http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings.html A monthly column helping to publicize and expand upon the CUPM (Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics) Curriculum Guide 2004. Articles on the undergraduate mathematics curriculum. en-us Copyright 2011 Mathematical Association of America webmaster@maa.org http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:26:48 GMT http://www.maa.org/style/online_logos/Icosahedron_blue_large_r.gif http://www.maa.org The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has just released its report to President Obama on undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education... http://launchings.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-engaging-to-excel.html Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:01:00 GMT Each year, the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics publishes its Digest of Education Statistics. Among its many annual tables, easily accessible back to 1990, is one that describes the number of Bachelor’s degrees by sex, race/ethnicity, and field of study... http://launchings.blogspot.com/2012/02/trends-in-raceethnicity-and-gender.html Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:01:00 GMT Does remediation work? Do entering college students with weak mathematical skills benefit from pre-college mathematics courses? Or are such courses merely a waste of their time and tuition dollars and the institution’s resources? ... http://launchings.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-do-no-harm.html Sat, 01 Jan 2012 12:01:00 GMT This month I will be looking at preliminary data on the distribution of faculty in mathematics departments by status: full-time or part-time, and whether tenured or tenure-eligible... http://launchings.blogspot.com/2011/12/faculty-trends-from-cbms.html Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:01:00 GMT Every five years, the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) conducts a survey of Mathematics Departments across the United States to determine Fall course enrollments and gather other data. The latest survey was conducted in 2010, and the data collected last year are just starting to trickle in... http://launchings.blogspot.com/2011/11/every-five-years-conference-board-of.html Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:01:00 GMT On Aug 25, Sol Garfunkel and David Mumford ignited a firestorm with their provocative piece in the New York Times on "How to Fix our Math Education.” I’d like to use this column to respond to one of their conclusions, the comment near the end of their article that, “In math, what we need is `quantitative literacy,’ …” http://launchings.blogspot.com/2011/10/quantitative-literacy-versus.html Sat, 01 October 2011 12:01:00 GMT I want to take advantage of the new blog format of this column to generate a discussion that I hope will help us identify the greatest problems facing mathematics departments. The intent is to assist the MAA’s Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM) in determining the kind of information and advice, especially with regard to the major in the mathematical sciences, that would be most helpful. http://launchings.blogspot.com/2011/09/greatest-problems-facing-math.html Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:01:00 GMT “The best way to learn is to do; the worst way to teach is to talk.” —Paul Halmos http://launchings.blogspot.com/2011/08/best-way-to-learn.html Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:01:00 GMT In last month’s column, The Calculus I Instructor, one of the most personally disturbing pieces of information gleaned from the MAA survey of over 700 calculus instructors was that almost two-thirds agreed with the statement, “Calculus students learn best from lectures, provided they are clear and well-prepared.” Another 20% somewhat disagreed. Only 15% disagreed or strongly disagreed. http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_07_11.html Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:01:00 GMT Last month I reported on student data from the MAA’s survey of mainstream Calculus I classes. We also surveyed the instructors, both at the start and at the end of the Fall term in 2010, gathering basic demographic information as well as information about how the class was taught and attitudes toward student learning. We are hoping to learn whether there are any correlations between instructional practice or instructor attitudes and student performance, both in terms of learning the material and in terms of intention to persist in a field that requires at least a full year of college calculus. http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_06_11.html Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:01:00 GMT The data from the MAA survey [1] of mainstream Calculus I classes are in, and we are in the process of preparing it for analysis. he survey was a great success. We had responses from almost 700 instructors and over 14,000 students at all types of post-secondary institutions. http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_11.html Mon, 02 May 2011 12:10:00 GMT On Friday, March 11, I had my first experience testifying before the US Congress. I was one of a parade of witnesses to appear before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to request that the National Science Foundation (NSF) be supported in the 2012 Fiscal Year budget... http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_04_11.html Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:00 GMT For his February President’s Corner of the NCTM Newsletter, Summing Up, Michael Shaughnessy, wrote about “Endless Algebra—the Deadly Pathway from High School Mathematics to College Mathematics." http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_03_11.html Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:10:00 GMT Status of the Math-Intensive Majors http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_02_11.html Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:43:48 GMT Mathematics and Democracy + 10 http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_01_11.html Mon, 03 Jan 2010 12:43:48 GMT AP Examined http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_12_10.html Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:43:48 GMT The Common Core State Standards http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_10_10.html Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:26:48 GMT http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_09_10.html Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:20:04 GMT http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_08_10.html Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:55:26 GMT http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_07_10.html Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:37:58 GMT http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_10.html Wed, 05 May 2010 19:02:56 GMT http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_04_10.html Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:44:51 GMT http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_03_10.html Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:13:14 GMT http://maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_03_10.html Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:50:25 GMT http://maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_11_09.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:41:04 GMT MAA Speaks Out on Capitol Hill http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_10_09.html Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:08:16 GMT We Are Losing Women from Mathematics http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_09_09.html Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:55:18 GMT Wolfram|Alpha http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_08_09.html Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:59:25 GMT MAA to Probe Calculus I http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_07_09.html Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:00:51 GMT AP Calculus: What We Know http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_06_09.html Thu, 28 May 2009 21:05:34 GMT Restore the Integral to the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_09.html Fri, 01 May 2009 14:47:16 GMT WeBWorK http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_04_09.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:34:29 GMT Should Students Be Allowed to Vote? http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_03_09.html Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:45:16 GMT Mind the Gap http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_02_09.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:58:22 GMT Launching into the Next Two Years http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_01_09.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:58:00 GMT Abstract versus Concrete Examples in Teaching Math http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_12_08.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:47:47 GMT Lessons for Effective Teaching http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_11_08.html Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:06:36 GMT Strategic Planning around STEM Issues http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_10_08.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:53:54 GMT College Calculus: What We Don't Know http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_09_08.html Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:17:00 GMT Student Thinking http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_08_08.html Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:14:45 GMT Quantitative Literacy and Teacher Education http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_07_08.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:22:43 GMT Disturbing Trends in the CBMS Data http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_06_08.html Fri, 30 May 2008 12:59:29 GMT Getting Students to Read http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_5_08.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:58:13 GMT The National Math Panel Report http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_4_08.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:19:49 GMT How to Fix K-12 Education http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_3_08.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:02:55 GMT Mining the Illustrative Resources http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_2_08.html Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:58:41 GMT A Radical Approach to a First Course in Calculus http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_1_08.html Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:43:16 GMT Polya's Art of Guessing http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_12_07.html Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:53:04 GMT Rethinking the First Year http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_11_07.html Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:46:56 GMT Who Teaches Our Calculus Classes? http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_10_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:13:37 GMT Re-Launching Launchings http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_09_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:13:08 GMT What You Test is What They Learn http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_08_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:12:41 GMT The Dangers of Dual Enrollment http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_07_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:12:05 GMT Reform Fatigue http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_06_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:10:32 GMT Holding on to the Best and the Brightest http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:10:09 GMT The Crisis of Calculus http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_04_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:06:26 GMT Return to College Algebra http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_03_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:04:37 GMT What Has Happened to Modern Algebra and Real Analysis? http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_02_07.html Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:16:53 GMT Preparing Our Majors http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_01_07.html Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:44:57 GMT