Change in Departments and Institutions via Active Learning

该项目旨在响应国家号召学生更广泛地参与并在数学密集型领域取得成功。它将通过组织一次专注于改善本科数学教育的会议来做到这一点。近五年来，有关本科生微积分教育的研究表明，很多本科生最初表示对STEM专业感兴趣，但在完成一门微积分课程后，变得灰心丧气，转而选择非STEM专业。为了满足学生在STEM取得更大成功的需要，许多努力侧重于改进微积分序列的教学实践和高失败率，特别是针对代表不足的群体，包括妇女和有色人种学生。这些努力激励了数学系和大学管理者试图通过专业发展、课程协调、教材和学生支持来改善数学教学。这次会议将发展和扩大一个合作伙伴网络，包括研究人员、数学教师和管理人员。会议组委会通过美国国家科学基金会资助的微积分进展计划(DUE-1430540)和学生通过主动学习机构网络参与数学(DUE-1624643、1624610、1624628和1624639)，与本科生数学系合作。这些努力表明，数学教师对参与网络改进社区有着浓厚的兴趣，该社区分享在实施和维持微积分序列中的积极学习方面所学到的资源、数据和经验教训。维持和扩大这种努力需要部门文化的重大转变。为此，会议有三个主要目标：(1)通过微积分2课程，将与会者与致力于微积分预科教育创新的现有数学教师、研究人员和管理人员社区联系起来；(2)利用这些联系，分享和产生关于启动、实施和保持文化变革的战略的知识，以支持微积分顺序课程的改进；以及(3)通过鼓励与会者分享高效的教学实践和积极学习课堂的任务，促进教师发展。来自不同机构的讲者将在同时举行的研讨会上分享他们的研究成果，重点是四个主要主题：关注课堂上的公平、多样性和包容性；部门文化和变革战略；课程和课程重新设计；以及专业发展。这些会议将积极吸引与会者参加，反映出会议致力于使用循证教学做法来最好地支持学习。除了会议，还将有一个由支持成功改变努力的大学管理人员组成的小组，让参与者参与讨论如何在改变微积分序列时利用管理人员的支持。还将举行两次全体会议，集中讨论公平、制度变革以及教职员工和行政人员的角色等问题。该项目由NSF改善本科生STEM教育计划：教育和人力资源资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to address the national call for broader student participation and success in mathematics-intensive fields. It will do so by organizing a conference focused on improving undergraduate mathematics education. Over the past five years, studies of undergraduate calculus education have shown that many undergraduate students who initially express interest in STEM majors, become disheartened and change to non-STEM majors after completing a calculus course. To address the need for increased student success in STEM, many efforts have focused on improving instructional practices and high failure rates in the calculus sequence, in particular for underrepresented groups including women and students of color. Such efforts have inspired mathematics departments and university administrators to try to improve mathematics instruction through professional development, course coordination, instructional materials, and student supports. This conference will develop and expand a network of partners to include researchers, mathematics faculty, and administrators. It will also encourage and support data-informed improvement efforts in undergraduate calculus education and document lessons learned to share nationally.The conference organizing committee has worked with undergraduate mathematics departments through the NSF-funded Progress through Calculus (DUE-1430540) and Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning (DUE-1624643, 1624610, 1624628, and 1624639). These efforts identified a strong interest among mathematics faculty in participating in a Networked Improvement Community that shares resources, data, and lessons learned regarding implementing and sustaining active learning in the calculus sequence. Sustaining and expanding such efforts requires significant shifts in departmental culture. To this end, the conference has three main goals: (1) Connect conference participants to an existing community of mathematics faculty, researchers, and administrators dedicated to educational innovation in Precalculus through Calculus 2 courses; (2) Leverage these connections to share and generate knowledge of strategies for initiating, implementing, and sustaining cultural change that supports the improvement of courses in the calculus sequence; and (3) Foster instructor development by encouraging participants to share highly effective instructional practices and tasks for an active learning classroom. Speakers from different institutions will share their research during concurrent workshop sessions focused on four major themes: attention to equity, diversity and inclusivity in the classroom; departmental culture and change strategies; course and curriculum redesign; and professional development. These sessions will actively involve attendees, reflecting the conference’s commitment to the use of evidence-based instructional practices to best support learning. In addition to the sessions, there will be a panel of university administrators who have supported successful change efforts, to engage participants in a discussion on how to leverage administrator support when making changes to the calculus sequence. There will also be two plenary sessions to focus on issues of equity, institutional change, and the roles of faculty and administrators. This project is funded by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources.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.