Mathematics Education
Day 2 (Wednesday 23 April) @ 13:30–15:00
Chair: Annoesjka Cabo (Delft University of Technology)
Brendan Kelly (Harvard University)
Proactive Student Supports to Smooth the Transition to University Mathematics
In recent years, the preperation of students entering university mathematics has declined due to educational disruptions from COVID-19 and an evolving cultural shift in learning acellerated by generative AI. As a result, mathematics educators face the challenge of actively supporting students during their transition to university mathematics. This presentation examines a mathematician’s approach to implementing research-based support strategies designed to boost student success. These interventions require varying levels of financial and time investment and encompass a wide range of options, including summer bridge programs, structured peer tutoring, and the dissemination of explicit learning strategies to students.
Brendan Kelly is the Director of Introductory Mathematics at Harvard University, where he leads the design and implementation of curriculum and instructional strategies for first-year mathematics courses.In his capacity as Director of Introductory Math, Dr. Kelly collaborates with faculty to provide an ecosystem of student supports and modernize the math curriculum, emphasizing the application of mathematics in real-world contexts via mathematical modeling.
Tamás Görbe (University of Groningen)
Personalised learning as a means to bridge the VO-WO knowledge gap.
We provide a template designed for teachers looking to transform their courses from traditional to active or blended formats with built-in adaptiveness for varying skill levels. The relevant OER tools will be demonstrated through a first-year bachelor course on Calculus within the (Applied) Mathematics programmes at Groningen.
Tamás Görbe is an assistant professor in mathematics with a focus on education at the University of Groningen.
Martina Vittorietti (Delft University of Technology)
Exploring Student Behavioral Engagement Trajectories in Online Learning Platforms
Student behavioral engagement (BE) can be viewed as a complex dynamical system, with its evolution over time marked by variations both within and between students. Understanding the longitudinal trajectories of engagement—defined as the progression of similar engagement states over time, alongside distinct patterns—is crucial for effectively identifying different type of students. By analyzing data from 236 students enrolled in Linear Algebra courses, we aim to identify distinct BE states and trajectories, explore factors that may influence trajectory membership, and investigate potential relationships with course performance.
Martina Vittorietti is an assistant professor in the Statistics group at Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics (TU Delft). Her research interests are diverse: from methodological statistics to applied statistics to Materials Science, Social Sciences and Education. She is also part of the PRIME Research group at TU Delft.
Fulya Kula (University of Twente)
Student Engagement in the context of Statistical Inference
This presentation explores a new approach to teaching statistical inference by incorporating the construction steps of statistical inference, where students actively engage in creating statistical measures using their own data. This method helps students develop a deeper conceptual understanding of statistical reasoning. By focusing on building foundational knowledge before applying inference techniques, students gain a stronger ability to apply statistical concepts in real-world situations.
Fulya Kula is an assistant professor at the Applied Mathematics Department of the University of Twente. Her research interests and expertise focuses on the didactics of mathematics.
