STLF Report to CWSEI and Mathematics Department
STLF: Warren Code
Period: 1/3/10 – 15/3/10
Submitted: 15/3/10
Specific activities performed by STLF
1) Professional development
 Attended weekly STLF meetings (Mar 4, 11).
 Meta-STLF meeting (Mar 4).
 Attended weekly Reading Group meetings (Mar 1, 8).
 Attended Graduate Certificate Program in Teaching session, topic: Inclusivity (Mar 5).
 Presented, with Costanza Piccolo, at the Math TA Endorsement Seminar, topic: First-year
Calculus Workshops (Mar 11).
 Provided feedback on Math’s TA Accreditation Program proposal.
2) MATH SEI general meetings/activity
 Attended weekly progress meetings with the Math STLF group (Mar 4, 12).
 Attended planning meetings for upcoming MATH SEI projects with Math’s Head (Mar 2)
and CWSEI (Mar 5).
 Met with Costanza Piccolo and CW to discuss translation of word problems in linear algebra,
as well as instructor effect in multi-section courses (Mar 9).
3) Course-specific meetings/activities
MATH 152 – Linear Systems, MATLAB Labs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Weekly meetings with Instructor In Charge to review lab progress, midterm questions.
Assisted in review of Lab 4 document.
Observed sections of Lab 3 and Lab 4, and followed up with Lab TA questions.
Attended instructors meeting (Mar 5).
Attended bi-weekly Lab TA meeting (Mar 10).
Proposed automated system of student session data, with analysis. Will collect some session
logs this term from some students to assess usefulness of such data before proceeding to a
more complicated collection/analysis scheme.
7. Finished review of course notes.
MATH 253 for MECH 2 – Multivariable and Vector Calculus, MATLAB Labs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Provided feedback on drafts of Lab 5 and Lab 6.
Attended meeting of the MECH 2 instructor team (Mar 2, 9).
Proposed automated system of student session data (see above).
Attended lab sessions for Lab 3 and Lab 4.
Reviewed student surveys for Lab 3.
Current Project Status (material was prepared by either STLF or other members of the MATH
SEI group)
MATH 152
Learning Goals: Current version of Learning Goals has been posted on course website. We will
continue to collect new goals (especially “sense-making” goals) to add for next year.
Assessments:
 Pre-test data, via an online survey tool, is available.
 First midterm exam: MATLAB questions were well done (too easy?) based on a significant
sample.
 First midterm exam also included a linear algebra word problem in the style of last year’s
pre/post test with comparable results: students performed poorly overall on translation of a
word problem with an underlying two-variable linear system.
 Preliminary look at the midterm evaluations from students indicate that they find the
MATLAB homework assignment questions “useful” in their learning of MATLAB.
 The second midterm will be written this week and include a MATLAB question.
New Methods/Materials: Simple MATLAB questions continue to appear on the homework
assignments. Computer Lab 5 (of 6) currently under review.
MATH 253 for MECH 2
Learning Goals: Draft of course-level learning goals posted on Math CWSEI website. Topic-level
learning goals exist as weekly “learning guides” for students. These are being collected for
comparison to the course tests.
Assessments:
 Exit surveys from last year’s MECH 2 cohort after Math 253 and from this year’s MECH 2
cohort after first semester (Math 256).
 Obtained final test for Math 256 to examine performance on the MATLAB question therein
(currently underway with TA).
 Weekly survey about the computer labs has been administered (measuring completion rates,
use of resources, attitudes towards learning goals) through the MECH 2 Vista site, now
collected up to Week 3 (of 7).
 Tried an existing in-lab programming assessment checklist, but did not find it workable in
this setting. Requesting student MATLAB session log data in Lab 5 (optional voluntary
activity) to determine feasibility of a more extensive automated collection/analysis of lab
performance.
New Methods/Materials: Labs have been reviewed up to Lab 6 (of 7).
Plan for immediate future work
MATH 152:
1. Continue to observe labs and check with TAs.
2. Review pre-test data more thoroughly in planning for the post-test.
3. Sample MATLAB performance on the second midterm exam.
MATH 253 for MECH 2
1. Continue to collect Learning Goals in the weekly “learning guides”.
2. Continue to review the weekly lab surveys.
3. Review possible Pair Programming strategies that may be possible in this lab setting.
4. Observe more labs and review student work to determine an assessment scheme for how well
certain lab concepts are used/how well certain common difficulties are overcome.
5. Plan some questions for this term’s exit survey that will complement and follow-up the weekly
lab surveys.