Collaborative Research: Collaborating with Mathematicians to Enhance Teaching (COMET)

该项目旨在通过在大学数学课堂上实施循证主动学习教学法来服务于国家利益。基于证据的主动学习教学法可以提高学生的数学学习效果，但由数学教育者发展起来的主动学习教学法并没有被数学家广泛使用。缺乏理解的一个原因是，这种主动学习教学法是在没有与数学家协商的情况下开发的，因此可能与数学家的目标和价值观不符。这个项目将创建一个合作社区，数学家和数学教育者在其中共同努力，开发主动学习教学法，在线性代数课堂上实施这种教学法，并讨论发生了什么。这个项目的重要性是一个关于数学教育者和数学家如何合作来改进教学实践的实践模型和一个关于协作如何改善数学家教学实践的理论模型。该项目将遵循设计研究范式，其中研究团队将同时实现组织一个改变数学家教学实践的合作的实践目标和开发一个数学家教学实践如何改变的理论模型的理论目标。该项目将根据数学家的目标、价值观以及对学生、学科和机构的义务，确定数学家可能选择使用或不使用特定的基于证据的主动学习策略的原因。当数学家不喜欢使用特定的主动学习教学策略时，该项目将展示如何修改这一策略，以满足数学家和数学教育工作者的目标，并将确定数学家有效使用该教学策略所需的支持。NSF IUSE：EDU计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过机构和社区转型轨道，该计划支持高等教育机构和学科社区转变和改进STEM教育的努力。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 serve the national interest by implementing evidence-based active learning pedagogy in university mathematics classes. Evidence-based active learning pedagogy can improve student learning outcomes in mathematics, yet the active learning pedagogy developed by mathematics educators is not widely used by mathematicians. One reason for this lack of uptake is that this active learning pedagogy was developed without consultation with mathematicians and thus may not align with mathematicians’ goals and values. This project will create a collaborative community in which mathematicians and mathematics educators work together to develop active learning pedagogy, implement this pedagogy in linear algebra classrooms, and discuss what transpired. The importance of this project is a practical model of how mathematics educators and mathematicians can collaborate to improve instructional practice and a theoretical model of how collaboration can improve mathematician’s teaching practice.The project will follow the design research paradigm in which the research team will simultaneously achieve the practical goal of organizing a collaboration that changes mathematicians’ pedagogical practice and a theoretical goal of developing a theoretical model for how mathematician’s pedagogical practice can change. The project will identify reasons why mathematicians may choose to use or not to use particular evidence-based active learning strategies in terms of mathematicians’ goals, values, and obligations to their students, discipline, and institution. When mathematicians prefer not to use a particular active learning pedagogical strategy, the project will show how this strategy can be modified to meet the goals of both mathematicians and mathematics educators and will identify the support that is needed for mathematicians to use the pedagogical strategy effectively. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation Track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.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.