WEBSIGMAA: A Revitalization Effort
By Shanda Hood, Joe Fields, Bernd Sing, and Brian Walton
What values do MAA members hold in common? If we were to ask “what are our most important values?” the set of answers would likely be in one-to-one correspondence with the set of members. The intersection of our set of values, though, is hopefully a set of smaller cardinality. For instance, we all share a conviction that mathematically informed thinking is empowering for all of humanity, and for that reason we collectively aim to bring excellence to the teaching of mathematics. We value teaching math. We especially value teaching math well.
WEBSIGMAA was on its way to extinction when the committee on SIGMAAs put out a call for action. Were there any WEBSIGMAA members who would be willing to volunteer to try to bring it back from the brink? Those of us who answered that call, while certainly sharing the core belief that teaching math with excellence is important, also share a (perhaps) less widely-held conviction: the web is a critical component in achieving that goal of excellence in math instruction.
The web is, at this point, mature technology. So mature, in fact, that it may seem humdrum. University websites have become recruitment tools -- advertising aimed at high school seniors. Much of the internet seems to be one giant commercial. But, there are corners where people are doing simply amazing things! The PROSE consortium comes to mind - creating an ecosystem of tools for bringing OER (open educational resources) to our community. Online collaborative computing like CoCalc, project management like GitHub. GeoGebra, Desmos, MyOpenMath, WebWork. Does generative AI even bear mentioning? There is too much for anyone to keep track of! This is - in part - why we feel that the WEBSIGMAA is more important than ever. MAA members who take part in WEBSIGMAA can help keep one another abreast of the rapidly evolving landscape. Through sharing experiences, resources, and new developments we can help to ensure that everyone is updated with the latest trends and best practices. In this way, WEBSIGMAA hopes to improve mathematics education and enhance learning for our students.
We believe that as MAA members we have a moral imperative to educate ourselves and others about the latest technologies, the research on pedagogy, current thoughts on improving engagement, and a host of other elements of being the consummate educators that we all seek to be. We see WEBSIGMAA as a key to achieving that aim. We hope that you’ll join us!
As part of the revitalization effort, WEBSIGMAA is sponsoring a contributed paper session on using AI in mathematics instruction at the 2025 Joint Mathematics Meetings. The purpose of this session is to provide an opportunity for mathematicians and educators to share and learn about innovative ways in which AI can be used to enhance mathematics education. If you are interested in incorporating AI tools into your classroom, please consider joining us for that in January.
Finally, we are currently seeking nominations for two members of the WEBSIGMAA executive committee: The chair-elect and the secretary-treasurer. The chair-elect serves on the Executive Committee the year prior to becoming chair and then serves as chair for two years (and then as past-chair afterwards -- so this is a four year commitment overall). Please consider nominating yourself or someone else - the deadline is September 20th!
Shanda Hood is a Teaching Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She primarily teaches foundational mathematics courses and currently serves as the course coordinator for MATH 22003 Survey of Calculus.
D. Brian Walton is an applied mathematician and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at James Madison University. He enjoys wearing bowties and looks for opportunities to use amateur radio in outdoor settings such as state or national parks.
Joe Fields is a professor of Mathematics at Southern Connecticut State University. He is a former chair of the Northeastern section of the MAA.
Bernd Sing is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the University of the West Indies on the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. While an increasing number of mathematics clocks cover his office wall, (twisty) puzzles, origami and Zometool models compete for space with books in the rest of his office.