Using Active Learning Strategies in Calculus to Improve Student Learning and Influence Mathematics Department Cultural Change

Abstract

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 preliminary results of the study. Results of the study add to the growing body of knowledge of how research-based instructional strategies designed in other STEM disciplines work in math courses, as well as an understanding of the critical factors that influence math faculty's teaching practices. Introduction Nationally, less than 40% of students who begin college in pursuit of a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree complete in one of these disciplines (PCAST, 2012). Furthermore, almost a quarter of the students who leave STEM fields cite low grades in the early years of study as a factor for their decision to leave. These claims are supported by earlier work from Seymour and Hewitt (1997) who identified seven reasons students leave these disciplines, including feeling overwhelmed by the rigor of courses and dissatisfaction with instruction or the climate found within the discipline. Their findings of poor science, math and engineering teaching and lack of student preparation for the mathematics and sciences support the need for identifying not just more educational innovations, but specifically those having a significant impact on student learning (ASEE, 2012). Charged with the call from PCAST (2012) to study the attributes of successful math courses for dissemination of best practices, researchers developed the MATH-GAINS project to enhance math learning environments. Using active learning strategies proven successful in other STEM disciplines, researchers aimed to arm faculty with the necessary tools to enrich instruction and improve student learning within the calculus sequence.The goal of this research -MATH-GAINS (Growing as Adaptive Instructors) -was to create an ecosystem where an influential number of the Department of Mathematics faculty at a large metropolitan university persistently and sustainably applied evidence-based practices in their teaching of calculus courses, the courses considered as a gateway to success in STEM disciplines (PCAST, 2012). As a result of improved instruction, MATH-GAINS proposed to positively affect student learning, retention and graduation within STEM. By the end of the MATH-GAINS effort six faculty and te n math graduate students (many of whom will teach post-secondary math upon graduation) were provided training and support ...

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