By Katie Haymaker, Co-editor of DUE Point

Mathematics educators regularly grapple with practical questions about how to approach the teaching and learning of mathematics. Many instructors make use of existing research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), but it can be challenging to create and implement a new SoTL research agenda. The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) is a sponsor of Project SLOPE (Scholarly Leaders Originating as Practicing Educators in Two-Year College Mathematics), an ongoing project to support math educators at two-year colleges as they develop SoTL research projects. In the following discussion, Project SLOPE principal investigator Megan Breit-Goodwin, Anoka-Ramsey Community College describes the program.

Briefly explain the goals of Project SLOPE.

Our goal is to create a network of two-year college (2YC) mathematics faculty engaged in SoTL. The AMATYC Project SLOPE Research Fellows Program is a pilot program in which six fellows will conduct a SoTL project with the support of a community of peers and mentors within AMATYC. We are also conducting research on the program itself. Our current work will provide us with a basis to grow new professional development programs for 2YC math faculty with a focus on inquiry as a way to advance teaching and learning within the first two years of college mathematics.

What factors might make it challenging for two-year college faculty to become involved in SoTL research, and how does Project SLOPE help to address these factors? 

We found it is important to consider the needs of 2YC faculty as educators, since this is their primary professional role. When 2YC faculty recognize SoTL is aligned with this role, they more readily identify and engage in this type of work. When classroom research interferes with fulfilling this role, they are less likely to engage. Also, if SoTL isn’t valued by a college as part of the work of educators, there may not be support of the work. We believe the status conferred by being selected as a SLOPE Fellow within AMATYC addresses the need for recognition for SoTL. We are pleased to see the way our Fellows’ colleges committed to and recognized their SoTL efforts through Project SLOPE.

What developments of Project SLOPE are you excited about?

We are enjoying the development of the Fellows’ SoTL projects. They are asking questions that address multiple aspects of teaching and learning such as equity in, access to, and ownership of mathematics. It is exciting to see connections among projects that focus on different spaces within the curriculum in the first two years of college mathematics including developmental mathematics, college algebra, calculus and differential equations. 

Project SLOPE is a collaboration between the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), and the principal investigators’ institutions, with support from the NSF. What types of institutional support help make this project possible?

AMATYC’s vision is to be the leading voice and resource for excellence in mathematics education in the first two years of college. Currently, the Project SLOPE grant funds our fellows’ travel to a summer SoTL workshop and an AMATYC Conference, as well as a stipend for their work. The fellows’ colleges provide travel support for the sharing of findings from their SoTL inquiry. We want to build a sustainable model within AMATYC for providing future SLOPE Fellows with similar support in partnership with their home institutions.

AMATYC partners with my institution, Anoka-Ramsey Community College through instructional release time and travel associated with the work of the Project SLOPE. Project SLOPE has leveraged opportunities for development within my own institution including learning from Anoka-Ramsey Community College’s Scholars Program, and engaging in professional development opportunities related to SoTL and Faculty Learning.

AMATYC also partners with the Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning at Oregon State University and the College of Arts, Science & Education at Florida International University. Ann Sitomer from OSU and Kathy Quardokus-Fisher from FIU bring an organizational change lens to evaluating and researching postsecondary educational change initiatives. 

The partnerships involved in Project SLOPE are definitely a strength of the project, and the shared learning across our institutions is a wonderful outcome of our efforts.

Broadly speaking, how can the MAA support and engage mathematics faculty at two-year colleges?

The advancement of excellence in teaching and learning is a core value of the MAA and AMATYC and we have some existing partnerships. Although the academic programs, contexts and experiences may be different across our institutions, we both teach the first two years of college mathematics. We hold common goals of creating inclusive, supportive and effective educational environments and experiences for our students that promote their mathematical success and advance their academic and career aspirations.

The Common Vision set forth an important charge for the MAA, AMATYC, ASA, SIAM and AMS to work together to advance our practices, learning together and strengthening our partnerships to facilitate student success. The Common Vision project helped to identify the ways current practices can be improved to better support and advance student success in the first two years of college mathematics including developmental mathematics, mathematics for liberal arts, introductory statistics, quantitative reasoning, career and technical mathematics, and mathematics courses leading to advanced STEM fields of study. The Common Vision team found that the status quo of curricula, pathways, teaching and multi-disciplinary integration in the first two years of college mathematics is unacceptable - creating inequitable opportunities and barriers for our students. Therefore, change is needed! Growing efforts out of the intersection of teaching and learning is a great way to advance the collaborative engagement of 2YC and 4YC faculty in making these changes. 

Another example of a successful partnership is the intentional outreach the MAA-NCS did via AMATYC, and state affiliates MinnMATYC and NDMATYC to 2YC faculty in the planning of a summer seminar on IBL, co-sponsored with the Academy of Inquiry Based Learning. I see growing institutional partnerships locally within my state, particularly around NSF S-STEM programs that have a focus on facilitating successful transfer of students from 2Year to 4Year programs – I would like to see the MAA and AMATYC partner in direct ways that create spaces for these types of relationships among our faculty and institutions.

Learn more about NSF-IUSE:EHR #1726891

Full Project Name: Scholarly Leaders Originating as Practicing Educators in Two-Year College Mathematics (Project SLOPE)

Project Support: AMATYC Project SLOPE is a collaboration between AMATYC, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Florida International University, and Portland State University. 

Abstract: https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1726891

Project Contact: Megan Breit-Goodwin megan.breit-goodwin@anokaramsey.edu (Principal Investigator)

*Responses in this blog were edited for length and clarity.

Katie Haymaker is a co-editor of DUE Point and an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Villanova, where her research interests include coding theory and mastery-based testing in undergraduate mathematics courses.