Writing Assignments
Introductory Probability and Statistics – MAT 1372
My semester-long group projects for MAT 1372 challenged students to design experiments to test hypotheses, collect data, perform analyses, present and write up findings and share them with other classes. In fall 2014, my MAT 1372 class and Prof. Rebecca Devers’ ENG 1101 (English Composition) class joined forces in an informal learning community. My class supplied data and analyses to Prof. Devers’ class. Her students then used the information as a basis for writing persuasive letters to City Tech’s president Hotzler. This assignment along with another MAT 1372 project assignment served to inspire my paper with Dr. Yosefa Modiano (a former City Tech WAC fellow) to appear in the Journal of Psychology Teaching Review this December. See the paper and assignments.
Discrete Structures and Algorithms – MAT 2440Ā
My innovative projects for MAT 2440 students weave together collaborative and individual assessement, writing, coding in Python, proof writing and logical puzzles. Assignments 2 and 3 are based off of material on the Lamplighter group from my textbook, AĀ Sampling of Remarkable Groups, with Margaret and Judith Dean. I presented some of this material at the conference Elementary Theory of Groups and Group RingsĀ at the CUNY Graduate Center on 11/2/2018.
In-class Activities
- Induction Activity for MAT 2440
- Finite State Automata and at the Tower of Hanoi for MAT 2440
- Compound Interest Activity andĀ Spread of a Rumor Activity for Introductory Algebra and Trigonometry -MAT 1275
Sample Exams
Before each exam I prepare a sample exam (with solutions which I post on OpenLab). The sample exam is carefully constructed to best represent the material that will appear on the exam. It helps the students focus their efforts and also helps reduce their test-taking anxiety.Ā On occasion, I will collect worked-out sample exams and count them as extra credit. I have found the sample exam to be an essential tool when teaching at the pre-requisite level.
Sample Exams for:
WeBWorK
As part of my work with the Opening Gateways Title V grant over the past 4 years, I have participated in a dedicated team eļ¬ort to create and pilot WeBWorK homework sets for Introductory Algebra and Trigonometry – MAT 1275, Precalculus – MAT 1375 Ā and Calculus I – MAT 1475 which are more eļ¬ective than traditional textbook-style problems.
- I am in contact with my students often, via email or on the OpenLab as they work on their WeBWorK sets and ask questions.
- I regularly monitor and contribute to WeBWorK on the OpenLab, the public question-and-answer forum used by CityTech math students and faculty to communicate about speciļ¬c WeBWorK problems. By answering questions on this forum, the number of repeat questions is reduced as is the time it takes for students to receive answers to homework questions.Link
- In spring 2018, with Prof. K. Andrew Parker, I designed an experiment in which 3 sections of MAT 1275 and 3 sections of MAT 1275 EN (now MAT 1275 CO) participated. The 6 sections used WeBWorK homework sets and enabled game-like features: achievements, badges and leaderboards. Since leaderboards were not (at the time) a feature built into WeBWorK, I exported achievement data weekly and generated sectional and cross-sectional leaderboards. See, for example,
ā MAT 1275EN Individual Leaderboard
ā MAT 1275EN Multi-section leaderboard
- The experiment was so successful, we were awared a $25,000 grant by the City Tech Foundation to hire 3 City Tech students to code the new feature into WeBWorK. The leaderboard feature is currently being utilized by 19 WeBWorK sections at City Tech and our results have been incorporated into a paper currently under review by The International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education. See the Final Report.
- I have used WeBWorK in my developmental math courses to serve as instant exam grading/feedback. With Prof. K. Andrew Parker’s help, I translated all MAT 0650 exams into WeBWorK sets. On exam day, students took their exams as usual writing out all work in blue books and were asked to copy only their final answers onto their exam question paper. Once students submitted their exams, they used their iPads to log into the corresponding WeBWorK exam problem set (scheduled to open after the exam began) and enter their final solutions. WeBWorK immediately provided them an exam score (without partial credit). Students were then expected to utilize the final few minutes of exam time to begin making exam corrections. Students appreciated the immediate feedback.
