Date: Tuesday, June 2
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Gore Hall 116
Two Perspectives on Critical Thinking from Summer Faculty Institute 2015
Slides from Dawn Berk and Tammy Rossi presentation (PDF format)
The Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory: Transforming Teaching and Learning in UD’s Introductory Mathematics Courses
Launched this spring, the Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory, or MSLL, aims to transform teaching and learning in UD’s introductory mathematics courses. MSLL employs a new model of teaching that integrates problem-based learning and individualized instruction. MSLL is located in a newly renovated space in McKinly Lab, featuring a large PBL classroom with fully embedded technology, a dedicated testing center, an on-site faculty team, and a full staffed tutorial center. Courses are taught on-site in an active, small group format, with adaptive technology used for targeted, personalized instruction. In our talk, we will describe this new approach and our experiences from our first semester offering two introductory mathematics courses in MSLL.
Dawn Berk, Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory
Dawn Berk is the founding Director of the Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory (MSLL) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Delaware. She earned an M.S. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests focus on the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics and on the mathematical preparation of teachers. She is currently the PI on two grants from the National Science Foundation to investigate the effects of mathematics teacher preparation on teachers’ knowledge, skills, and classroom practice. As Director of MSLL, Dawn facilitates the work of a team of faculty to improve teaching and learning in the foundational mathematics courses by employing a data-driven, continuous improvement model to determine what works, what does not, and why.
Tammy Rossi, Mathematical Sciences
Tammy Rossi is an instructor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the new Mathematical Sciences Learning Laboratory (MSLL). She spends her time finding ways to engage students and help students find success in mathematics. She developed the curriculum and taught Math 010 for the Mathematical Sciences Learning Lab this spring.
An Integrated Approach to Reduce the Propensity and Practicality of Cheating on Asynchronous, Objective, Online Assessments
Cheating, left untended, erodes the validity of evaluation and, ultimately, corrupts the legitimacy of the course. I profile an approach to manage, with an eye toward preempting, cheating on asynchronous, objective, online assessments. This approach taps various technological and social solutions to academic dishonesty, integrating them into a tech-centric, socially-sensitive pedagogy. The resulting design, engages a battery of tech tools, within a social context moderated by the testing effect, to minimize the practicality, productivity, and hence, propensity to cheat. Operationally, this design relies on the Canvas LMS to generate a differentiated series of 5 to 15 question quizzes, drawn from corresponding questions banks holding several hundred potential items. Cross-sectional data from 352 students spanning 9 classes (5 online and 4 hybrid) found consistent support for the effectiveness of the profiled pedagogy with strong indication of students’ perception of the resulting uselessness of cheating. The session closes by profiling implication of these findings to test anxiety, student engagement, learning effectiveness, and workflow efficiency.
Daniel Sullivan, Business Administration
Daniel P. Sullivan, Professor of International Business at the Alfred Lerner College of Business of the University of Delaware, received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. He researches a range of topics, including globalization and business, international management, and various aspects of pedagogy. His work on these topics has been published in leading scholarly journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Management International Review, Law and Society Review, and Academy of Management Journal. Similarly, Professor Sullivan, along with John Daniels and Lee Radebaugh, co-authors International Business: Environments and Operations. Published by Pearson, this text is presently in its 15th Edition, is used worldwide, and has been translated into several languages; work is underway for the 16th Edition. Relatedly, Professor Sullivan has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of International Business Studies and Management International Review. More recently, Professor Sullivan has expanded study to assess dimensions and dynamics of hybrid and online pedagogies. This works has received funding support from Academic Partnerships and been reported at various conferences and research outlets.