2003 Johnson & Wales University Providence, Rhode Island

NEMATYC 2002 was held at the Harborside Campus of Johnson & Wales University, on Friday and Saturday, March 28-29, 2003. This was the 29th Annual Meeting. The Conference Chairperson was Tom Pandolfini of Johnson & Wales University. Besides a great program other events enjoyed by the participants included the following. Friday Evening Dinner at Fire & Ice, Providence Place Mall Guest Dinner Speaker Dr. Dave Abrahamson, Rhode Island College Saturday Lunch Lunch at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet - Cranston, RI

NEMATYC Treasurer's Report 3/29/03 Bank Account Balance, March 15, 2002 $8611.19 INCOME: Interest $101.67 Membership 30.00 AMATYC Support 200.00 NEMATYC 2002 Profit 1915.00 $2246.67 EXPENSES: Newsletter expenses $791.31 Distinguished Service Award 216.20 Executive Board Meeting 204.59 Taxes on Interest 42.00 NEMATYC 2003 450.00 Website Domain Name 50.00 $1754.30 Bank Account Balance, March 15, 2003 $9103.56 Respectfully submitted, Lois A. Martin Treasurer

Program

FRIDAY, MARCH 28

2::45 p.m.

Finding Service Learning Everywhere:  A Versatile Model  (90 minutes)

Matthew Behnke, Annette Guertin, and Allison Schei, Berkshire Community College

Service learning can be incorporated into any type of course as an effective learning tool.  Through such service, not only do students fulfill a course requirement, they affect lives in the community and gain real-world experience.  Using math service-learning at BCC as a model, we will trace the development of a cohesive service aspect for an academic course.  In recounting the evolution of the program, we will start with the first relationships between local schools and a math professor at BCC and end with the after-school service learning program, Got Math?  We will then address the relationship between student reflection, empowerment and academic development.  A video of student discussion about service learning experiences will also be shown.  The session will conclude with an opportunity for small group discussion about incorporating service into participants' courses.

At the Threshold of a Vision:  Teaching Statistics Online at a Career University  (45 minutes)

Joyce Oster and Paul Colbert, Johnson & Wales University

The presenters will share their experiences about the Online Statistics course at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) from both an administrative and faculty perspective.  Dr. Paul Colbert is the Director of the Center of Teaching Excellence and Distance Learning (CTEDL) at JWU.  The Center is a newly formed organization that was developed to enhance not only teaching excellence, but to encourage and support faculty members at the University who are interested in online teaching.  Dr. Joyce Oster is a Professor of Mathematics who piloted the first Online Statistics course at JWU from its Providence Campus to its Miami Campus in the Spring 2001 Term.  Dr. Colbert was instrumental in helping to get this first online course "off the drawing board".  Since that time, Dr. Oster has taught this course during each term to students enrolled at all JWU campuses.

Academic Systems:  Using Technology to Help Colleges Increase Student Success in Entry-Level Courses  (45 minutes)

Margaret McDevitt, Academic Systems Corporation

Participants in this workshop will learn how Academic Systems has been meeting the needs of higher education faculty and students since 1992.  Created in collaboration with faculty and researchers in higher education, Academic Systems' Interactive Mathematics and Interactive English programs have demonstrated increased student success in entry-level courses at colleges across the country.  academic.com, a web-based program, combines interactive learning objects with a robust platform and a complete services package.

This session will allow participants to see a demonstration of Interactive Mathematics, the content of which ranges from Prealgebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, and academic.com.  Throughout the workshop, participants will be encouraged to ask questions as a way to stimulate meaningful discussion.

Introduction to Bayesian Statistics  (45 minutes)

Eiki Satake and Philip P. Amato, Emerson College

This presentation is an overview of the Bayesian perspective and interpretation of a probability distribution, correlational/regressional analysis, and statistical inference in general.  Difficulties and strengths of Bayesian methods and comparisons with classical statistics will also be covered.  In our view, the Bayesian approach has long been misunderstood and mostly neglected by many educators.  Yet, it has a long and rich history, and has been used to develop a medical screening test, to measure the accuracy of clinical diagnoses, and to perform decision-making analysis in business.

3:45 p.m.

Little Gems from Phoenix  (45 minutes)

Roberta Kieronski, University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Come view some ideas to help students understand precalculus and calculus concepts with the aid of a graphing  calculator and a computer.  Some of these ideas are from the recent AMATYC conference in Phoenix.

Math Appetizers  (45 minutes)

Sandy Weeks and Richard Cooney, Johnson & Wales University

A menu and demonstration of several interesting class starters (math puzzles, tricks and games).  In addition to being fun and motivational, these also provide ideas for project opportunities and enrich your mathematics course.

Successful Statistics  (45 minutes)

James O'Keefe, Lesley University

Many students dread taking statistics, yet there are many ways to make this subject more appealing and meaningful to students.  This presentation will highlight some of the activities, techniques, and applications that have made statistics a popular course for students at Lesley.

Including AMATYC Standards in a Traditional Precalculus Sequence  (45 minutes)

David Goland, Quinsigamond Community College

Materials involving student creation and application of functions (including trigonometry) will be distributed and discussed.  Two formats (small group work and homework supplements) for using these materials will also be considered.

SATURDAY, MARCH 29

9:30 a.m.

Teaching Developmental Mathematics with Computers:  The Learning Equation and iTexts  (90 minutes)

Douglas Nelson, Central Oregon Community College, and George Bergeman, Northern Virginia Community College

Brooks/Cole

Divided into two 45-minutes sections, this session will offer a brief orientation to each product.  Instructors will then present how they have implemented these products at their institutions and, baaed on their experience, will cover the do's and don'ts of teaching with computers.

Stress Management for Developmental Mathematics  (45 minutes)

Sharon C. Steuer, Nassau Community College

This is a workshop demonstrating techniques for helping students and professors survive the challenges of remedial and developmental mathematics.  Methods employed include visualization, relaxation, time management and organizational skills to motivate students toward success.  Instructors will be taught how to cope with the under-prepared student.

Introduction to the Geometry of Minkowski Spaces  (45 minutes)

David C. Mello, Johnson & Wales University

An elementary explanation of the geometric properties of Minkowski spaces using a linear algebra approach to explore the 4-dimensional space of special relativity.

Student Feedback on the Use of WebCT and MyMathLab in the Mathematics Classroom  (45 minutes)

Emmett C. Dennis, Southern Connecticut State University

Participants will be provided with an overview of a developmental math course where students used either the Web-based learning management systems of WebCT or MyMathLab as technological enhancement tools in face-to-face classes.  Student achievements and reactions will be discussed.

Projects in Precalculus  (45 minutes)

Roberta Kieronski, University of New Hampshire at Manchester

A non-credit precalculus course at UNH was granted credit status after the course content was broadened and projects were introduced.  Join a discussion on the merits of this material and the projects.

10:30 a.m.

CUNYMath &endash; A Website Linking University Mathematics Communities  (45 minutes)

Geoffrey Akst, Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY

CUNY hosts a website that can serve as a model to link math departments at other universities.  This presentation will describe the history, components and problems associated with the site.

Effective Web-Based Tutorial, Testing and Course Management  (45 minutes)

Kevin O'Brien, Addison Wesley

During this presentation, the Addison Wesley Technology Specialist will present two web-based resources being offered with Addison Wesley math texts.  These web resources would be of interest to instructors looking to offer easily accessed practice problems and tutorials to enhance a traditional course as well as those teaching a complete online course.  Both these resources correlate directly with the scope and sequence of math texts, which Addison Wesley publishes.  Ideally, these resources would be presented in a computer lab, which would allow participants to access these sites for a "hands-on" experience.  These two resources are:

MathXL &endash; www.mathxl.com was created as a P.I.N.-accessed online math tutorial website.  This site will help students prepare for tests by allowing them to take practice tests that are similar to the chapter tests in the book.  They will then get a personalized hyperlinked study plan that pinpoints topics where they need the most practice.  By simply clicking on the hyperlinked chapter sections in their study plan they will be taken directly to the interactive tutorials that correspond to the actual practice exercises in the Addison Wesley text.  There is also a management system for instructors that allows them to create and manage separate courses and sections, view student study plans, create and edit pretests, and monitor student work (both test taking and follow-up practice).  MathXL is available for over 50 Addison Wesley titles.

MyMathLab &endash; www.mymathlab.com is a new multimedia website available for several Addison Wesley math texts.  These resources are delivered in the Blackboard online environment and are editable, which allows the instructor to add or delete content for complete customization of the site.  It includes a hyperlinked version of the actual text with additional icons, which allows students to access videos, tutorials, tests, and a wealth of other online materials.

E-Rosters,,,Why Everyone Should Do It  (45 minutes)

Gail St. Jacques and Charles Mazmanian, Johnson & Wales University

There is an easier, faster and more efficient way to manage your gradebook.  No more calculations to arrive at the student's final grade.  How?  You and Excel.  Attend this interactive session on how to automate your rosters utilizing Excel.  It will be fun, easy and user-friendly, and each participant will receive a diskette with a template of a class outline ready to use.  Should you ever misplace your gradesheet, don't worry; all that information can be retrieved from your hard drive/floppy disk.

Technology in the Mathematics Classroom  (45 minutes)

Andrew Perry, Springfield College

Over the past ten years, I have experimented with a wide variety of graphing calculators and computer software in my mathematics classes.  I will share some of my favorite applications of technology and some lessons I have learned.  Audience members will be invited to share their own experiences.

1:45 p.m.

The Effectiveness of a Web-based Learning System for Developmental Mathematics  (45 minutes)

Chuck Rocca and Mark Toomey, Western Connecticut State University

The ALEKS, Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces, web-based system allows students in basic and intermediate mathematics to learn material on their own and at their own pace.  But, does it adequately prepare them for the general education math classes that they will need to take?  This presentation will include some basic information about the system, preliminary results of an analysis of the effectiveness of this system as it has been used at WCSU, and some ideas on how it could be improved.

Round Table Discussion on Precalculus  (45 minutes)

John Jacobs, Massachusetts Bay Community College

Join in a discussion on Precalculus.  What topics are we (collectively) covering to prepare students for success in Calculus?  What order?  What different approaches are we using?  Are you using some special software or text?  How do we handle students coming from a variety of backgrounds?  Some have forgotten the equation of a line or what a quadratic equation is, and some their basic algebra.

Using Excel to Graph Functions:  a Student Lab Assignment  (45 minutes)

Pamela B. Cohen, Southern New Hampshire University

My developmental algebra students continually struggle with graphing.  Last term, I created an Excel lab assignment for them to complete after we had studied traditional graphing methods.  The lab asks students to use Excel to:  create graphs of linear equations; use Excel's function features to find the slope and y-intercept of a line; and graph a set of data points adding the associated Trendline.  During this session, I will share the assignment, provide feedback regarding the results and ask for suggestions for improving the project.

The Mathematics of Slot Machines  (45 minutes)

Lucy Ligas and Tom Pandolfini, Johnson & Wales University

As the proliferation of casino gambling becomes more and more possible, especially in New England, consumers should be educated before they drop a coin or pull a handle.  This presentation will define basic slot machine terminology, demonstrate a variety of slot types, and explain the mathematics behind 'one-armed bandits'.  Various myths and strategies of slot play will also be addressed.  We think you will find this to be an interesting application of empirical probability, combinatorics and expected value.

2:35 p.m.

Food Experiments for Math Class  (45 minutes)

David Cox, Southern New Hampshire University

This presentation will describe some classroom experiments involving food for use in Introductory Algebra, Statistics and Calculus.  Food items will include goldfish, M&M's and cake.

Intelligent Help at Every Step:  Surprisingly Simple Yet Distressingly Rare  (45 minutes)

John C. Miller, The City College of CUNY

Most instructional math software emphasizes presentations of new material, but most learning occurs while students solve problems.  Intelligent, step-by-step help is distressingly rare in current instructional materials.  The rush to create Internet-based courses is rapidly making the situation worse.  We will discuss the surprisingly simple, basic techniques for incorporating intelligent help into instructional software.  In our economic system, intelligent help will become more common only if many prospective adopters demand it for the good of their students.  The presenter's algebra course, which can be downloaded and used at no cost, may provide a model of the standard to which we should aspire.

A Successful Online Developmental Algebra Course  (45 minutes)

Pamela B. Cohen, Southern New Hampshire University

DE MAT 050: Fundamentals of Algebra is a totally asynchronous, eight-week distance education course that uses Blackboard as its course management system.  Professor Cohen will provide an overview of her developmental algebra course.  Learn what has worked and what hasn't.  Topics covered include:  course lectures, assignments, testing, motivating and managing class discussions, virtual office hours, and more.

The Berkshire Community College Math Experience:  'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'  (45 minutes)

Andrew S. Miller, Berkshire Community College

Open admissions has to be managed.  We as gatekeepers bear the brunt of complaints from other faculty as much as from students/parents/administrators/high school teachers.  Our math assessment and sizable (in terms of numbers) Math Lab distributes the students, in theory, to the place they belong.  Often it is lower than where they were.  The workings of the Math Lab will be discussed; the goals shared; observations on the success mentioned; sample incoming placement results shown; and, profiles of student demographics discussed.  Also, what is our college level math?  What are our concerns for core requirements?  In a phrase, the choir will understand, 'the good, the bad, and the ugly.'

Annual Meeting and Elections 

Exhibitors 2003

Sponsors:

Academic Systems (Friday refreshments)

Prentice Hall (Saturday refreshments)

Thomson-Brooks/Cole (Saturday breakfast)

Houghton Mifflin - Kendall Hung - Prentice Hall - Thomsen-Brooks/Cole (door prizes)

With thanks to:

Registration List