may already be considered within the curriculum. The quantitative analysis strategy provided frequencies of terms, and a qualitative analysis provided information about how and where terms were being used. As predicted, results showed that while CT terms appeared mostly in Mathematics, and concepts …

Smu’S Professor Robert Deng Conferred Axa Chair Professorship Of Cybersecurity, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

Singapore Management University’s Professor Robert Deng, a leading global authority and award winning researcher in cybersecurity, has today been conferred the prestigious AXA Chair Professorship of Cybersecurity.

€800,000 funding from AXA Research Fund over a period of eight years will support Professor Deng’s research in the development of new ways of protecting data security and privacy.

Does A Taste Of Computing Increase Computer Science Enrollment?, Steven Mcgee, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck, Ronald I. Greenberg, Lucia Dettori, Dale F. Reed, Brenda Wilkerson, Don Yanek, Andrew Rasmussen, Gail Chapman

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Exploring Computer Science (ECS) high school curriculum is designed to foster deep engagement through equitable inquiry around computer science concepts. We have shown that students find ECS courses personally relevant, are increasing their expectancies of success and perceived value for the field of computer science, and are more likely to take another computing course.