Impact of LAs and Conceptual Worksheets on Students ’ Perception of Mathematics I 3 End of School Year Report - 2010

Introduction We were interested in collecting data regarding the impact of the LA program implemented by the department of Mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Does the use of LAs acting as guides to other undergraduates taking MATH 1300 (Calculus 1) improve the students’ perception of mathematics? Also, what is the impact of new conceptual worksheets on classroom culture and social dynamics among students? The research we conducted during the 2009-10 school year involved the documentation and development of the learning assistant (LA) program in the mathematics department. Although the LA program has found success in science departments at CU-Boulder and other campuses (Otero, Finkelstein, McCray, & Pollock, 2006), there is relatively little research regarding its implementation in undergraduate mathematics. Due to the oft-recognized status of calculus as a “gatekeeper” to STEM majors and careers, our research focused specifically on the design and implementation of the LA program in undergraduate calculus. The trajectory of this research is part of a larger developmental research program with several potential contributions to STEM education: • Improving student learning through selection, adaptation and design of mathematics tasks that promote student engagement in familiar and challenging problems; • Design and facilitation of learning environments that support socially-mediated learning; • Determining effective ways to utilize learning assistants in undergraduate calculus.