Strategic Direction for Mathematics Learning by Inquiry

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Mathematics learning by inquiry (MLI) employs active learning techniques, incorporation of meaningful applications of mathematics, and attention to broader academic skills. A growing evidence base indicates that MLI can have a positive impact on student learning and success in undergraduate mathematics. The goal of this project is to build a larger national community of instructors who employ MLI and education researchers who study MLI. To this end, this workshop project will bring leaders and representatives from among the MLI instructor community together with leaders and representatives from the research in undergraduate mathematics education community (RUME). By bringing together leaders and representatives from both the MLI and RUME communities, this project will form an initial step to forge a more formal and symbiotic collaboration between these two communities.Specifically, the workshops will produce a strategic plan for the Initiative for Mathematics Learning by Inquiry. This plan will focus on building a collaborative cycle through which the MLI initiative inspires education research projects, which in turn are used to inform the MLI initiative. The workshops themselves will be structured to employ active engagement and inquiry oriented problem solving. Each of an expected thirty participants will be actively engaged in the process with each having an opportunity to make a substantial contribution. Participants will develop national goals for a MLI initiative, identify strategies to reach these goals, and establish a strong collaboration between these communities to improve undergraduate mathematics education. This collaborative effort will strengthen the ability of the MLI initiative to support effective, sustainable, and scalable reforms in undergraduate mathematics education.