Relating mathematics learned in the classroom to real situations increases student motivation and enhances learning. In this paper, we provide an example of a classroom application of calculus to physiology in two courses: "Differential Equations" and "Calculus I for Biology and Medicine." We designed and implemented a project…

This is a study of student engagement with computational labs in Calculus 2. The labs task students with using MATLAB to investigate contexts such as rocket science, disease modeling, and market economics forecasting by modifying and executing provided code, guided by questions that have students report the results of their simulations or…

In many university mathematics courses, homework accounts for the majority of students' interaction with mathematics content. However, we know little about students' activity as they complete homework. This paper presents an empirically-based model of students' activity as they complete an online homework assignment. I developed the model based on…

In this paper we provide a detailed account of how to implement a peer role model (PRM) program similar to the one that we developed at San Diego State University (SDSU) to broaden participation of college women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In particular, we summarize our findings of the PRM program's best practices,…

This descriptive-comparative study investigated the impact of different instructional models on a university level Precalculus course on students' achievement. Participant data (N = 14,993) was collected from Fall 2008 to Spring 2019 and categorized into four different instructional models: traditional, modular, emporium v.1, and emporium v.2.…

Harvesting models based on ordinary differential equations are commonly used in the fishery industry and wildlife management to model the evolution of a population depleted by harvest mortality. We present a project consisting of a series of scenarios based on fishery harvesting models to teach the application of theoretical concepts learned in a…

This paper demonstrates an experimental integrated lesson of physics and calculus in a topic of fluid force applying on different shapes of dams. This lesson was designed for the first year students in engineering program in an attempt to show them the connection between these two disciplines, as well as to introduce more advanced…

This article empirically tests a previously developed theoretical framework for mathematics identity based on students' beliefs. The study employs data from more than 9,000 college calculus students across the United States to build a robust structural equation model. While it is generally thought that students' beliefs about their own competence…

This paper describes investigations in visualizing logpaths of students in an online calculus course held at Florida State University in 2014. The clickstreams making up the logpaths can be used to visualize student progress in the information space of a course as a graph. We consider the graded activities as nodes of the graph, while information…

The need to incorporate active learning (AL) in higher education has become a prominent issue discussed by major leadership organizations such as the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (CBMS, 2016). These calls for AL are based on a large and growing body of research documenting the correlation between AL use and reduced failure rates,…

In this paper, we tell a story of iterative design and continual improvement of an asynchronous technological resource, pencasts, to support development of students' modeling skills while studying at home. Our students were typically engineering majors, enrolled in differential equations as a prerequisite for their subsequent engineering courses.…

Peer-led team learning (PLTL), specifically the model known as 'Workshops', has been shown to contribute positively and significantly to student success in STEM courses across subjects (Gosser et al., 2001). Our research adds to the SOTL literature describing the effectiveness of Workshops by reporting on the changes in student leaders. We examine…

Critical to many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career paths is mathematical modeling--specifically, the creation and adaptation of mathematical models to solve problems in complex settings. Conventional standardized measures of mathematics achievement are not structured to directly assess this type of mathematical…

This paper presents a study of instructors' and students' perceptions of the knowledge to be learned about limits of functions in a college level Calculus course, taught in a North American college institution. I modeled these perceptions using a theoretical framework that combines elements of the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic, developed…

The choice of pedagogy in statistics should take advantage of the quantitative capabilities and scientific background of the students. In this article, we propose a model for a statistics course that assumes student competency in calculus and a broadening knowledge in biology. We illustrate our methods and practices through examples from the…