Mathematics Across the Curriculum

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The Mathematics Across the Curriculum (MAC) project is adapting curriculum and strategies for faculty development from NSF-funded projects at Edmonds Community College (0088149), Dartmouth College (9552462), and Alverno College (9653689). A total of 60 faculty (36 from the institution and 24 from other two-year colleges and high schools) are participating in the project. Project activities involve one or more of the following: (1) math faculty mentors assisting non-math faculty with integrating math into modules within their courses; (2) connected courses where math and non-math faculty from other disciplines design joint curriculum modules to be used in both courses; (3) service learning/civic engagement initiatives incorporated as part of course activities to strengthen student understanding of the ways in which mathematics is used to understand and solve problems within the larger community; and (4) design of interdisciplinary learning communities that integrate math and non-math courses. Intellectual Merit: The project goals are to: (1) strengthen students' quantitative literacy by providing opportunities across the curriculum to experience linkages between mathematics, other subject areas, and daily life; (2) provide training and support to faculty so that they can create modules, connected courses, and learning communities that highlight mathematics dimensions within their disciplines; (3) create a college-wide culture that acknowledges the value of Mathematics Across the Curriculum; and (4) share strategies, curriculum and results with other faculty across the region and nation. Project activities include summer institutes to provide faculty with initial training, ongoing consultation as initiatives are implemented, annual end-of-semester retreat to review outcomes, assessment and evaluation, and regional and national dissemination. It supports the achievement of the college's new institutional student learning outcomes related to critical thinking and communication. It also offers additional strategies to address high numbers of students failing or not completing developmental math courses at the college. Broader Impact: The project is assuring that students can not only utilize mathematical skills in the workplace, but also can analyze, understand, and discuss a range of mathematical, scientific, and cultural issues that impact their lives and communities. By learning mathematics in the context of issues that are meaningful to them, students gain lifelong quantitative literacy and numeracy skills. Because faculty model best practices in mathematics instruction and there are a large number of preservice teachers at the college, the project also impacts those preparing for teaching careers, the vast majority of whom will teach at the preK-12 level. This project increases opportunities for many minority students to achieve math competencies in both developmental and required college-level courses, to obtain a certificate or associate degree, and to transfer to a four-year college and/or enter the workforce. In years two and three, faculty from other colleges and high schools also develop MAC projects for their institutions. While the three-year student impact is projected at 1500 students, the long-term impact on numbers of students will be even greater as faculty continue to infuse mathematics across the curriculum.