The percentage of college students receiving unproductive grades in introductory mathematics courses is a concern for post-secondary institutions across the country. Many factors can be targeted as potential explanations for this lack of success, yet none of these issues are more noteworthy than the fact that many students enter college…

This paper presents a research framework for investigating the role of language use in mathematics learning. The paper draws on the wider M[superscript 2]EID study, which explores whether differences in languages (English and Irish) and their use by bilingual mathematical students have a differential impact on their mathematics meta-level…

As STEM educators, we know it is beneficial to train students to think critically and mathematically during their early mathematical lives. To this end, the author teaches the College Algebra/Precalculus course in a flipped classroom version of an inquiry-based learning style. However, the techniques described in this paper can be applied to a…

This study examined ways in which students make use of a graphing calculator and how use relates to comfort and understanding with mathematical symbols. Analysis involved examining students' words and actions in problem solving to identify evidence of algebraic insight. Findings suggest that some symbols and symbolic structures had strong…

The research presented here is a group case study of students learning calculus in a Computer Algebra System (CAS) environment which examines the following research questions: What are students' perceptions of the role of technology in their learning? What is the students' relationship to CAS? What is the effect of learning in a CAS environment on…

This qualitative case study explored how students learning Maths at an Irish institute of higher education benefited from their instructor's use of self-developed screencasts. The screencasts (47 in total) were posted on the institute's Maths Moodle site for students to access. One hundred and thirty-eight (n = 138) students participated in an…

The purpose of this research was to investigate student conceptions of the topic of asymptotes of rational functions and to understand the connections that students developed between the closely related notions of asymptotes, continuity, and limits. The participants of the study were university students taking Calculus 2 and were mostly freshmen. …

Appropriate use of instructional technology can be an elusive quest for many faculty members. The iTouch is one of the latest technologies available to us, yet there is little literature on its use and effectiveness to support learners in their learning. Six new faculty members from various disciplines elected to integrate the device in their own…