MAA Minicourses
MAA Minicourses are open only to persons who register for the Joint Meetings and pay the Joint Meetings registration fee in addition to the appropriate minicourse fee, via the JMM registration form. The enrollment in each minicourse is limited to 50; the cost is US$100.
The MAA has cancelled Minicourses #4, #7, and #9. Participants in these minicourses will be contacted. The MAA reserves the right to cancel any minicourse that is undersubscribed. Participants should read the descriptions of each minicourse thoroughly as some require participants to bring their own laptops and special software; laptops will not be provided in any minicourse.
Minicourse #1. Complex Analysis and Geometry/Topology as Introductions to Proofs Courses, presented by Neelesh Tiruviluamala, University of Southern California; David Crombecque, University of Southern California; Part A, Wednesday, 4:45–6:45 pm, and Part B, Friday, 3:30–5:30 pm. An "Introduction to Proofs" course is valuable for young math majors who are transitioning to more rigorous areas in the curriculum. Several departments lack the resources to implement such a course. Furthermore, students often do not have the time or the necessary units to incorporate such a course into their four-year plan. Complex Analysis and Geometry/Topology courses are natural substitutes because the material involved is inspiring, accessible, and not always intuitive. As such, students discover for themselves that they cannot always rely on their intuition and this organically leads to several tractable and elucidating proofs. Furthermore, Complex analysis and Geometry/Topology incorporate concepts and proof techniques from a wide range of mathematical subjects. This minicourse will provide instructors with the specific tools necessary to extend their Complex analysis and Geometry/Topology courses to function dually as introduction to proofs courses.
Minicourse #2. Directing Undergraduate Research, presented by Aparna Higgins, University of Dayton; Part A, Wednesday, 2:15–4:15 pm, and Part B, Friday, 1:00– 3:00 pm. This minicourse is designed as a guide for faculty who are interested in directing undergraduate research at their own institutions during the academic year, and who are new to directing undergraduate research. The minicourse will cover many aspects of facilitating research by undergraduates, such as getting students involved in research, finding appropriate problems, deciding how much help to provide, and presenting and publishing the results. Ideas for short projects will be provided. Certain questions, that can be used to generalize research in any area will be discussed. Although the examples used will be primarily in the area of discrete mathematics, the strategies discussed can be applied to any area of mathematics.
Minicourse #3. Flipping your Linear Algebra Course using Open Educational Resources, presented by Sarah Eichhorn, University of California, Irvine; David Farmer, American Institute of Mathematics; Jim Fowler, The Ohio State University; and Petra Bonfert-Taylor, Dartmouth College; Part A, Wednesday, 2:15–4:15 pm, and Part B, Friday, 1:00–3:00 pm. The flipped classroom is an instructional strategy in which instructional content is delivered outside of class (often online) and classroom time is utilized for activities traditionally done as homework. Open educational resources (OERs) are openly licensed, online course materials that can be freely used by instructors and students. Participants in this minicourse will learn to design a flipped mathematics course using OERs. We will specifically focus building a flipped linear algebra course using a particular set of OER materials, however the instructional strategies learned in this workshop would apply equally well to other mathematical subject areas. Upon completion of this minicourse, participants will be able to apply best practices in flipped classroom design, identify appropriate OER materials for their mathematics courses, design assessments to check for knowledge of pre-class content, facilitate an active, problem-solving based classroom session, and utilize a particular set of linear algebra OER materials and provide meaningful feedback for the continuous improvement of these community resources.
Minicourse #4. - CANCELLED - Incorporating Randomization Methods into Introductory Statistics, presented by Patti Frazer Lock, St. Lawrence University; Robin H. Lock, St. Lawrence University; Allan Rossman, Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo; Beth Chance, Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo; Soma Roy, Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo; Part A, Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 am, and Part B, Friday, 9:00–11:00 am. The goal of this minicourse is to help participants see how to use simulation-based methods to introduce students to concepts of statistical inference in an introductory statistics course. The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics recommend these methods, so instructors teaching pre-service teachers are particularly welcomed. Through easy to use free online tools and class activities, participants will see how to engage students and make these methods readily accessible. We illustrate how to use these methods to build conceptual understanding and how to integrate them into an existing introductory statistics course without requiring a major overhaul. This course is sponsored by the SIGMAA on Statistics Education.
Minicourse #5. Introductory Proposal Writing for Grant Applications to the National Science Foundation EHR Division of Undergraduate Education, presented by Ron Buckmire, John Haddock, Teri Jo Murphy, Sandra Richardson, and Lee Zia, Division of Undergraduate Education, National Science Foundation; Part A, Wednesday, 2:15–4:15 pm, and Part B, Thursday, 9:00–11:00 am. Presenters will describe the general NSF grant proposal process and consider particular details relevant to programs in the Division of Undergraduate Education. This short course is geared towards those who have not submitted a proposal to NSF and are unfamiliar with the organization. If you believe you have an idea, project or program worthy of Federal support that will positively impact undergraduate education in mathematics you should attend this session. This two-part short course will provide information on the specific components of a NSF proposal, demonstrate the NSF peer review process, provide access to previously funded proposals and explicate the NSF merit review criteria by which proposals are reviewed. Participants should leave this short course with a draft of a project summary.
Minicourse #6. Linear Algebra in Computer Graphics and Data Mining, presented by Tim Chartier, Davidson College; Part A, Wednesday, 4:45–6:45 pm, and Part B, Friday, 3:30–5:30 pm. This minicourse is designed to help participants who wish to integrate linear algebra applications into classes. Application topics will range from those that require little mathematical background (such as submatrices, matrix arithmetics) which would be suitable in a first year seminar or general education course), to more sophisticated topics (eigenanalysis, singular value) that can supplement a linear algebra course or elective course for mathematics majors or minors. Examples will come from computer graphics and data mining. Participants will find many of the issues covered are discussed in the MAA published book When Life is Linear: From Computer Graphics to Bracketology by Tim Chartier and on the free edX MOOC Applications of Linear Algebra Parts 1 and 2 created through a partnership through Davidson College and edX. This course is sponsored by the MAA Subcommittee on Mathematics Across the Disciplines (MAD)
Minicourse #7 - CANCELLED - Mathematical Modeling Contest Papers: Insights for Instructors and Students, presented by Gregory Rhoads, Appalachian State University; William Bauldry, Appalachian State University; Part A, Thursday, 1:00–3:00 pm, and Part B, Saturday, 1:00–3:00 pm. Mathematical modeling has been identified as an important connection between classroom mathematical content and the types of problems that could be encountered in future employment. Modeling contests gives students an experience solving “real-world” type problems and participation in these contests has been steadily increasing in the past decade. This minicourse will give the participants insight into what constitutes a good paper for these contests. Participants will read a stratified set of papers from an actual contest and analyze them for strengths and weaknesses, which will then be compared to comments from actual contest graders. The course will include discussions about the modeling process and how this process is reflected in the submissions, ideas for creating and assessing modeling problems used as classroom assignments, and how to prepare a team for a contest. This minicourse is intended for both students and faculty. A limited number of scholarships are available for undergraduate students interested in attending this minicourse. Please contact Gregory Rhoads at rhoadsgs@appstate.edu for more information.
Minicourse #8. (Re)Designing Your Own Mathematics Course using Backwards Course Design, presented by Joel Kilty, Centre College and Alex M. McAllister, Centre College; Part A, Wednesday, 9:00–11:00 am, and Part B, Friday, 9:00–11:00 am. As mathematics faculty, we are often tasked with designing, or redesigning, courses to meet the specific needs of the students at our institutions. However, our educational background is typically in mathematics and we have little formal training in or experience with educational theory. This minicourse introduces “backwards” course design theory and provides participants with a workshop type atmosphere to begin the process of designing or redesigning a course of their choice through a process of articulating (1) the goals for their course, (2) acceptable evidence of goal attainment, and (3) learning experiences as specific approaches to achieving these goals.
Minicourse #9 - CANCELLED - Statistical Education of Teachers; presented by Anna E. Bargagliotti, Loyola Marymount University; Christine Franklin, University of Georgia; Denise Spangler, University of Georgia; Part A, Thursday, 9:00–11:00 am and Part B, Saturday, 9:00–11:00 am. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics place a large emphasis on statistics, especially in the middle- and high-school grades. Although statistics has been included as an important branch of K–12 mathematics education, there is a great need for preparing and supporting teachers trying to integrate statistics learning into the classroom. The American Statistical Association commissioned the Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) report to clarify the statistics teachers must know to effectively address current K–12 needs. At many institutions preservice and inservice teachers, particularly pre-K–8 teachers, learn their statistics content in mathematics courses. Thus, it is imperative that mathematicians and mathematics educators be well-versed in issues of statistics education so that they can orchestrate conversations with statisticians and those who teach mathematics content courses about the statistical preparation of teachers. This minicourse will present the recommendations of the SET report. Participants will work through grade-band specific examples, examine teacher work, and discuss difficulties and potential “roadblocks” that could emerge. This course is sponsored by the SIGMAA on Statistics Education.
Minicourse #10. Teaching an Applied Topology Course, presented by Colin Adams, Williams College and Robert Franzosa, University of Maine; Part A, Thursday, 9:00–11:00 am, and Part B, Saturday, 9:00–11:00 am. Applications of topology have proliferated in recent years. It is now possible to teach a course in topology, still covering much of the same material that would appear in a traditional topology course, but motivated entirely by applications. Typically, offering an "applied" topology course immediately doubles the enrollments. Applications include areas such as geographic information systems, robotics, chaos, fixed point theory in economics, knots in DNA and synthetic chemistry, and the topology of the spatial universe. Through the applications, students become engaged with the material. In this minicourse, we will introduce the various applications, and provide participants with the background necessary to design and teach their own applied topology course.
Minicourse #11. Teaching an Introduction to the Mathematics of Computer Graphics, presented by Nathan C. Carter, Bentley University; Part A, Thursday, 9:00–11:00 am, and Part B, Saturday, 9:00–11:00 am. This minicourse introduces a project-based, general-population elective on the mathematics of computer graphics. Participants will see some new mathematics and receive a course outline and syllabus, and more importantly, a hands-on introduction to the free software used in the course projects. The minicourse also covers how to extend the course for more advanced audiences, such as mathematics majors or computer science majors. The free software POV-Ray has been around for decades, but is still updated and released today. It creates realistic 3D images and animations from mathematical descriptions of the objects in a scene. This requires students to master the mathematical content in pursuit of their creative goals, but also gives them immediate and enjoyable practical applications of that content. Students no longer ask, “What is this good for?” They immediately see the purpose of the mathematics in their own creative projects, and in the computer graphics industry. Participants receive a list of suggested student projects with grading rubrics, interactive online tools, references for further reading, and more. Prerequisites for this general-population course are algebra and polynomial differentiation; linear algebra and/or computer programming are not required.
Minicourse #12. Teaching Introductory Statistics, GAISE 2016, presented by Carolyn K. Cuff, Westminster College; Part A, Wednesday, 9:00– 11:00 am, and Part B, Friday, 9:00–11:00 am. This minicourse, intended for instructors new to teaching statistics, exposes participants to the big ideas of statistics and the 2016 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) recommendations. It considers ways to engage students in statistical thinking, and emphasizes the contrast between conceptual and procedural understanding in the first statistics course. Participants will engage in many of the classic activities that all statistics instructors should know. A set of approximately 6–8 hands-on classroom-ready activities will be given to participants. Parts of each activity will be done by the participants, other parts will be summarized by the presenter and the main statistical ideas of the activity will be explained to the participants. The activities have been chosen so that they require minimal adaptation for a wide variety of classrooms, use freely available applets and other software and are easy to implement. Each activity includes goals, key ideas, prerequisite skills and concepts, connection to other statistical concepts, objectives, known student difficulties and assessment questions. Internet sources of real data, activities, and best practices articles will be examined. An annotated list of additional resources will be discussed. This course is sponsored by the SIGMAA on Statistics Education and theMAA-ASA Joint Committee on Undergraduate Statistics.
Minicourse #13. Teaching Modeling-First Differential Equations–Technology and Complete End Game Efforts, presented by Brian Winkel, SIMIODE; Rosemary Farley, Manhattan College; Jon Paynter, US Military Academy; Therese Shelton, Southwestern College; and Patrice Tiffany, Manhattan College; Part A, Thursday, 1:00–3:00 pm, and Part B, Saturday, 1:00–3:00 pm. We offer experiences for building and teaching mathematical models with differential equations: epidemic model of school infirmary, Torricelli’s Law, fishery management effort, post-operative retinal fluid dissipation, fair stadium design, sublimation of carbon dioxide, chemical kinetics, ant tunnel building, spread of oil slick, pursuit efforts, pharmacokinetics of LSD and paracetamol, shuttlecock fall, and lake algae. We discuss the role technology plays in the end game modeling efforts of parameter estimation, non-linear regression analysis, and model comparison. Through hands-on small group learning, faculty will experience the use of modeling and technology to teach differential equations. We use SIMIODE–Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations, an online (www.simiode.org) community of teachers.
Minicourse #14. Teaching Quantitative Reasoning with Common Sense and Common Knowledge, presented by Ethan D. Bolker, UMass Boston; Maura B. Mast, Fordham University; Part A, Wednesday, 2:15–4:15 pm, and Part B, Friday 1:00–3:00 pm. Ten years from now, what do you want or expect your Quantitative Reasoning students to remember? Our answers to this question profoundly shaped our approach to teaching Quantitative Reasoning. We realized that in ten years, what matters will be how students approach a problem using the tools they carry with them – common sense and common knowledge – not the particular mathematics we chose for the curriculum. That changed how and what we teach. In this interactive minicourse we will provide hands-on experience with class activities using our approach, discuss issues in teaching and learning quantitative reasoning, and practice creating examples and exercises from current news. New and experienced instructors will learn how to craft classes and problems that will help their students come to grips with numbers in the news while learning the necessary mathematics. This course is sponsored by SIGMAA QL.
Minicourse #15. Unraveling Four Interesting Ciphers, presented by Chris Christensen, Northern Kentucky University; and Jeffrey Ehme, Spelman College; Part A, Thursday, 1:00–3:00 pm, and Part B, Saturday, 1:00– 3:00 pm. This minicourse will explore four cryptologically, historically, and mathematically interesting ciphers: the running key cipher, rotor machine ciphers, the Playfair cipher, and the ADFGX and ADFGVX ciphers. Running key ciphers were used by spies; the Playfair and ADFGX and ADFGVX ciphers were used during World War I; and machine ciphers, like the German Enigma, dominated cryptography from the 1920s until the 1970s. For each cipher, the method of enciphering will be explained and a method of attack will be discussed.
Minicourse #16. Using and Making Integrated Online Textbooks with MathBook XML, presented by Karl-Dieter Crisman, Gordon College; Part A, Wednesday, 4:45– 6:45 pm, and Part B, Friday, 3:30–5:30 pm. In this minicourse participants will learn how to effectively use online textbooks authored with the AIM-sponsored MathBook XML (MBX, mathbook.pugetsound.edu/), as well as to begin creating their own course supplements with this tool. First, we will explore the power of having online (and print) texts in subjects from Abstract Algebra to Calculus with embedded online WeBWorK problems and Sage computational cells. In the second session, participants will try their hands at creating a small supplement to one of their own classes using MBX, experiencing the “write once, read anywhere” philosophy that creates output in print, pdf, webpages, and computational notebooks. In both cases, the presenter's own free Number Theory text will be used as a case study of how to create a project like this. No previous experience with Sage or WeBWorK necessary; you should be ready to try a few necessary command line tools. You will need to bring a wireless-enabled laptop, and will receive instructions regarding software in pre-workshop correspondence. This course is sponsored by the MAA Committee on Technology in Mathematics Education (CTiME).