The 2022 IMACC Conference was held virtually on Friday, 4/1/2022 and Friday, 4/8/2022. Links to the recordings and some materials are below, with the full conference schedule following.
Friday, April 1
1-1:50pm Keynote Speaker: Dr. Francis Su, Harvey Mudd College
Building Mathematical Virtues, Not Just Skills
Math is often thought of as a set of skills to master. While important, what often gets lost in the drive to master skills are the parts of math that make math enjoyable, that build virtues that will serve students no matter what profession they enter. When an employer hires a math major, it’s usually not because they want someone who can compute speedily or factor a polynomial expression. What they want are people with certain virtues: curiosity, persistence, imagination, an ability to change perspectives, a competence to solve problems they’ve never seen before. We’ll discuss ways to encourage the development of mathematical virtues, and how to assess them. Broadening the purposes of math in this way—towards human flourishing—allows more equitable opportunities to excite a larger number of students.
2-3pm: ICCB update, Marcus Brown
3-4pm: Concurrent sessions
#1 Student Perceptions of Topics in Calculus I (MI, R)
Peter Keep, Moraine Valley Community College & Alexis Langellier, student at Trinity Christian College
Students in Calculus I struggle through three main topics: limits, derivatives, and integrals. In this session, we summarize some research into how students perceive these three pillars of Calculus I, and how they might conceptualize them similarly or differently.
#2 Redesigning developmental math for HB2170: tips from 10 IL colleges (CR)
Kathleen Almy, Rock Valley College/Almy Education
Ten Illinois colleges in the ASPIRE (accelerating student progress and increasing racial equity) project have been working on redesigning their math sequences to meet the new DERA Act in HB2170. This session will share common issues the colleges have seen as well as tips for dealing with them.
#3 Active Learning in Calculus (MI)
Robert Cappetta, Florida SouthWestern State College
This presentation will examine various active learning approaches and how they can be used in calculus classes. It will include a collection of problems that can be used in an active learning environment.
#4 A Tale of Two Students (G, GE, IS, IT)
Cindy Johnson, Heartland Community College
I first addressed the topic of teaching math to blind students at IMACC spring of 2019, a year prior to my sabbatical researching the topic. I have now had the experience of a second blind student in class. I will relate the resources and research I found and my experiences as well as practical lessons of what has and has not worked.
#5 Contracting for Calculus: Incorporating Technology Projects into Transfer Level Math Courses, Part II (IS, IT,MI)
John Armon, Illinois Central College
This session will be a continuation of the spring 2021 session that focused on how projects were developed and implemented in transfer-level courses, with the goal of emphasizing the use of technology as an integral part of the problem-solving process. There will be more examples shown from different transfer-level classes such as General Education Statistics, College Algebra, Finite Math, and Calculus, more examples of student work and how it is assessed, a time for discussion, and an opportunity for past participants to share their own experiences.
#6 PUBLISHER SESSION 3-3:30PM:
Join Becky Moening of Wiley for a discussion around Knewton Alta, a mastery-based adaptive platform. Alta provides students detailed answer explanations, just-in-time instruction, and remediation to prerequisite skills. During our time together, you will learn how to develop and design a Knewton Alta course aligned to course learning outcomes; see a personalized learning path through an adaptive, mastery-based learning model; and gain strategies to identify at risk students for early intervention with Alta dashboard analytics.
#7 PUBLISHER SESSION 4-5PM:
Carmen Mercer, Educational Courseware Representative – Hawkes Learning
With an increasing mix of online, hybrid & in-person course offerings, students are learning differently than ever before. As a result, they require a unique set of resources that not only meet their general course needs but also give them the necessary support to thrive in the array of new learning environments that they may encounter.
Join us as we break down the nine elements that instructors can implement to help meet students’ needs in modern classroom setups. We will explore how factors such as equity, scalability and engagement play a role in supporting students as they learn, ensuring positive outcomes in any course structure. Learn new ways to connect with your students, facilitate active participation, prioritize accessibility, and more. Attend and be entered to win one of three $25 Amazon Gift Cards!
Friday, April 8
1-1:50pm Keynote Speaker: Prof. Howie Hua, Fresno State
Honoring Student Thinking
When I was growing up, I thought good teaching meant “explaining concepts well.” Throughout my educational journey, I found that good teaching is much more than that. Students have brilliant mathematical ideas. How do we create an environment where we honor student thinking to help show that math belongs to everyone? This session will go over ways of showing everyone is a math person.
2-3pm: IMACC membership meeting
3-4pm: Concurrent sessions
#1 DATA Science: Research, Implementation and Partnership (CR, ST, TP)
Heidi Lyne, Patrick Stevens, & James Morgan; Joliet Junior College
If you are considering the field of Data Science at your college, but not sure where to begin, learn from our adventure! The session will focus on sharing tips, materials, curriculum, and some do’s and don’ts for development at your own college.
#2 Big impact of a small bold change – Gen Ed math as a gateway to degrees and to College Algebra (gasp!) (CR, D, GE)
Donna Carlson, Natalia Casper, Laura Hobart, and Shyam Kurup, College of Lake County
This session will cover the unique project the College of Lake County implemented that is having a big impact on the number of students taking college level math in their first year. How did we do it? It involves a pathway from Gen Ed math to a 5 credit-hour College Algebra course with embedded review.
#3 Birds of A Feather: Panel Discussion on Teaching the Calculus Sequence Online (MI)
Omar Adawi, Parkland College & Sunil Koswatta, William Rainey Harper College
The session will offer the opportunity to discuss teaching the calculus sequence online at various community colleges in Illinois.
#4 Thinking With Algebra (CR, D, R)
Natalie McGathey, Prairie State College & Dave Feikes, Purdue University Northwest
TWA is a curriculum development project funded by the NSF to prepare students conceptually and procedurally for college algebra. The materials can be used in a one-semester developmental algebra course and/or in the context of a co-requisite to a college algebra course. In this presentation, we introduce the six features of structure sense, which form a basis for the project, present examples from the curriculum, and provide opportunities for faculty to participate in a workshop this summer to use the materials.
#5 Developmental Education Reform Roundtable Discussion (D)
Ellen Field, Waubonsee Community College, and Michael Caparula, Kankakee Community College
Lend your voice as we share how recent state legislation HB2170 is influencing Dev Ed reform at community colleges throughout the state. This is a continuation from our IMACC Fall Webinar Series.
#6 PUBLISHER SESSION 3:30-4PM Incorporating the Sign Test into Introductory Statistics
George Woodbury, Pearson
The Sign Test is a nonparametric test that can easily be incorporated into your Introductory Statistics course. It can be used to develop inferential intuition once you have covered the median or after introducing binomial probabilities. It is especially useful as an alternative to the one-mean test when the necessary conditions fail. George will explain how the test works, work through examples, and show how to incorporate it into your class.
Key for Program Code:
CR Curriculum Redesign (Restructuring content or delivery of a course or sequence of courses
D Developmental Mathematics
DI Department/Division Issues (adjunct faculty, Mentoring new faculty, Math labs, Interdisciplinary classes or projects, Tutoring, Administrative issues)
DL Distance Learning (Hybrid or Online Classes)
G General Interest
GC Global and Cultural Education (awareness of mathematics in other cultures, and appreciation of our role as educators with global citizenship)
GE Mathematics for General Education (Finite Mathematics, Liberal Arts, Quantitative Literacy)
H History of Mathematics
IS Instructional Strategies (Learning styles, Teaching methodologies, Addressing math anxiety and study skills)
IT Instructional Technology (Computer software, internet resources, graphing calculators, etc)
MI Mathematics Intensive (College Algebra, Precalculus, and Beyond)
PA Placement and Assessment (Classroom, course, and program)
R Research (Includes research results or based on research)
ST Statistics
TP Teacher Preparation (Preparing to teach mathematic at any level)