Victoria S Akin

50 minute presentation of preliminary results from the Girls Exploring Math (GEM) program. The conference included K-16 STEM educators and teaching-adjacent personnel.

Non-points-based grading methods (NPBG) such as standards-based grading, mastery-based grading, and specifications grading have grown in popularity in secondary mathematics education but are still relatively new at the undergraduate level. However, the approach
has been gaining traction (as evidenced by an upcoming PRIMUS special issue) and studies of NPBG methods have yielded positive results with regards to student engagement and learning outcomes. We seek to further this field of inquiry with an exploratory study
examining the effects of NPBG on Calculus students’ mathematical attitudes and perceptions. In NPBG, students are scored on the degree of their mastery of specified learning objectives, rather than on `points earned’, and are often given multiple opportunities
to demonstrate mastery. The Project NExT research group on mastery-based testing in undergraduate mathematics has built a variety of formal and informal resources on NPBG. Some of their preliminary analyses reveal a decrease in anxiety, an increase in confidence,
and an increase in average course grade. We plan to use a quasi-experimental design to look at the effect of NPBG on mathematical attitudes and perceptions. Anecdotal evidence presented at the May 2019 SEMINAL/PtC joint meeting suggests that concurrent treatment
and control groups are perceived by students to be unfair. Instead, we will compare a course from Fall 2019 with the same course in Fall 2020 (or Fall 2021). We will control for confounding factors including standardized test scores and pre-requisite knowledge,
as assessed by the Precalculus Concept Assessment (see https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07370001003676587).
Our primary instrument for evaluating student perceptions is the Math Attitudes and Perceptions Survey (MAPS) (see https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0020739X.2015.1133854).
The MAPS assesses "factors of expert-like behaviour in and views of mathematics.” We are collecting baseline data this semester by administering the MAPS in all sections of Calculus I and II and one section of Calculus III. We will administer it again at the
end of the semester, and have received IRB approval for data collection from students who opt in. We are new to the field of RUME! We’d like to solicit feedback from experienced researchers by seeking answers to the following: 1. Should we limit ourselves to
purely quantitative methods of evaluating student perceptions or should we use mixed methods? 2. Other than the MAPS, what instruments exist for measuring mathematical attitudes and perceptions? 3. We have several potential calculus courses in which we could
run the experiments. What are the pros/cons of a coordinated multi-section course as opposed to one large lecture? What are the pros/cons of an introductory course as opposed to a more advanced course? 4. We have a highly-selective student body; how might that
affect the generalizability of the study?

The 40 minute presentation included a brief history of calculus reform at Duke. Duke has been a leading innovator in calculus reform since the 1980s. We included a focus on the current grading systems in our lab calculus courses and solicited ideas and opinions for updating our grading structure.

The team developed two hour-long workshops focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the math classroom. The workshop participants were providers of graduate student professional development. The activities presented and analysed at the conference could be used to train new instructors on issues of diversity.

Lightning Talk

I helped to organize several events for faculty members new to Duke to make connections and feel a sense of community.