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Faculty professional development is an important lever for change in supporting instructors to adopt research-based instructional strategies that engage students intellectually, foster learning-supportive attitudes and habits of mind, and strengthen their persistence in mathematics. Yet the literature contains few well-rationalized models for faculty development in higher education. We describe the rationale and design for a model for discipline-based faculty development to support instructional change, and we detail our implementation of this model as applied to intensive workshops on inquiry-based learning (IBL) in college mathematics. These workshops seek to foster post-secondary mathematics instructors' adoption of IBL, to help them adapt inquiry approaches for their classrooms, and ultimately to increase student learning and persistence in science and mathematics. Based on observed faculty needs, four strands of activity help instructors develop a mental model for an IBL classroom, adapt that model to their teaching context, develop facilitation and task-design skills, and plan an IBL mathematics course. Evaluation data from surveys and observations illustrate participant responses to the workshop and its components. The model has been robust across 15 years of workshops implemented by three generations of workshop leaders and its features make it adaptive, strategic, and practical for other faculty developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nationwide, many students fail to complete the key mathematics courses that are required for most STEM majors, including Precalculus. This paper describes the rationale, implementation, and impact of the redesign of Precalculus at one regional west coast institution. Prior to the redesign, pass rates in Precalculus were modest (75.8% of all students, calendar years 2009–2014). The redesigned course emphasizes active learning including group work based on conceptual questions and utilizes standards-based grading with a supporting emphasis on growth mindset. In the first three semesters of implementation, 88% of students passed the redesigned course. While the authors focus on the redesign of a Precalculus course, it is our hope that instructors of other core mathematics courses for STEM majors may find information of value in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address coverage versus depth as a false dichotomy, and reframe the issue in terms of critical questions for instructors to consider regarding student learning. We also review some key reasons to favor inquiry-based learning as an approach to undergraduate instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, we describe the development of a lesson plan template and its basis in research. In particular, we summarize research supporting the need for mathematics instructors to build students' conceptual understanding and to engage students throughout instruction. We explain how these elements were incorporated into the lesson plan and include excerpts from sample plans. Then, we describe how this lesson plan template was used as the basis for professional development for local adjunct mathematics instructors, and the participants' evaluation of the experience. Finally, we describe what the authors learned from the evaluation and the participants' lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching is often an isolated activity, with experience and intuition the only sources to spur improvement. One way to move teaching from trial-and-error to a systematic effort to apply research-based strategies is by reading pedagogical literature. Pedagogical literature comes in two varieties: general and discipline-specific. As college faculty identify strongly with their disciplines, those who read the literature on effective teaching often rely on discipline-specific sources. This article aims to illustrate the lessons that can be learned from reading the general literature and reviews a sample of the available books on effective teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]