A growing body of research supports writing as a means to learn mathematics. Although introductory courses have benefited the most from the spread of this mode of learning, writing may be promoted in advanced courses. This paper reports on writing tasks in a complex analysis course where the primary goal was for students to investigate…

A summative portfolio is a project completed at the end of the semester that gives a student an opportunity to look at a course as a whole. This study investigates whether collegiate mathematics students gain a deeper understanding of course material through the portfolio project, via an analysis of the students' work, and a survey of students'…

One of the greatest challenges facing students new to calculus is the ability to persevere in the face of failure. Whether the student is choosing an integration technique or a series test, calculus is often the first course in mathematics where the path to the solution is not prescribed in an algorithmic way. At Jacksonville University we…

Liberal arts mathematics courses can provide non-majors the opportunity to connect mathematical topics with areas of personal interest. This article describes two end-of-unit writing assignments (on voting and graph theory) that have been structured so that each student is able to synthesize course material in a unique way, while ensuring a…

This article provides a framework for creating and using writing assignments based on four types of writing: personal, expository, critical, and creative. This framework includes specific areas of student growth affected by these writing styles. Illustrative sample assignments are given throughout for each type of writing and various combinations…

This paper describes a collaboration between a mathematician and a compositionist who developed a sequence of collaborative writing assignments for calculus. This sequence of developmentally appropriate assignments presents peer review as a collaborative process that promotes reflection, deepens understanding, and improves exposition. First, we…

This article discusses a writing project that offers students the opportunity to solve one of the most famous geometric problems of Greek antiquity; namely, the impossibility of trisecting the angle [pi]/3. Along the way, students study the history of Greek geometry problems as well as the life and achievements of Carl Friedrich Gauss. Included is…