Nonlinear equations are usually solved numerically. However, approximated analytical solutions of nonlinear equations are useful as an initial iteration point for numerical methods. Furthermore, these analytical approximations are sometimes quite close to the actual root. In order to teach at undergraduate level how to perform this kind of…

In this paper, we invite the reader to think deeply about professional development opportunities for faculty. The focus of this professional development is to improve teaching and learning by including more inquiry in the mathematics classroom. Building on theories of teaching and learning, we develop the idea of "teaching procedures"…

Based on our work teaching undergraduate Calculus courses, we offer insight into teaching the chain rule to reduce cognitive load for students. A particularly difficult topic for students to grasp, problems likely arise due to student struggles with the concept of function and, particularly, function composition relative to when they first…

Mathematical definitions are central to learning and doing mathematics. Research has uncovered significant differences between how mathematicians and non-mathematicians construct, reason about, and refine mathematical definitions. Various strands of research provide insight into the development of definitional practices, yet an integrated approach…

In the mathematical community, two notions of "function" are used: the set-theoretic definition as a univalent set of ordered pairs, and the Bourbaki triple. These definitions entail different interpretations and answers to mathematical questions that even a secondary student might be prompted to answer. However, mathematicians and…

Most students practice abductive reasoning in solving mathematical problems that encourage creativity. This study analyses the process of making conjectures based on abductive reasoning. This study used a qualitative design and involved 106 undergraduate mathematics students enrolled in the mathematics course Introduction to Ring. We analyzed the…

This study sought to examine the impact of dynamic mathematics software, GeoGebra, on university mathematics students' understanding of polar coordinates. A quasi-experimental design with an equivalent group of 42 participants in each group was used. A simple random sampling approach was used to select the 84 participants from the population and a…

In this research, we investigated whether the use of GeoGebra Augmented Reality (AR) can foster students in conceptualising a mathematical object by manipulating its different semiotic representations. We designed and implemented, with thirty university mathematics students, a teaching sequence on paraboloids using GeoGebra AR supported by…

This article describes the authors' experiences developing and implementing an innovative curriculum connecting mathematics and the biological sciences. It describes the original plan, the modifications that were necessary, and some advice to readers who might want to develop comparable programs.

The authors describe their approach to teaching a course on finite fields and combinatorial applications, including block designs and error-correcting codes, using a hybrid of lectures and active learning. Under the discussed classroom model, there are two lecture days and two discovery-based discussion days each week. Discussions center around…

We offer an analysis of calculus assessment items that highlights ways to evaluate students' application of important meanings and support their engagement in generative ways of reasoning. Our central aim is to identify characteristics of items that require students to apply their understanding of key ideas. We coordinate this analysis of…

The manuscript describes a community-based mathematical modeling task that was implemented in a Calculus I classroom to engage students in mathematical modeling. Twenty-five undergraduate students engaged in this activity. These students selected a context that they found interesting, posed questions, developed constraints, came up with solution…

In recent decades, there has been rapid development in digital technologies for automated assessment. Through enhanced possibilities in terms of algorithms, grading codes, adaptivity, and feedback, they are suitable for formative assessment. There is a need to develop computer-aided assessment (CAA) tasks that target higher-order mathematical…

Many mathematics teachers and students are familiar with the typical "box problem." In this type of problem, one takes a rectangular (or a square) sheet of paper and cuts out four squares from the four corners of the sheet and then folds the four strips up to form a box. Math problems like this are seen in middle school, high school,…

Many educators and researchers advocate for student engagement in disciplinary activity. This is especially the case in advanced undergraduate courses taken by mathematics majors. In our respective design-based research projects, we found a need to better operationalize the activity of mathematicians in order to both plan for and document student…