Historically, math education at the high school and introductory college levels has focused on computational skills. With the advancement of computational technologies, problemsolving and other higher-order thinking skills should become the focal point. This article discusses ways in which the University of Minnesota has integrated problem-solving…

Several publishing companies now offer competing brands of online homework (OHW) software. Students rarely have a voice in choosing their required course materials, even though, ultimately, they will be asked to use and pay for these systems. In this study, Calculus I students each tested three different OHW systems. The students were then asked…

In a recent article, Crider recommends ending a course with a memorable learning experience, called an epic finale, instead of a final exam. Here, we give the details of epic finales given in four mathematics courses: Discrete Mathematics, Information and Coding Theory, Real Analysis, and Complex Analysis. We describe how to reconfigure a course…

For a semester within a transition-to-proof course, mathematics majors explored two famous conjectures: The Twin Primes Conjecture and the Collatz Conjecture. Students were scaffolded into exploring the conjectures through directed activities but were also expected to create their own methods of exploration. We documented students' experiences…

Drawing on a social identity framework of mathematical development, the authors present a model, Improving Girls' Math Identity (IGMI), designed to address two key "leaks" in the female STEM pipeline: undergraduate and middle school. IGMI involves a supportive professional development network for undergraduate women preparing to…

Income inequality is a central social justice concern, and hence excellent motivation for real-world applications in mathematics classrooms at every level. We describe the "Mathematics for Social Justice" course at Saint Michael's College, giving a specific example of one of the typical social justice projects for the course, and showing…

As students learn to problem solve in authentic situations, they must also develop metacognitive tools to manage and regulate their problem-solving process. To foster process-focused metacognition utilized by mathematical thinkers and problem solvers, inquiry-based learning classroom practices and an adapted version of portfolio problems were…

Mathematics has a unique and powerful role to play in the teaching of social justice issues. There is substantial quantitative evidence for social injustice, but many citizens lack the quantitative skills to understand that evidence. A course in quantitative literacy is a unique opportunity to provide this quantitative understanding to a wide…

In the abstract for "Calculus for a New Century: A Pump, Not a Filter," Lynn Steen wrote: "The authors agree on the forces that are reshaping calculus, but disagree on how to respond to these forces. They agree that the current course is not satisfactory, yet disagree about new content emphases. They agree that the neglect of…

A great deal of educational literature has focused on problem-based learning (PBL) in mathematics at the primary and secondary level, but arguably there is an even greater need for PBL in college math courses. We present a project centered around the Humans versus Zombies moderated tag game played on the Utah State University campus. We discuss…

The efforts to improve the quantitative reasoning (quantitative literacy) skills of college students in the United States have been gaining momentum in recent years. At the same time, the blended learning approach to course delivery has gained in popularity, promising better learning with flexible modalities and pace. This paper presents the…

Students' learning experiences in an introductory statistics course for non-math majors are compared between two different instructional approaches under controlled conditions. Two sections of the course (n = 52) are taught using a flipped classroom approach and one section (n = 30) is taught using a traditional lecture approach. All sections are…

Algebraic structures are a necessary aspect of algebraic thinking for K-12 students and teachers. An approach for introducing the algebraic structure of groups and fields through the arithmetic properties required for solving simple equations is summarized; the collective (not individual) importance of these axioms as a foundation for algebraic…