The article discusses the integration of cartoons into a finite mathematics college course. However, cartoon integration is appropriate for any educational level STEM course. Students and the author used an online comic strip creator, MakeBeliefsComix.com, to create cartoons that connected concepts to the real world and history. Following Cho,…

The purpose of this study was to explore first-generation, low-income, students' of color experiences with math placement and pre-calculus/calculus courses, focusing on their self-belief in being successful in math. As part of the Progress Through Calculus National Science Foundation research project, eight first-generation, low-income, students…

How a student conceives the nature of a subject they study affects the approach they take to that study and ultimately their learning outcome. This conception is shaped by prior experience with the subject and has a lasting impact on the student's learning. For subsequent education to be effective, an instructor must link the current topic to the…

In this research we discuss relating the description of certain harmonic phenomena, with models that represent them, with the goal of promoting the understanding of the period, the frequency, and the amplitude of the trigonometric functions, particularly referring to sinusoidal functions; in this way the frontier between sinusoidal functions and…

This article examines the use of the computer algebra system SAGE for undergraduate student research projects. After reading this article, the reader should understand the benefits of using SAGE as a source of research projects and how to commence working with SAGE. The author proposes a tiered working group model to allow maximum benefit to the…

This mixed qualitative and quantitative methods study addressed the effect of technology on college algebra and survey of calculus students' understanding. This research study was conducted in fall 2016 on eight college algebra classes with a total of 315 students, and in summer 2017, on two survey of calculus classes with a total of 40 students…

A positive rational is a weird fraction if its value is unchanged by an illegitimate, digit-based reduction. In this article, we prove that each weird fraction is uniquely weird and initiate a discussion of the prevalence of weird fractions.

Learning to compute integrals via the various techniques of integration (e.g., integration by parts, partial fractions, etc.) is difficult for many students. Here, we look at how students in a college level Calculus II course develop the ability to categorize integrals and the difficulties they encounter using a card sort-resort activity. Analysis…

The article illustrates our long term experience in teaching statistics for non-statisticians, especially for students of economics and humanities. The article is focused on some problems of the basic course that can weaken the interest in statistics or lead to false use of statistic methods.

Patterns are a ubiquitous phenomenon. They exist in nature's plant species emerging as a complete order from truncated matter. Patterns are also present in the fine arts where the aesthetic properties of form exist and conjugate through paintings and sculptures. Mathematical patterns, the focus of this position paper, dominate financial scenarios,…

This paper explores students' ways of thinking about the average rate of change of a multivariable function and how they generalize those ways of thinking from rate of change of single-variable functions. I found that while students thought about the average rate of change of a multivariable function as the change in the independent quantity with…

The notation for vector analysis has a contentious nineteenth century history, with many different notations describing the same or similar concepts competing for use. While the twentieth century has seen a great deal of unification in vector analysis notation, variation still remains. In this paper, the two primary notations used for expressing…

In this paper, we report on developments in the Mastery Learning (ML) curriculum and assessment model that has been successfully implemented in a metropolitan university for teaching first-year mathematics. Initial responses to ML were positive; however, we ask whether the nature of the ML tests encourages a focus on shallow learning of…

Mathematics is not only a subject but it is also a language consisting of many different symbols and relations. Taught as a compulsory subject up the 10th class, students are then able to choose whether or not to study mathematics as a main subject. The present paper discusses mathematical modeling in mathematics education. The article provides…

The article analyses the test results evaluating the knowledge of students of basic mathematics courses at the University of Economics in Prague and at the University of Finance and Administration in Prague. The relationships between the study of the theory, the ability to formulate definitions and to solve exercises are analysed based on the…