Agnes M. Rash

AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF ASSESSMENT: USING STUDENT-CREATED PROBLEMS

ABSTRACT Assessment of student knowledge of mathematics and understanding of concepts is improved when students design problems and solutions, applying classroom-acquired knowledge to new situations. An alternative to single-class-period testing is proposed.

Birth and Death Process Modeling Leads to the Poisson Distribution: A Journey Worth Taking

Abstract This paper describes details of development of the general birth and death process from which we can extract the Poisson process as a special case. This general process is appropriate for a number of courses and units in courses and can enrich the study of mathematics for students as it touches and uses a diverse set of mathematical topics, e.g., probability, differential equations, difference equations, calculus, and infinite series. We guide the reader through the assumptions, derivation, and modeling applications which will permit the study of this useful subject in a number of settings. We offer illustrations of the Poisson process to demonstrate its applicability to interesting and real-life situations.

The Capstone Course: Origins, Goals, Methods, and Issues.

Abstract In this introduction to the Special Issue on Capstone Courses we describe a range of models for the capstone course, common goals for these different courses, popular teaching methods, the use of capstone courses in program assessment, and issues related to course maintenance and faculty development.

Mathematics Models in Chemistry - An Innovation for Non-Mathematics and Non-Science Majors

ABSTRACT The intention of this article is to present a year-long interdisciplinary course, Mathematical Models in Chemistry. The course is comprised of eleven units, each of which has both a mathematical and a chemical component. A syllabus of the course is given and the format of the class is explained. The interaction of the professors and the content is demonstrated. The article also discusses the student population, student activities in the course, evaluative measures, and course effectiveness. The article elaborates on three specific units: Models for Drug Concentration, Molecular Symmetry, and Temperature-Humidity Indices.

Student projects make statistics come alive for mathemathics majors

ABSTRACT This article suggests an approach in courses for mathematics majors and minors similar to the approach becoming popular in applied courses - using student projects. A natural place to introduce modern applications is in upper division, calculus-based probability and statistics courses for mathematics majors and minors. To provide students with an opportunity to design and study a real problem, students can be required to complete a statistical analysis of a problem in a semester-long project. The strategy and implementation is described in the article. 1 St. Josephs University is a private, church affiliated university with approximately 3500 full-time students.

Courses on the Beauty of Mathematics: Our Version of General Education Mathematics Courses

Abstract This article describes various courses designed to incorporate mathematical proofs into courses for non-math and non-science majors. These courses, nicknamed “math beauty” courses, are designed to discuss one topic in-depth rather than to introduce many topics at a superficial level. A variety of courses, each requiring students to master mathematical proofs in the context of the field of study, is described briefly with details given for one.

Conjectures, Proofs, and Counterexamples

The collection of integers is defined to be the set of numbers

The Euclidean Algorithm

\left\{\dots, - 3, - 2, - 1,\ 0,\ 1,\ 2,\ 3,\dots \right\}