GP-IMPACT: Integrating Geoscience to Engage Majors with Mathematics: iGEM2

在德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校(UTA)，通向微积分的数学课程构成了STEM专业数量惊人的学生成功的主要障碍。这一事实反映了全国大学面临的挑战。我们的目标是(1)提高UTA意向的STEM专业学生在数学课程中的成功率，这些课程主要由STEM专业的学生主修，但D-F退学率为60%，(2)在一年级和二年级学生决定选择专业之前，向他们介绍地球科学和相关的职业道路，从而增加选择地球科学专业的学生的数量和多样性。为此，我们将修改数学1302(大学代数)的实验室/复习部分，将俄亥俄州立大学(OSU)和UTA教师的地球科学研究整合到数学课程中，每学期覆盖大约1,000名学生。数学课的每周实验室会议将包括地球科学教员的视频演示，描述数学技能如何对他/她的科学研究至关重要，学生们进行的练习将在该研究项目的背景下进行，随后将综合数学概念并将概念应用于与地球科学研究有关的问题的问题解决活动。通过这种方式，数学抽象将与跨越地球物理、环境地球化学和海洋学领域的地学内容联系起来。这是一种战略伙伴关系，因为地球科学结合了整个STEM的研究方法，因此很可能与面向STEM的广泛学生有关。这种合作将通过将抽象数学概念置于关键过渡的科学背景中来增强STEM初学者的能力，这在统计上构成了许多STEM专业的主要绊脚石。与此同时，它将使学生在大学早期接触到地球科学作为一个潜在的专业。通过在俄亥俄州立大学地球科学学院和UTA数学学院之间建立新的伙伴关系，该项目将成为可能。项目的成败将取决于监控这门课程的D-F-W比率，评价学生？对地球科学的认知和对数学的信心，并通过申报他们的专业和更高的专业来跟踪学生。在该项目的最后一年，UTA实施的模式将推广到俄亥俄州立大学，展示长期的可移植性和可持续性。部分IIFreshman级别的数学课程经常成为STEM目标学生的障碍，特别是当学生进入大学时不直接测试微积分的时候。在德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校(UTA)，这当然是正确的，这是一所以访问为导向的大学。微积分是UTA所有自然科学学位计划中的第一门数学课程；然而，对于STEM专业的学生，特别是那些通过非传统途径开始专业的人来说，代数或预微积分是常见的数学入门课程。2012年，UTA拥有全国最高的录取率和最多的新转学学生人数(8,649人)(国家学生信息交换中心)，这一趋势仍在继续。鉴于这些统计数据，以及拟议中的工作将直接影响到每学期约1000名学生的事实，该项目将对渴望获得STEM学位的各种高危学生群体产生巨大影响。我们的目标是(1)提高UTA意向的STEM专业学生在数学课程中的成功率，这些课程主要由STEM专业的学生主修，但D-F退学率为60%，(2)在一年级和二年级学生决定选择专业之前，向他们介绍地球科学和相关的职业道路，从而增加选择地球科学专业的学生的数量和多样性。我们将在俄亥俄州立大学(OSU)地球科学系和UTA研究领域的背景下重塑大学代数的概念，而不改变当前课程的内容。通过这种方式，我们将赋予STEM初学者能力，将抽象的数学概念放在科学的背景下--横跨地球物理、环境地球化学和海洋学领域--处于关键过渡阶段，这在统计上构成了许多STEM专业的主要绊脚石。这是一种新的战略伙伴关系，因为地球科学结合了整个STEM的研究方法，因此很可能与针对STEM的广泛学生有关。与此同时，它将使学生在大学早期接触到地球科学作为一个潜在的专业。项目的成败将取决于监控这门课程的D-F-W比率，评价学生？对地球科学的认知和对数学的信心，并通过申报他们的专业和更高的专业来跟踪学生。在该项目的最后一年，在UTA实施的模式将推广到俄亥俄州立大学，展示长期的可运输性和可持续性。

Part IAt The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), mathematics courses leading to Calculus constitute a major obstruction to success for alarming numbers of STEM-intended majors. This fact reflects a challenge faced by universities across the country. Our goals are to (1) improve success of intended STEM majors at UTA in mathematics courses that lead to Calculus, courses taken primarily by STEM-intended majors, but yielding D-F-Withdraw rates 60%, and (2) introduce first and second year students to the geosciences and related career pathways before they decide on a major, thereby increasing the number and diversity of students who choose to major in the geosciences. We will do this by modifying the laboratory/recitation component of Math 1302 (College Algebra) by integrating geoscience research of The Ohio State University (OSU) and UTA faculty into the mathematics curriculum, reaching approximately 1,000 students per semester. Weekly lab meetings in the mathematics courses will incorporate a video presentation by geoscience faculty describing how the mathematical skill is essential for his/her scientific research, and exercises the students perform will be cast in the context of that research project, followed by problem-solving activities that synthesize mathematical concepts and apply the concepts with problems related to geoscience research. In this way, the mathematical abstraction will be connected with geoscience content crossing the fields of geophysics, environmental geochemistry, and oceanography. This is a strategic partnership, as the geosciences incorporate research methods from across all of STEM and are therefore likely to be relatable to a broad range of STEM-intended students. This collaboration will empower beginning STEM students by placing abstract mathematical concepts in a scientific context at a critical transition, which constitutes statistically a major stumbling block for many STEM-intended majors. At the same time, it will expose students early in their college experience to geoscience as a potential major. This project will be made possible by building a new partnership between the School of Earth Science at OSU and Mathematics at UTA. Success of the project will be determined by monitoring D-F-W rates of this course, evaluate students? perceptions of the geosciences and confidence in mathematics, and tracking students through declaration of their major and beyond. In the final year of the project, the model implemented at UTA will be propagated to OSU, demonstrating long term transportability and sustainability.Part IIFreshman level math courses often form a roadblock for STEM-intended students, particularly when students do not test directly into Calculus when they enter college. This is certainly true at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), an access-oriented university. Calculus is the first mathematics course in all natural science degree plans at UTA; however, Algebra or Precalculus are common mathematics entry points for STEM-intended majors especially those who begin their major through nontraditional pathways. In 2012, UTA had the highest acceptance rate and highest number of new transfer students (8,649) in the country (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center) and this trend continues. Given these statistics, and the fact that the proposed work will directly affect ~1000 students per semester, this project will have an enormous impact on a diverse population of at-risk students who aspire to graduating in a STEM degree. Our goals are to (1) improve success of intended STEM majors at UTA in mathematics courses that lead to Calculus, courses taken primarily by STEM-intended majors, but yielding D-F-Withdraw rates 60%, and (2) introduce first and second year students to the geosciences and related career pathways before they decide on a major, thereby increasing the number and diversity of students who choose to major in the geosciences. We will recast College Algebra concepts in the context of research areas of Earth Science Faculty at The Ohio State University (OSU) and UTA without changing the content of the current course. In this way, we will empower beginning STEM students by placing abstract mathematical concepts in a scientific context - crossing the fields of geophysics, environmental geochemistry, and oceanography - at a critical transition which constitutes statistically a major stumbling block for many of STEM-intended majors. This is a new strategic partnership, as the geosciences incorporate research methods from across all of STEM and are therefore likely to be relatable to a broad range of STEM-intended students. At the same time, it will expose students early in their college experience to geoscience as a potential major. Success of the project will be determined by monitoring D-F-W rates of this course, evaluate students? perceptions of the geosciences and confidence in mathematics, and tracking students through declaration of their major and beyond. In the final year of the project, the model implemented at UTA will be propagated to OSU, demonstrating long term transportability and sustainability.