This research study examined inclusive teaching practices, class policies, and course structures in active learning Calculus classes. Analyzing interview data, along with focus group discussions and classroom observations, obtained from 23 students and 4 instructors, themes were extracted through open-coding methodology, employing scholarly…

In the United States, students often graduate from high school unprepared to succeed in college. In Alabama, fewer than 25% of high school graduates are college ready. Frequently, unprepared students enroll in community colleges, which are tasked to help them transfer to a four-year institution or to enter the workforce. However, students who need…

Research results from this study reveal students have difficulties understanding and using of the concepts of average rate of change and the derivative function. Students in this study held multiple approach to understand the concepts that made it difficult to develop a strong understanding of the average rate of change and derivative function. In…

While many community college (CC) students come to higher education with specific career or life goals, these aspirations may be forced to change if students are not able to get past the gatekeeper of remedial mathematics coursework. Racially minoritized students are disproportionately tracked into non-credit-bearing remedial (NCBR) mathematics…

The typical collegiate introductory statistics course poses significant challenges for students. Many do not fully comprehend key course skills, and it is common for students to exit the class with a neutral or negative attitude toward statistics. To measure the impact of using relevant contextual examples as an instructional strategy during a…

It is widely assumed within developmental psychology that spontaneously-arising conceptualizations of natural number--those that develop without explicit mathematics instruction--match the formal characterization of natural number given in the Dedekind-Peano Axioms (e.g., Carey, 2004; Leslie et al., 2008; Rips et al., 2008). Specifically,…

Although Assembly Bill 705 has done much to increase completion of transfer level math in the California Community College system, historically marginalized students including the Latina/o/x student population continue to experience equity gaps in transfer-level math completion. This qualitative case study investigated the experiences of…

College algebra is regarded as a gatekeeper course for attaining degrees, higher paying jobs, and overall individual empowerment. Educational stakeholders have reconsidered alternative instructional approaches such as computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to curb high failure rates and increase retention rates among college algebra students. One…

Over the last several centuries, mathematicians have developed sophisticated symbol systems to represent ideas often imperceptible to their five senses. Although conventional definitions exist for these notations, individuals attribute their personalized meanings to these symbols during their mathematical activities. In some instances, students…

The typical collegiate introductory statistics course poses significant challenges for students. Many do not fully comprehend key course skills, and it is common for students to exit the class with a neutral or negative attitude toward statistics. To measure the impact of using relevant contextual examples as an instructional strategy during a…

The typical collegiate introductory statistics course poses significant challenges for students. Many do not fully comprehend key course skills, and it is common for students to exit the class with a neutral or negative attitude toward statistics. To measure the impact of using relevant contextual examples as an instructional strategy during a…

Statistics & data science are growing, rapidly evolving, and increasingly important for an informed citizenry in a data-saturated world. In this dissertation, I address two central questions: (1) who is taking statistics? and (2) what are statistics courses teaching? I estimate that 920,000 US students take statistics in high school each year,…

The difficulties college-level math instructors encountered switching from a traditional to an online classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic were the main topic of this study. The study's main goal was to learn more about the various strategies and tools the teachers employed to overcome the obstacles. Using a qualitative methodology, the…

The purpose of this dissertation is to study the consistency of the structures and the centrality of mathematics courses in the curricula of the universities in the Minnesota State University system. This research will be based on the curriculum prerequisite networks for the seven universities in the Minnesota State System. These networks will be…

Preparing graduates for employment is the goal of postsecondary education. In response to the national quantitative reasoning deficiency, institutions have joined nationwide to align college math content and learning outcomes to meet the needs of common careers and everyday life. The problem addressed in this study is that traditional college math…