Dana Center Presents at National Mathematics Summit and AMATYC

Members of the Charles A. Dana Center's experienced teams, along with associates and colleagues from around the country, will present a range of applicable, action-oriented thinking and research at the 44th Annual AMATYC Conference, November 15-18 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Just prior to the AMATYC conference, November 13-14, thought leaders from the Dana Center will join and help lead critical conversations during the Third National Mathematics Summit: For Math in the First Two Years of College.  

Third National Mathematics Summit: For Math in the First Two Years of College

Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Florida
November 13-14 2018

Opening Panel

Date: Tuesday, November 13
Time: 1:15-2:35 PM
Room: Fiesta 5

Rebecca Hartzler
National Math Summit Planning Committee
Manager, Advocacy and Professional Learning for Higher Education, Charles A. Dana Center

Faculty Development and Equity in an Era of Mathematics Reform

Date: Wednesday, November 14
Time: 8:00–9:05 AM
Room: Yucatan 1/2
This session will present research on faculty professional development processes and findings from qualitative and quantitative analyses on equality, equity, and student success in current mathematics pathways efforts. Topics will include sustained faculty engagement, addressing equity goals, and how ongoing review can lead to improving student achievement.

Alycia Marshall
Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Leadership Fellow
Associate Vice President for Learning & Academic Affairs, Professor of Mathematics, Anne Arundel Community College

Lucy Michal
Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Leadership Fellow
Professor Emerita of Mathematics, El Paso Community College

Meeting Students Where They Are: Successful Co-requisite Course Design

Date: Wednesday, November 14
Time: 3:30-4:10 PM
Room: Fiesta 5
The need for well-designed co-requisite courses has greatly increased due to recent statewide mandates eliminating prerequisite developmental courses. Participants will plan for action as they engage in activities addressing key considerations for designing successful co-requisites. These include course structure, aligned content, calendaring, placement, assessment, staffing, and examining successful case-studies.

Connie Richardson
Manager, Higher Education Course Programs, Charles A. Dana Center

Curricular Modernization in Turbulent Times: A Search for True North
(Summit Closing Remarks)

Date: Wednesday, November 14
Time: 4:10-5:00 PM
Room: Fiesta 5
The forces reshaping postsecondary mathematics reform are arguably stronger and more varied than at any time since Sputnik, if not WWII. Gateway course structures, especially those designed to serve students deemed to need remediation, are being replaced at scale by executive orders, legislation, and, in a growing number of cases, by administrative fiat in response to changing norms of responsible professional practice. Influential philanthropies, now more powerful given a vacuum in federal and state higher education leadership and support, are shifting away from pilot studies to supporting change at scale. The forces emanate from a potent mix of enrollment declines, financial exigencies, structural shifts in the economy affecting the demand for workers, and on the positive side, advances in mathematics education and the learning sciences. In response, individual colleges and higher education systems are implementing math pathways, co-requisite instruction, intrusive advising, guided pathways, and a host of “solutions” designed to improve institutional outcomes.

This talk will present a framework for sensemaking in this new environment and for anchoring necessary changes in the core missions of our institutions and professional societies. The goal: to ensure that mathematics education is worthy of our students, our institutions, and our discipline.

Uri Treisman
Executive Director, Charles A. Dana Center
University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Professor of Mathematics, Professor of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

44th Annual AMATYC Conference

Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Florida
November 15-18 2018

Two “Colorful” Classroom Experiments

Date: Thursday, November 15
Time: 8:20-8:35 AM
Room: Fiesta 5
This session considers two activities ("Would You Drink Blue Soda?" and "Testing for the Stroop Effect") appropriate for the introductory statistics class. Both activities ask students to think carefully about design issues, design an experiment to answer a statistical question, carry out the experiment, and analyze the resulting data.

Roxy Peck
Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Leadership Fellow
Professor Emerita of Statistics, California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo

Forging a Third Path: Implementing a Business & Social Science Pathway

Date: Thursday, November 15
Time: 9:40-9:55 AM
Room: Fiesta 5
Blinn College has a unique student population with a majority of transfers majoring in business at a four-year institution. The traditional STEM and non-STEM pathways did not meet the needs of these students. This presentation will focus on the design, implementation, and progress in forging a third pathway for students.

Connie Richardson

Assessing Understanding with Student Recordings in an Online Course

Date: Thursday, November 15
Time: 12:00-12:25 PM
Room: Coronado C/D
Recent theoretical works focused on specifying “mathematical understanding” have included implications for creating tasks and assessments. This session will summarize how these works inspired the use of student recordings in an online mathematics course for nurses. Through audio and video recordings, students illustrate their understanding of mathematical concepts.

Dan Ozimek
Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Leadership Fellow
Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences


Rebecca Hartzler
Manager, Advocacy and Professional Learning for Higher Education, Charles A. Dana Center

Data Science Statistics Pathways: What is Needed to Enter the Major?

Date: Friday, November 16
Time: 9:00-10:15 AM
Room: Fiesta 6
What are the mathematics and statistics foundations needed for the preparation of data scientists? Based on successful programs and findings from national initiatives, this session will provide recommendations for both two- and four-year college programs. Included are learning outcomes, supporting underprepared students, placement, and sample course sequences.

Rebecca Hartzler and Roxy Peck

Improving the Mathematics Education of Nurses: A National Initiative
(poster session)

Date: Friday, November 16
Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
Room: Veracruz C
With support from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), a task force is seeking to improve the mathematics education of nurses across the United States. This poster will describe the progress of this national, interdisciplinary initiative.

Dan Ozimek and Rebecca Hartzler

Meeting Students Where They Are: Successful Co-requisite Design
(poster session)

Date: Friday, November 16
Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
Room: Veracruz C
The need for well-designed co-requisite courses has greatly increased due to statewide mandates eliminating prerequisite developmental courses. Participants will be provided with access to tested tools and resources that support taking action in designing successful co-requisites. These relate to course structure, aligned content, calendaring, placement, assessment, staffing, and successful case-studies.

Connie Richardson

Faculty Development and Equity in an Era of Mathematics Reform

Date: Friday, November 16
Time: 3:10-4:00 PM
Room: Yucatan 2
This session will present research on faculty professional development processes and findings from qualitative and quantitative analyses in equality, equity, and student success in current mathematics pathways efforts. Topics will include sustained faculty engagement, addressing equity goals, and ongoing review lead to improving student achievement.

Alycia Marshall and Lucy Michal

Developing Multivariable Thinking in Introductory Statistics

Date: Saturday, November 17
Time: 10:45-11:35 AM
Room: Fiesta 6
Recent guidelines for the introductory statistics course recommend providing students with opportunities to develop multivariable thinking. This session will consider how such opportunities can be integrated at various points during the course and in ways that complement traditional course content. Activities suitable for classroom use will be discussed.

Roxy Peck

Tom Short
Associate Professor of Mathematics, West Chester University of Pennsylvania