The Math You Need, When You Need It: Modular Student Resources to Promote Successful Integration of Quantitative Concepts in Introductory Economics Courses

当你需要时，你需要的数学：模块化的学生资源，以促进定量概念在经济学入门课程中的成功整合

• 批准号: 1245802
• 负责人: Scott Simkins
• 金额: $ 24.79万
• 依托单位: North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2017-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1245802&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Math; Need; When; Modular; Student

This project addresses previously-identified widespread student difficulties within mathematics and related quantitative skills preventing successful completion of introductory economics courses by large numbers of students. The approach taken is adaptation for economics of proven web-based student quantitative skills tutorials and assessment framework developed for the Geosciences: The Math You Need (TMYN), When You Need It, developed by Wenner, Baer, & Burn in a succession of three NSF (DUE) awards. Deployment of this framework has led to improved student learning in a variety of instructional settings. Intellectual merit: The importance of learning in context is particularly applicable to students in introductory economics courses, where research has shown that many students are not able to transfer previously-studied general mathematics concepts to their application in economics. The focus is on ten core math concepts highlighted in the economics education literature as frequent obstacles to student learning. For each of these concepts, an online TMYN-Economics module is being developed using the research-based TMYN design that has succeeded in the Geosciences. Each module includes: (1) a Foundation page for students that includes information on the mathematics concept and why and how it is used in the discipline; (2) a Sample Problems page that gives students the opportunity to practice the math concept in the context of economics before taking an embedded online quiz to assess their learning; and (3) an Instructor Page that explains why that module's mathematics concept is difficult for students to apply in the discipline and provides additional resources for teaching the module's mathematics concept in context. Broader impact: After initial testing at twelve varied institutions (including an HBCU and six community colleges), ten learning modules will be available through Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics, co-located with sixteen pedagogical modules already developed and used extensively by economics instructors. Adoption at community colleges is an important focus of this project. This will be promoted through resources developed by adapting Effective Outreach and Workshop Practices to Improve Community College Economics Instruction. Recommendations from twelve field-testers and the advisory board will be used to improve TMYN-Economics modules before they are publicly disseminated. The embedded online module quizzes will generate a new, large dataset on student learning based on students' module quiz performance. These data will facilitate further investigation of student learning of math skills in economic contexts. An international leader on improvement of student learning through innovation and knowledge sharing has agreed to provide external review of these assessments and overall project impact. Both the assessment data and the modules will become a permanent resource at the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) within the Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics web site, with ongoing maintenance and oversight by SERC staff.

这个项目解决了以前发现的学生在数学和相关的量化技能方面普遍存在的困难，阻碍了大量学生成功完成经济学入门课程。所采取的方法是为了适应经济学的证明，基于网络的学生量化技能教程和评估框架，为地球科学：你需要的数学(TMYN)，当你需要它时，由温纳，贝尔和Amp；Burn开发，连续三个NSF(DUE)奖。这一框架的部署改善了学生在各种教学环境中的学习。智力优势：在情境中学习的重要性尤其适用于经济学入门课程的学生，研究表明，许多学生无法将以前学习的一般数学概念转移到他们在经济学中的应用。重点放在经济学教育文献中强调的十个核心数学概念上，这些概念经常成为学生学习的障碍。对于这些概念中的每一个，正在使用已在地球科学领域取得成功的以研究为基础的TMYN设计，开发一个在线TMYN-经济学模块。每个模块包括：(1)面向学生的基础页面，其中包含有关数学概念及其在学科中使用的原因和方法的信息；(2)示例问题页面，让学生在参加嵌入式在线测试以评估他们的学习之前，有机会在经济学背景下练习数学概念；以及(3)教师页面，解释为什么该模块的数学概念很难应用于该学科，并提供额外的资源，用于在背景下教授该模块的数学概念。更广泛的影响：在12个不同的机构(包括HBCU和6个社区学院)进行初步测试后，将通过Start Point：教学和学习经济学提供10个学习模块，与经济学教师已经开发和广泛使用的16个教学模块放在同一位置。社区大学的采用是这个项目的一个重要焦点。这将通过采用有效的外联和讲习班做法来改进社区大学经济学教学而开发的资源来促进这一点。12个实地测试人员和咨询委员会的建议将用于改进TMYN-经济单元，然后再公开传播。嵌入式在线模块测验将根据学生的模块测验表现生成一个关于学生学习的新的大型数据集。这些数据将有助于进一步调查学生在经济背景下学习数学技能的情况。一家致力于通过创新和知识共享改善学生学习的国际领导者已同意提供对这些评估和整体项目影响的外部审查。评估数据和模块将成为科学教育资源中心(SERC)在起点：教学与学习经济学网站内的永久资源，由SERC工作人员持续维护和监督。