Building Community Through Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE)

在改进本科STEM教育计划的支持下，SIMIODE（微分方程建模调查和机会的系统倡议）社区将为第一门本科微积分课程开发一种数学建模方法。微积分导论是本科STEM课程中的一门重要课程，本项目提出的设计和教学改进有可能提高全国STEM专业的保留率、毕业率和质量。微分方程的数学建模方法使用STEM本科教学中的最佳实践：它是动手的，基于问题的，探究驱动的，并结合了小组学习。该项目将创建以真实的世界数据为重点的教材，并鼓励学生在数学和其他学科之间转移知识。该项目将结合联合收割机在人和虚拟支持教师寻求采用一种几何建模方法在自己的教室。这种支持包括讲习班、小组讨论、在区域和国家会议上的介绍以及在线社区的辅导。该项目将支持不同层次的教师参与：一些教师将在他们的课堂上引入一些建模活动，而另一些教师将完成向数学模型的完整课程转变。最后，该项目将对教师发展的具体方法的功效进行研究。该项目的第一部分将支持开发同行评审的开源教材，这些教材将通过SIMIODE的HUBZero平台向公众提供。在线平台将允许用户和作者分享材料的评论，修改和扩展。该项目还将通过在会议上散发教材，提高对这种建模方法的认识。其次，该项目将通过在线社区和面对面研讨会为教师发展提供初步和长期支持。 这些讲习班将侧重于将这些材料纳入课程，从而鼓励教学方法从技术驱动向模式驱动的持续转变。夏季研讨会和年度小型课程在全国会议将展示建模方法来教学微分方程，并将提供面对面的指导和支持教师采用这种方法。在整个项目中，评估团队将审查在线社区和面对面研讨会的有效性，以便项目工作人员可以修改它们以提供最佳支持。SIMIODE采用了由包括材料作者和用户在内的投稿顾问委员会对出版材料进行双盲同行评审。董事会和参与者还将提供反馈意见，说明项目活动在提供影响教学改革所需的教师支持方面的效力。在线社区平台将提供适应教师支持的多种方法所需的灵活性，（例如，网络研讨会;该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program, the SIMIODE (Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations) community will develop a mathematical-modeling approach for the first undergraduate calculus course. Introductory calculus is an important course in undergraduate STEM curricula, and the design and teaching enhancements proposed in this project have the potential to increase the retention, graduation, and quality of STEM majors nationwide. The mathematical-modeling approach to differential equations uses best practices in STEM undergraduate teaching: it is hands-on, problem-based, inquiry-driven, and incorporates group learning. The project will create teaching materials that focus on real world data and encourage students to transfer knowledge between mathematics and other disciplines. The project will combine in-person and virtual support for faculty seeking to adopt a mathematical-modeling approach in their own classrooms. This support includes workshops, panel discussions, presentations at regional and national conferences, and mentoring in an online community. The project will support different levels of faculty engagement: some faculty will introduce a few modeling activities into their classes while others will complete a full curriculum shift to mathematical models. Finally, the project will conduct research on the efficacy of specific approaches to faculty development. The first part of the project will support the development of peer-reviewed, open-source teaching materials that will be made available to the public through SIMIODE's HUBZero platform. The online platform will allow users and authors to share comments, modifications, and extensions of the material. The project will also promote awareness of this modeling approach through dissemination of teaching materials at conferences. Secondly, the project will provide initial and long-term support for faculty development via an online community and in-person workshops. These workshops will focus on incorporating these materials into courses, thus encouraging a sustained pedagogical shift from technique-driven to a model-driven approach. Summer workshops and annual mini-courses at national conferences will demonstrate the modeling approach to teaching differential equations and will provide in-person mentoring and support to faculty adopting this approach. Throughout the project, the assessment team will review the effectiveness of the online communities and in-person workshops so the program staff can modify them to provide the best support. SIMIODE employs a double-blind peer review of published materials by a Board of Contributing Advisors that includes material authors and users. The Board and participants will also provide feedback on the efficacy of the project's activities in delivering faculty support needed to affect pedagogical change. The online community platform will provide the flexibility needed to adapt multiple approaches in faculty support, (e.g., webinars; group or individual mentoring) as dictated by the ongoing formative project assessment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.