When this author first began to take classes in theater and comedy improvisation, his motives were largely creative and social, though there was some supposition that his mathematics teaching (at a community college) could benefit as well. Students are known to tout their favorite teachers as "funny." Taking improv classes would presumably loosen…

Students' experience in using formulas for volumes is often limited to substituting numbers into given formulas. An activity presented in this article may help students make connections between the formulas for volumes of prisms and volumes of pyramids. In addition, some interesting facts from number theory arise, demonstrating strong connections…

As noted in "Beyond Crossroads" (AMATYC, 2006), for today's students, learning mathematics is participatory and depends on the active involvement of students (p. 53). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics shares the point of view that the teaching and learning of mathematics should include giving students ample opportunity to think…

A couple of years ago, I gave a presentation to a group of secondary-school girls who were attending a workshop at a community college. The workshop's purpose was to encourage the girls to keep taking mathematics courses while in high school and beyond, in order to increase their future opportunities. The presentation was titled, "Where Can I Find…

This multiple case study explores factors that shaped the curricular reasoning of mathematics faculty engaged in college algebra reform in community colleges. Overall, the study found that although proposed reform of college algebra is broad in scope and influenced by the student audience, competing influences emerge that can enable or constrain…

The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) recently adopted a five-year strategic plan, "Opening Doors through Mathematics" (www.amatyc.org/documents/strategicplans.htm) that describes five priorities. The second of these priorities highlights the need for research on student learning. In this article, the authors propose…

Technology permeates our daily lives; education has not been untouched. Liaw (2002) points out that "teachers, trainers, and instructional designers of computer-based or Web-based instruction would benefit by being more attentive to learners' perceptions toward Web-based environments." Reviewing the earlier research into student perceptions toward…

Based on the results of a prior case-study analysis of mathematics placement at one university, the mathematics department developed and piloted a mathematics placement test. This article describes the implementation process for a mathematics placement test and further analyzes the test results for the pilot group. As an unexpected result, the…

A mixed-method study was conducted during the Fall 2008 semester to better understand the experiences of students participating in computer-aided instruction of College Algebra using the software MyMathLab. The learning environment included a computer learning system for the majority of the instruction, a support system via focus groups (weekly…

We will first recall useful formulas in integration that simplify the calculation of certain definite integrals with the quadratic function. A main formula relies only on the coefficients of the function. We will then explore a geometric proof of one of these formulas. Finally, we will extend the formulas to more general cases. (Contains 3…

The purpose of this study was to determine if course format significantly impacted student learning and course completion rates in an introductory statistics course taught at Harford Community College. In addition to the traditional lecture format, the College offers an online, and a hybrid (blend of traditional and online) version of this class.…

Two-year colleges have an important role in the educational and economic advancement of the United States, particularly during the current economic crisis. They offer access to higher education for economically and/or educationally impoverished students, as well as for those who have simply returned for further study. Two-year colleges provide…

While "thinking outside the box" can be an over-used phase at times, in the world of grants it can provide the genesis of ideas. The "box" is the world of academia accepted by most educators, while "thinking outside" is the process that leads to grant ideas. In the grant world, "thinking outside the box" is a process of doing something that has…

The purpose of this article is to share the stories of an Introductory Statistics service-learning project in which students from both New Jersey and Michigan design and conduct phone surveys that lead to publication in local newspapers; to discuss the pedagogical benefits and challenges of the project; and to provide information for those who…

A portion of all students in introductory or developmental undergraduate mathematics courses find themselves at an unfortunate tipping point: the border between passing and failing. These high-stakes courses often come with high enrollments, and a recurring problem: high failure rates. The measure of success used at the author's institution, the…