Improving the Preparation of Graduate Students to Teach Undergraduate Mathematics

提高研究生教授本科数学的准备

• 批准号: 1432381
• 负责人: Jack Bookman
• 金额: $ 90.12万
• 依托单位: Mathematical Association of America
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-08-15 至 2023-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1432381&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Improving; Preparation; Graduate; Students; Teach

A significant number of today's mathematics graduate students will enter the workforce as college faculty members for which teaching undergraduate students will comprise a significant portion of their professional responsibilities. Although some resources are available for the professional development (PD) of graduate students or novice college mathematics instructors, mathematics departments wishing to develop or expand such a program to enhance undergraduate teaching and learning find it challenging to obtain instructional materials and/or appropriate faculty expertise on which to draw. There are informal networks of faculty who work in this arena, but the resources that do exist often are inaccessible or difficult to locate for those new to the teaching workforce. Against this backdrop, the project will: (i) provide better access to the existing resources; (ii) develop new resources and opportunities for access; and (iii) create lasting versions of the existing informal networks of faculty practitioners and researchers. The investigators will create an infrastructure, housed, supported, and sustained by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), to enhance the mathematics community's ability to provide high quality, teaching-related PD to graduate students. Associated activities will include the creation of a community of practice and online resource library to help mathematics departments start and strengthen programs to prepare graduate students to teach undergraduate mathematics. Three primary audiences will benefit: 1) Providers - experienced faculty who provide PD opportunities to graduate students teaching or preparing to teach undergraduate mathematics; 2) Scholars - faculty and graduate students who develop PD materials and programs and/or conduct research on the teaching of undergraduate mathematics; and 3) Teaching Assistants (TAs) - the graduate students themselves who seek professional development. Key components of the infrastructure include: 1) a multimedia suite of resources for Providers and mechanisms for building it; 2) a professional community of practice bringing together Providers and Scholars; 3) workshops and webinars for Providers and Scholars; and 4) distance delivery of PD for graduate students who have no face-to-face opportunity at their local institution. Evaluation will be a key component integrated throughout the project, and will focus on both formative input of each component as the project develops and a final summative report. Included will be a needs assessment survey of graduate programs as well as research to contribute to the understanding of (i) how to develop effective programs that lead to expansion of systematic and sustainable TA PD programs across the nation and (ii) how the components of the project work together to help create a community of practice and the potential of this community to expand and thrive.

今天，相当数量的数学研究生将进入大学教职员工队伍，对本科生进行教学将是他们职业职责的重要组成部分。虽然有一些资源可用于研究生或大学数学新手教师的专业发展（PD），但希望开发或扩展此类计划以增强本科教学和学习的数学系发现，获取教学材料和/或适当的教师专业知识是一项挑战。在这一领域工作的教师有非正式的网络，但对那些刚加入教学队伍的人来说，确实存在的资源往往是难以获得或难以找到的。在此背景下，该项目将：(i)提供更好的利用现有资源的途径；开发新的资源和获取机会；（iii）为教师从业人员和研究人员现有的非正式网络创造持久的版本。研究人员将创建一个基础设施，由美国数学协会（MAA）提供、支持和维持，以提高数学界为研究生提供高质量、与教学相关的PD的能力。相关活动将包括创建一个实践社区和在线资源库，以帮助数学系启动和加强准备研究生教授本科数学的计划。三种主要受众将受益：1)提供者——经验丰富的教师，他们为正在教授或准备教授本科数学的研究生提供PD机会；2)学者—开发PD材料和程序和/或对本科数学教学进行研究的教师和研究生；3)助教（助教）——寻求专业发展的研究生本身。基础设施的关键组成部分包括：1)为提供者提供的多媒体资源套件和构建它的机制；2)将提供者和学者聚集在一起的专业实践社区；3)针对供应商和学者的研讨会和网络研讨会；4)为没有机会在当地机构面对面学习的研究生提供远程PD培训。评估将是贯穿整个项目的关键组成部分，并将重点放在项目发展过程中每个组成部分的形成性投入和最后的总结报告上。包括对研究生项目的需求评估调查，以及有助于理解的研究(1)如何开发有效的项目，从而在全国范围内扩展系统和可持续的TA PD项目；(2)项目的组成部分如何协同工作，以帮助创建一个实践社区，以及这个社区扩大和繁荣的潜力。