Mathematical Sciences: " Learning Abstract Algebra: A Research Based Laboratory and Cooperative Learning Approach"

这个项目的主要目标是研究学生如何学习抽象数学。要研究的具体情况是学生如何提高他们在数学上的复杂程度，以便他们能够在本科水平上理解抽象代数。此外，由于抽象代数是教师的一门基础课程，它对教师的教育以及他们如何学习、从何而来、如何在学校教授数学都有影响。研究性学习的设计将包括对“传统”教学方法的研究，以及一种教学方法，该方法涉及使用计算机来初步构建抽象代数课程中出现的抽象对象，并结合合作学习环境。这项研究将在一些大学进行，由这些大学的几名教员进行。将在专业会议上举办教师讲习班和小型课程，以传播这项研究的结果和为帮助学习抽象概念而开发的技术。

The main goal of this project is to study how students learn abstract mathematics. The specific situation to be studied is how students increase their level of sophistication in mathematics so that they can understand abstract algebra at the undergraduate level. In addition, since abstract algebra is a basic course for teachers, it has influence on the education of teachers and how they learn, and whence, how they teach mathematics in the schools. The design of the research study will include the study of "traditional" approach to teaching this course and a pedagogical approach that involves the use of computers to initially construct the abstract objects that occur in an abstract algebra course combined with a cooperative learning environment. This study will be carried out at a number of universities and by several faculty members at those universities. There will be a faculty workshop and minicourses given at professional meetings to disseminate the findings of this research and the techniques developed to help in learning abstract concepts.