Determining the Characteristics of Equitable Mathematics Programs

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This project aims to understand how to develop equitable mathematics courses in which all students can develop a sense of belonging in mathematics and identify as a person who can do mathematics. Many college mathematics courses now use active learning and inquiry-based learning approaches. However, some students in these courses do not perceive their experiences in positive ways. For example, evidence suggests that many women and students of color find their experience in such courses to be marginalizing. They may consider the course to be less positive and less inclusive than their white male peers. To understand this difference, the project will identify four university mathematics departments within which instructional change efforts have improved the experiences and persistence of students who are members of groups that are underrepresented in the mathematics fields. The project will examine what is happening in these departments, a process that will include an in-depth look at one successful instructor in each department. Results of this research have the potential to provide important new knowledge about how to deliver equitable undergraduate mathematics instruction. Using a case study approach, the project will study structures and community characteristics in four departments, which will include the University of Maryland and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The project will identify characteristics of these departments to capture the context in which meaningful change is taking place. The project will also identify conditions and experiences that support students to persist in mathematics because of, not in spite of, their experiences in these mathematics communities. Instructors' beliefs and instructional practices that support equitable mathematics instruction will be investigated through interviews and observations. Results from this two-year study will be disseminated widely at national meetings that emphasize undergraduate mathematics education and in peer-reviewed scholarly publications. This project is supported by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.