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Pedagogy
and Professional Development Projects in Mathematics
Members of
the department have been involved in a number of significant projects
involving teaching and pedagogy. These projects cover the full
range of mathematics, from freshman to graduate courses in
mathematics. They include
several that are sponsored by national bodies.
Prep
Workshops -
The
Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
sponsors a series of Professional
Enhancement
Programs (PREP workshops) to support professional growth for
mathematicians
at all stages of their careers. SLU's math department has run a
series of online workshops helping faculty across the country
incorporate technology into their teaching.
Project
NExT
Project NExT
(New Experiences in Teaching) is an MAA
professional development program directed at new
Ph.D.s. It is aimed at young mathematicians in their first years
after graduate school as they make the transition from graduate student
to regular faculty member, balancing the responsibilities of teaching,
research, and service. Since its inception in 1994, more than 800
Ph.D. mathematicians have been project NExT fellows. The program
has been
so successful that many MAA sections have set up programs modeled on
Project NExT. The project was co-founded by Dr. T. Christine
Stevens
who continues in her role as director.
Computer classroom grant
The department received an ILI grant for
constructing a computer classroom. We have used it as a
platform for a substantial amount of pedagogical course development,
developing course
materials for eight courses during the period of the grant.
More development has been done since then.
Gap manual
Dr. Julianne Rainbolt produced a Lab Manual for
Abstract Algebra with GAP as part of an NSF funded project.
Inquiry seminars
As part of a larger project at SLU, the department designed and
implemented a number of inquiry seminars, aimed at freshmen and
sophomore students. The courses designed by the department aimed
at providing an access to serious mathematics for students who only
planned to take a single course as part of their core
requirements. Two of the favorite courses of the students are Math
and the Art of M.C. Escher and Mathematical
Thinking in the Real World: Chaos, Fractals, and the Fourth Dimension.
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