These virtual workshops are available at no additional charge, but participants must pre-register using the link below. A schedule for the workshops will be provided as the conference date approaches.
More than Set Theory: An Intersectional Approach to Diversity in Mathematics, Catrina May (Georgia State University)
As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts become increasingly central to higher education initiatives across the country, it is crucial that members of academia from all disciplines gain a better understanding of inclusive practices in their research and teaching. In particular, many universities and fund-granting entities such as the NSF are focused on the recruitment and retention of underrepresented and marginalized students in STEM fields. This interactive workshop will introduce and define important terms and “buzzwords” present in conversations regarding DEI in higher education. Participants will write and receive feedback on DEI-centered grant application and diversity statement excerpts, and they will identify and discuss multiple concrete strategies for creating more inclusive mathematics classrooms and departments. Set theory, a topic familiar to mathematicians, will be used as a framework to explore the importance of intersectionality in DEI dialogue. Workshop discussions will be centered on issues facing women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other marginalized groups in mathematical spaces. These conversations will help our community of educators and researchers become more informed and genuine in our commitment to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive field where ALL mathematicians have the opportunity to succeed.
Demystifying Desmos Activities, Chris Raridan and Daniel Bizzell (Clayton State University)
Desmos is a free, online, computation and graphing utility that is very intuitive to use but also quite powerful. One aspect of Desmos that makes it such an appealing tool for the classroom is that we can use it to create activities that engage students in active learning and critical thinking exercises. If an instructor is teaching face-to-face, online synchronously, online asynchronously, or some combination of these modalities, the instructor can implement meaningful Desmos activities that will introduce students to some new topic or encourage students to “dig deeper” into a topic already discussed. And Desmos activities can be adapted for biology, chemistry, physics–you name it!
In this workshop, we will introduce participants to the wealth of Desmos activities that have already been created and we will discuss how we can copy and edit these existing activities. Then, we will guide participants through the creation of several styles of Desmos activities, including the student friendly card sort activities. We will also introduce the “computation layer documentation” (aka CL-code), an extremely simple scripting language that can be implemented to provide self-checking of the Desmos activities.
We guarantee that all participants will leave the workshop with at least one Desmos activity that they will be able to use in their spring 2021 classes. Start thinking of some topics now!
Virtual Courses Require Mastery-Based Solutions, Hawkes Learning
In today’s virtual landscape, how do we ensure that students are truly grasping course content? A competency-based approach to learning is a clear solution that sets goals for students and gives them the flexibility and resources to achieve them. Discover how Hawkes’ mastery-based, 3-step approach fosters genuine competency by removing learning aids, adapting to individual proficiencies, providing corrective remediation, and compiling reports that allow instructors to intervene before students fall behind. (Attendees will have a chance to win one of three $25 Amazon gift cards!)
Incorporating Modeling in Your Differential Equations Course, Audrey Malagon (Virginia Wesleyan University), Jeff Denny (Mercer University)
This workshop will showcase how to incorporate modeling-based approaches in an undergraduate ordinary differential equations course. Attendees will participate in hands-on, active small group work to experience using modeling to teach differential equations. We will demonstrate ways to include modeling and share experiences in designing and using modeling-focused classroom materials, helping participants gain confidence in incorporating modeling effectively in the classroom. We’ll share resources from the Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations & Opportunities in Differential Equations (SIMIODE) website and give participants an opportunity to customize materials for use in their own courses. Participants will also have access to post-workshop support through the SIMIODE online community if they choose.