1. Celebrating a Century of Advancing Mathematics A Common Vision for Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences Programs in 2025 ASSM Conference April 10, 2016

2. Challenges facing our community Mathematics and statistics courses function as gateways to many majors are crucial for preparing scientifically literate citizens. Yet: Only ~50% of students earn a grade of A, B, or C in college algebra courses. Women are almost twice as likely as men to choose not to continue beyond Calc I, even when Calc II is required for their intended major.

3. Challenges facing our community Mathematics and statistics courses function as gateways to many majors are crucial for preparing scientifically literate citizens. Yet: In 2012: 19.9% of all bachelor's degrees were awarded to URM students (9.5% to Blacks, 9.8% to Hispanics). But only 11.6% of math bachelor's degrees were awarded to URM students (4.9% to Blacks, 6.4% to Hispanics). Failure rates under traditional lecture are 55% higher than for more active approaches to instruction

4. Impetus to change Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (PCAST, 2012) The Mathematical Sciences in 2025 (NRC, 2013) Both reports criticized the collective enterprise of teaching mathematics to undergraduates

5. Common Vision Project National Science Foundation funded the project in 2014 (NSF DUE-1446000). To develop a shared vision in the mathematical sciences community of the need to modernize undergraduate mathematics programs, especially the first two years. To catalyze grassroots efforts to address the collective challenges we face.

6. Common Vision Project “Program” comprises: Curricula (courses, topics, electives) Instructional methodologies Support structures Extra-curricular opportunities

7. Common Vision Project “Modernized” programs will reflect: The changing face of our discipline, especially with respect to inclusion of data science, modeling, and computation. The increasingly cross-disciplinary nature of STEM fields. The essential nature and breadth of mathematics as manifested in its extraordinary power to: Advance other fields. Find in other fields new problems worthy of mathematicians’ scrutiny.

8. Common Vision Project “Modernized” programs will: Provide a coherent, intriguing introduction to collegiate mathematics for all students. Only be possible via multidisciplinary teams of mathematical scientists, other STEM and non-STEM domain specialists, and employers.

9. Common Vision Project Representation from the five professional associations who focus on undergraduate mathematical sciences programs as an integral part of their mission American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) American Mathematical Society (AMS) American Statistical Association (ASA) Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)

10. Common Vision Project Leadership Team Karen Saxe, Principal Investigator, Macalester College Linda Braddy, co-PI, MAA John Bailer, ASA, Miami University Rob Farinelli, AMATYC, College of Southern Maryland Tara Holm, AMS, Cornell University Vilma Mesa, RUME community, University of Michigan Uri Treisman, TPSE, University of Texas at Austin and Charles A. Dana Center for Innovation in Math and Science Education Peter Turner, SIAM, Clarkson University

11. Common Vision Project Phase 1 of a 2-part initiative Introspective Internally coherent vision within our community Next phase proposed as outward-looking, focused on Grassroots efforts Dissemination and implementation of modernized curricula and delivery methods Widespread, large-scale

12. Common Vision Project We spent the first six months drafting a report of common themes found in existing curricular guides published by the five associations. Beyond Crossroads, AMATYC, 2006 (update of the 1995 publication Crossroads in Mathematics: Standards for Introductory College Mathematics Before Calculus) Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education College Report, ASA, 2012 Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in Statistical Science, ASA, 2014

13. Common Vision Project We spent the first six months drafting a report of common themes found in existing curricular guides published by the five associations. 2015 CUPM Guide to Majors in the Mathematical Sciences, MAA, 2015 (update of ​ Undergraduate Programs and Courses in the Mathematical Sciences: CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004) Partner Discipline Recommendations for Introductory College Mathematics and the Implications for College Algebra, MAA, 2012 Modeling across the Curriculum, SIAM, 2012 Undergraduate Programs in Applied Mathematics, SIAM, 2014

14. Common Vision Project May 2015 workshop ~50 participants from higher education institutions & advocacy organizations, and industries Provided feedback for refining report Drafted proposals for specific initiatives to improve curricula and instruction

15. Common Vision Accomplishments Published a final report http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/common- vision/common_vision_final.pdfhttp://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/common- vision/common_vision_final.pdf Synthesis of the common themes, based on our research and input from project participants and other leaders in our community Summary of four broad areas that need attention and action from our community Curricula Course structure Workforce preparation Faculty development

16. Common Vision Accomplishments Published a final report Foundation for future work Guide for funding agencies – best bets for targeted federal investments likely to have transformative impact Call to “collective action” A coordinated effort supported by major players from all existing sectors is more effective than an array of new initiatives and organizations. (Kania & Kramer, 2011, on “collective impact”) Improving teaching and learning requires well-coordinated efforts among faculty, administrators, employers, professional associations, and funding agencies.

17. Common Vision Accomplishments Published a final report We intentionally did not focus on Developmental/remedial courses K-12 education because we had limited time and financial resources. We reserved those for “Phase 2” efforts.

18. Common Vision Accomplishments Policy efforts White paper sent to John Holdren (OSTP, PCAST), members of Congress, chairs and ranking members of House and Senate committees on education. Calls to action in professional associations’ publications. Science policy panel with Rush Holt (Congress, AAAS) and Jim Gates (PCAST) at 2016 Joint Mathematics Meetings. Endorsement from the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences. See www.maa.org/common-visionwww.maa.org/common-vision

19. Common Vision Report Common Themes in Curricular Guides The status quo is unacceptable More statistics, modeling, simulation, and computation Less traditional lecturing & more ‘active learning’ techniques Multiple pathways: Through general education mathematics and statistics requirements Into and through majors in the mathematical sciences Increasing role of two-year colleges

20. Common Vision Report Common Themes in Curricular Guides Attention to student transitions & transfer between institutions Technology to enhance student learning Curricula development efforts with partner disciplines Emphasis on developing students’ communication skills Faculty reward systems (e.g., tenure and promotion criteria) are outdated Sustainability of initiatives

21. Common Vision Report Other Important Themes Themes present in some, but not all, guides Themes that warrant considerable attention Student diversity Our inability to attract and retain a diverse student population in the mathematical sciences is a dreadful shortcoming that must be remedied 1998: Stiff & Harvey called the mathematics classroom one of the most segregated places in the U.S. Today: Upper-level mathematics classes remain predominantly white Today: The performance gap in mathematics is evident as early as 4 th grade It is our responsibility to remove barriers, we should not presuppose minorities and women are less capable or less prepared

22. Common Vision Report Other Important Themes Student mobility Almost half of all students in four-year institutions have credit on their transcripts from two-year institutions Most prevalent among low-income students We have a shared responsibility across all levels of education, P-20 Contingent faculty Any non-tenure-track position (full-time, part-time, short-term, long-term) More and more and more and more and more…..76% of appointments in higher ed Up to 2/3 part-timers in two-year institutions Need professional development and support Graduate teaching assistants Some of the same issues as with contingent faculty

23. Common Vision Report Other Important Themes Future teachers The specialized knowledge needed for teaching is distinct from the knowledge needed for other math-intensive professions (different, not less) 2001 CBMS MET report 2012 CBMS MET II report Failure rates The high rate of failure in post-secondary math classes is an embarrassment to our profession Math courses are the most significant barrier to degree completion in all fields

24. Common Vision Report Other Important Themes Developmental courses 60% of entering community college students Most students (70% at CC’s) deemed unready for a credit-bearing math course will never graduate Calculus Technology enabled delivery methods Assessment Scaling (broader issue related to sustainability)

25. Common Vision Report Recommendations for the Community at Large Update curricula Scale up the use of evidence-based pedagogical methods Articulate clear pathways between curricula driven by changes at the K-12 level and the first courses students take in college Find ways to remove barriers facing students at critical transition points (e.g., placement, transfer) Establish stronger connections with other disciplines

26. Common Vision Report Recommendations for Specific Stakeholders Institutions should provide instructors with training, resources, and rewards for their efforts to adapt curricula, develop new courses, and incorporate pedagogical tools and technology to enhance student learning. Departments should update curricula, establish multiple pathways into and through majors, and move toward environments that incorporate multiple pedagogical approaches throughout a program.

27. Common Vision Report Recommendations for Specific Stakeholders Instructors should present key ideas and concepts from a variety of perspectives, employ a broad range of examples and applications to motivate and illustrate the material, promote awareness of connections to other subjects, and introduce contemporary topics and applications. Students should learn to communicate complex ideas in ways understandable to collaborators, clients, employers and other audiences.

28. Common Vision Report Call to Action To ensure students graduate with skill sets to match expectations of prospective employers, our community must modernize curricula with input from representatives in partner disciplines, business, industry, and government. This work should aim to narrow the gap between mathematics as practiced in the academy and other employment sectors and mathematics as experienced in higher education's instructional programs. While intellectual domains fragment and coalesce over time, a central task for mathematics faculty at institutions of higher education, and more broadly, the mathematical sciences community as a whole, is to create a coherent, intriguing introduction to collegiate mathematics for all students.

29. Common Vision Report Call to Action Common Vision built on the work of the INGenIOuS project, and we also reiterated a call to action from their report (Zorn, et al, 2014): We acknowledge that changing established practices can be difficult and painful. Changing cultures of departments, institutions, and organizations can be even harder. But there is reason for optimism. In mathematical sciences research we are always willing, even eager, to replace mediocre or “somewhat successful” strategies with better ones. In that open-minded spirit we invite the mathematical sciences community to view this call to action as a promising opportunity to live up to our professional responsibilities by improving workforce preparation (p. 25).

30. Moving Forward - Build, Collaborate Common Vision leaders and participants worked together to identify common themes in existing curricular guides that have been endorsed by these associations and to propose a path forward for continued collaboration. We believe it is critical to maintain the collective connection and dialogue among the associations established during this initial phase of Common Vision. We do not view the distinct efforts of various associations as competing efforts, but instead as the basis and strong foundation for collective action that is informed by a variety of perspectives.

31. Moving Forward - Build, Collaborate A primary point emphasized by all the guides is that the status quo is unacceptable. Change is unquestionably coming to lower- division undergraduate mathematics, and it is incumbent on the mathematical sciences community to ensure it is at the center of these changes, not on the periphery. We hope other individuals and groups will come alongside us in this effort, capitalize on the momentum we have built and goodwill we have established, and move this effort forward into a second phase focused on implementation initiatives.

32. Building, Collaborating – Recent Efforts MAA has begun work on an Instructional Practices Guide which will be the first of its kind; involves all five Common Vision associations, builds on that effort (Diane Briars, NCTM, is on advisory board). AMATYC has begun its latest update of its curricula recommendations with the Common Vision report as its foundation (I am on the writing team). TPSE Math is focusing on policy efforts and efforts to engage mathematics department chairs and other administrators and is using the Common Vision report as a guide (Brit Kirwan, TPSE senior advisor and chair-elect of CBMS, wrote foreword for the CV report; lots of overlap with Common Vision leadership).

33. Building, Collaborating – Recent Efforts NCTM is working to build out from Common Vision into the K-12 sector. MAA submitted “StatPREP” grant proposal to NSF in January $2 million, 5 years Aims to revolutionize the way we teach statistics PD for faculty at all types of institutions, but focuses on community colleges MAA submitted “PMET II” grant proposal to NSF in January $3 million, 5 years Aims to assist faculty who prepare secondary mathematics teachers Focus on Common Core ideals

34. Building, Collaborating – Principles Two profound principles will help ensure our forward progress and success (and are reflected in these recent efforts): We must stop reinventing the wheel. We especially must stop reinventing the flat tire.

35. Thank you! Linda Braddy linda.braddy@tccd.edu

36. References Kania, J. & Kramer, M. (2011). Collective Impact, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2011. (Available at http://ssir.org/articles/entry/collective_impact) http://ssir.org/articles/entry/collective_impact National Research Council. (2013). The Mathematical Sciences in 2025. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. (Available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/15269/the-mathematical-sciences-in-2025) http://www.nap.edu/catalog/15269/the-mathematical-sciences-in-2025 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. (2012). Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, DC: White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-engage-to- excel-final_feb.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-engage-to- excel-final_feb.pdf

37. References Saxe, K. & Braddy, L. (2015). A Common Vision for Undergraduate Mathematical Sciences Programs in 2025. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America. (Available at http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/CommonVisionFinal.pdf) http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/CommonVisionFinal.pdf Stiff, L. V., & Harvey, W. B. (1988). On the education of black children in mathematics. Journal of Black Studies, 19(2), 190–203. Zorn, P., Bailer, J., Braddy, L., Carpenter, J., Jaco, W., & Turner, P. (2014). The INGenIOuS Project: Mathematics, Statistics, and Preparing the 21st Century Workforce. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America. (Available at http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/ingenious/INGenIOuS-report.pdf)http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/ingenious/INGenIOuS-report.pdf