The purpose of this ITEMS module is to provide an introduction to Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation for item response models. A brief description of Bayesian inference is followed by an overview of the various facets of MCMC algorithms, including discussion of prior specification, sampling procedures, and methods for evaluating chain…

The fundamental goal of any STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) course must be to involve students in the acquisition and mastery of the knowledge, skills, and perspectives of a technical discipline. This chapter describes an instructional model for infusing social and cultural learning into a technical course. This model…

The research literature regarding African American male college students reports that they often experience difficulties with mathematics (Stage & Kloosterman, 1995; Treisman, 1992). It is also reported that many African American students enter college seeking to complete their degrees in mathematics and science, but few of these students…

This correlation study examines the relationship between participation in online embedded professional development communities and student achievement gains in a College Algebra course taught by high school teachers to high school students for college credit. The participating teachers met weekly through a web-based meeting format using…

The transition from school to tertiary study of mathematics comes under increasing scrutiny in research. This article reports on some findings from a project analysing the transition from secondary to tertiary education in mathematics. One key variable in this transition is the teacher or lecturer. This article deals with a small part of the data…

The culture of the young may, in fact, be a harbinger enticing us to follow a pathway from which will emerge the re-conceptualized educational practices of this new century. The culture of those older will, no doubt, strive to maintain the more golden aspects of their now historical learning experiences. One of the tasks of all educators, but…

Speech technology--especially automatic speech recognition--has now advanced to a level where it can be of great benefit both to able-bodied people and those with various disabilities. In this paper we describe an application "TalkMaths" which, using the output from a commonly-used conventional automatic speech recognition system,…

This paper was prepared in response to the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences recommendations for the preparation of secondary teachers. It shows how using trigonometry as a conceptual tool in spreadsheet-based applications enables one to develop mathematical understanding in the context of constructing geometric representations of unit…

The advancement of computer technology used for research is creating the need to change the way classes are taught in higher education. "Bringing Research Tools into the Classroom" has become a major focus of the work of the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology (OEIT) for the Dean of Undergraduate Education (DUE) at the…

This article gives an overview of the state of mathematics education in Argentina across all levels, in the regional and world contexts. Statistics are drawn from Mercosur and UNESCO data bases, World Education Indicators and various national time-series government reports. Mathematics results in national testing programmes, Programme for…

External performance assessments for teachers of mathematics have traditionally been accomplished through reviews of student comments as well as through formal evaluations by superiors. Additionally, evaluating lecture-based teaching (as opposed to more active learning environments) focuses primarily on classroom performance, curriculum planning,…

The present study aims to explore the use of assessment in mathematics content courses for future elementary school teachers. Analysis of self assessment data on mathematical understanding and peer assessment data on oral mathematical presentation showed that pre-service teachers had a balanced understanding of procedural knowledge and problem…

A Graeco-Latin square of order "n" is an "n[superscript x]n" array whose entries are the "n"[superscript 2] ordered pairs of numbers from 1 to "n", and in each row and each column the first elements of the ordered pairs are all different, as are the second elements. This article traces the history of the results that came out of work on a false…

This article introduces some data regarding the teaching of mathematics in "La Sapienza" in the 17th century, with particular reference to the discipline's role in the statutes, the lecturers, the courses' programmes, the interest that Popes took in it. Specifically, it will focus on the changes that occured at the end of the 17th…

Students' understanding of functions is a topic that has been researched extensively. In this qualitative study, five university students of varying mathematical backgrounds were interviewed to reveal strategies and misconceptions as they struggled with graphical and analytical tasks relating to sum functions. Weaker students are seen to rely…