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This article reports on the evolution of prospective secondary teachers’ knowledge (meanings for $$\frac{dy}{dt}$$ dy dt ) and beliefs (about teaching and learning mathematics) in a semester-long inquiry-oriented differential equations class. Students entered the course with limited, primarily procedural, meanings for $$\frac{dy}{dt}$$ dy dt . Throughout the semester, they engaged in collaborative mathematical inquiry using a research-based curriculum. As viewed through the emergent perspective, students’ meanings for $$\frac{dy}{dt}$$ dy dt and their beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics co-evolved with community norms and practices through the classroom discourse. Students’ end-of-term portfolios and portfolio presentations were analyzed for evidence of meanings for $$\frac{dy}{dt}$$ dy dt and beliefs about students’ roles, instructors’ roles, and the general nature of learning mathematics. In these, students expressed rich, multifaceted meanings for $$\frac{dy}{dt}$$ dy dt and beliefs about learning as an active process of meaning-making. While many prospective teachers do not see the relevance of advanced mathematics coursework to their career, these students reflected on their experiences in the course and volunteered ways in which their emerging knowledge and beliefs would influence their future practice. We emphasize that the classroom norms supported students in pursuing connections themselves, and conjecture that similar norms would support the development of reflective practitioners in other contexts.

One way that university mathematics departments across the United States are making efforts to improve their introductory mathematics courses is by implementing or increasing the level of course coordination. This can entail creating uniform course elements for multi-section courses and efforts to build a community of practice among the instructors teaching these courses. In this paper we explore coordinator orientations that implicitly (and in some cases explicitly) guide their work. In particular, we identified two orientations toward coordination, a Humanistic-Growth orientation and a Resource-Managerial orientation. Data analyzed in this manuscript consists of interviews with 19 course coordinators and 53 instructors from seven different higher education institutions across the United States. We introduce a framework that aligns two approaches to professional development with these two coordinator orientations and conclude with a discussion on how department chairs and others looking to implement or improve coordination may leverage this framework provided in this paper.

Mounting evidence of the effectiveness of active learning strategies has prompted many mathematics departments to start engaging in transformational change efforts. Change, however, especially change in instructional practice, is a challenging endeavor. Some departments are using coordination of multi-section courses as a vehicle to enact changes and have designated or hired course coordinators to oversee efforts to transform instruction via active learning. This study explores the role of coordinators as instructional change agents for active learning using data collected from five university mathematics departments, all of which are successfully sustaining such efforts. We use Shadle et al.’s drivers for change as a framework for examining data from five retrospective case studies of change. Specifically, we investigate how these speculative drivers connect to coordinators’ roles as change agents in each story. We argue that coordinators are positioned to leverage three key drivers for change: providing materials and tools, encouraging collaboration and communication, and encouraging (and providing) professional development. Coordinators must also understand the local contexts and culture in order to engage in effective processes for supporting departmental change. To conclude, we discuss implications of this research for departments seeking to transform instruction.

This editorial provides an introduction to the special issue, Infusing active learning into precalculus and calculus courses: Insights and lessons learned from mathematics departments in the process of change We begin with providing the background for the special issue, including an overview of the current status of active learning in precalculus through calculus, what many of the papers in this issue mean by the term “active learning” (inquiry based mathematics education), and a brief overview of the literature on institutional change We then offer an overview of each of the three issues, explaining how various papers relate to each other within each issue We conclude the editorial with some reflections on the institutional changes efforts in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Qualitative research on classroom-based mathematics learning in inquiry-oriented classrooms is scarce. This paper presents a methodology aimed at developing a rich understanding of the interplay of mathematical progress in the different settings in which learning in such classrooms occurs - individuals, small groups, and the whole class. For this purpose, we enhance a theoretical-methodological approach of coordinating Documenting Collective Activity and the RBC-model of Abstraction in Context that has been developed in earlier studies. We do this using an intact lesson on the area and perimeter of the Sierpiński triangle in a mathematics education master’s level course on Chaos and Fractals. The enhancement of the methodology allowed integrating the Collective and Individual Mathematical Progress (CIMP) by Layering the Explanations (LE) provided by the two approaches and thus exhibiting the complexity of learning processes in inquiry-oriented classrooms.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of two popular weight loss approaches on weight loss, body composition, and markers of health in sedentary obese women. Methods: In total, 51 sedentary women (age 34.5 ± 7.7 yrs.; weight 90.0 ± 14.5 kg; BMI 34.0 ± 5.1 kg/m2; 46.5 ± 7.0% fat) were matched and randomized to participate in the Weight Watchers® Momentum™ (WW) or Curves® (CV) Fitness and Weight Management program for 16 weeks. Participants in the WW group (n = 27) were provided a point-based diet program, received weekly progress checks and counseling, and were encouraged to exercise. Participants in the CV group (n = 24) followed a menu-based higher protein/low-fat diet (1200 kcal/d) for 1 week; 1500 kcal/d diet for 3 weeks; and 2000–2500 kcals/d for 2 weeks that was repeated three times (except the last segment) while participating in a supervised circuit-style resistance training program (3 d/wk). A general linear model (GLM) with repeated measures was used to analyze data and are presented as mean changes from baseline (mean [UL, LL]). Results: Supervised CV training resulted in greater amounts of vigorous and total physical activity. After 16 weeks, both groups lost weight (WW −6.1 [−7.8, −4.6], CV −4.9 [−6.2, −3.2] kg, p = 0.264). Participants in the CV group observed greater reductions in fat mass (WW −2.9 [−6.7, −0.2], CV −6.4 [−9.2, −3.6] kg, p = 0.081) and increases in lean mass (WW −2.5 [−4.3, −0.7], CV 1.3 [−0.6, 3.2] kg, p = 0.005) resulting in more favorable changes in percent body fat (WW −1.4 [−4.1, 1.2], CV −4.7 [−7.5, −1.8]%, p = 0.098). Both groups observed improvements in peak aerobic capacity and muscular endurance, although bench press lifting volume was greater in the CV group. Those in the CV group experienced a greater increase in HDLc and reduction in the CHL–HDLc ratio and triglycerides. Conclusion: Both interventions promoted weight loss and improvements in fitness and markers of health. The CV program, which included supervised resistance training and higher protein diet menus, promoted greater fat loss, increases in lean mass, and improvements in percent body fat and blood lipids. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, #NCT04372771, registered retrospectively 1 May 2020.

This article relates a case study on how a conversation with materials and diagrams – the actual use of materials and diagrams to think, imagine, explain, collaborate, design and build – featured a certain kind of interplay between material and digital components. The physical components present in this setting included a water wheel, which is a wheel driven by flow of water whose rotational motion is a classic example of chaotic dynamics regulated by Lorenz equations. Digital components allowed for real-time graphical displays corresponding to the turning of the water wheel. We selected for this article a sequence of episodes from an interview with Jake, an undergraduate student majoring in engineering. Through a micro-ethnographic analysis, we reflect on how Jake combined the responsiveness of the digital displays with the tangibility of the water wheel to gain insight into some of the intricacies of oscillatory motion.

On May 14, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively allowed single-game sports wagering in America. The current U.S. sports gambling market is estimated at somewhere between $67 billion and $400 bi...

In 1966, the New Jersey legislature passed An Act Concerning Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons, which imposed significant regulations on gun buyers and dealers. Two years later, members of Congress frequently cited the Garden State’s tough gun control law as a model for the Gun Control Act of 1968. Although New Jersey’s 1966 firearms law has received little attention from scholars, the battle over gun control in New Jersey marked a significant turning point in the nationwide debate between supporters and opponents of gun control and exposed political fissures that endure today. The National Rifle Association (NRA) mobilized its membership to pressure New Jersey legislators to reject gun control. In its effort to oppose gun control in New Jersey, the NRA honed its arguments that gun control infringed upon citizens’ Second Amendment right “to keep and bear arms,” contended that gun laws would not reduce crime, and charged that keeping records of gun sales would ultimately lead to confiscation of firearms. The NRA’s fight against gun control in Trenton revealed the organization’s enormous influence and signaled its emergence as one of the most effective political interest groups in the United States.

In this paper, we investigate leadership related to the instruction of lower division undergraduate courses at five university mathematics departments with strong calculus programs. We use social network analysis to identify patterns of influence on instruction, using the relations: advice seeking, instructional material sharing, discussion of instructional matters, and explicit influence on teaching approach. Data were gathered through social network surveys, which received over 60% response rate at each site. Considering both formal and informal phenomena, we identify variation in vertical and distributed instructional leadership structures within these departments. In these five communities, not all those with hierarchical authority have real influence over instructional practice, but those with the most influence over instruction do hold formally recognized positions. In light of these findings, we discuss implications for future research and practice in higher education.

This paper reports a study of university students’ experiences of learning mathematics in an introductory differential equations course that takes an inquiry approach to learning and teaching. The students are on a trajectory leading toward a bachelor’s degree in mathematics to be followed by a year-long teacher education credential program. The analysis of students’ end of course presentations and written portfolios is framed with community of practice theory, complemented with analytic categories from community of inquiry, including notions of inquiry stance and critical alignment. Our social theorization of university mathematics education adds a complementary perspective to the more conventional cognitive and discursive analyses and is necessitated by the very nature of inquiry approaches to education. The analysis of students’ presentations and writing leads to exploring their development of the notion of critical stance, which the students are seen to take toward the mathematics, their learning, and approaches to teaching mathematics. We find that the notion of critical stance can be distilled into three components: awareness, self-evaluation, and agency.

The networking of theories is an increasingly common and powerful approach to analyzing complex phenomena such as learning processes in classrooms. In this paper, we aim to advance the theoretical coordination of two approaches that we have previously combined to analyze individual, small group, and whole class mathematical progress. The theoretical advances we make are twofold. First, we identify and illuminate environmental and internal-theoretical commonalities across the two approaches, commonalities that contribute to the productivity of networking. Second, we propose an argumentative grammar for the networking, thus elevating the methodological logic and rationale of networking in this case and potentially in general.

While the number of studies of flipped classrooms has increased, they have primarily addressed the efficacy of using such an approach on student outcomes, often failing to account for the classroom activities and learning theories used to design the curriculum. This study begins to fill this gap in the literature by uniting the at-home video and in-class curricular components of the flipped classroom via design heuristics that empower students to critically think about mathematical problems individually before engaging with the task in a collective environment. To that end, we illustrate how elements of the instructional design theory of Realistic Mathematics Education and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy influenced the written and hidden curriculum and how those considerations were then experienced by the students as part of the enacted components of the curriculum. The context of the study is a 2-week classroom teaching experiment covering topics in trigonometry and vectors for 27 calculus students at a Norwegian university.

Inositol stabilized arginine silicate (ASI) ingestion has been reported to increase nitric oxide levels while inositol (I) has been reported to enhance neurotransmission. The current study examined whether acute ASI + I (Inositol-enhanced bonded arginine silicate) ingestion affects cognitive function in e-sport gamers. In a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, and crossover trial, 26 healthy male (n = 18) and female (n = 8) experienced gamers (23 ± 5 years, 171 ± 11 cm, 71.1 ± 14 kg, 20.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to consume 1600 mg of ASI + I (nooLVL®, Nutrition 21) or 1600 mg of a maltodextrin placebo (PLA). Prior to testing, participants recorded their diet, refrained from consuming atypical amounts of stimulants and foods high in arginine and nitrates, and fasted for 8 h. During testing sessions, participants completed stimulant sensitivity questionnaires and performed cognitive function tests (i.e., Berg-Wisconsin Card Sorting task test, Go/No-Go test, Sternberg Task Test, Psychomotor Vigilance Task Test, Cambridge Brain Sciences Reasoning and Concentration test) and a light reaction test. Participants then ingested treatments in a randomized manner. Fifteen minutes following ingestion, participants repeated tests (Pre-Game). Participants then played their favorite video game for 1-h and repeated the battery of tests (Post-Game). Participants observed a 7–14-day washout period and then replicated the study with the alternative treatment. Data were analyzed by General Linear Model (GLM) univariate analyses with repeated measures using weight as a covariate, paired t-tests (not adjusted to weight), and mean changes from baseline with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Pairwise comparison revealed that there was a significant improvement in Sternberg Mean Present Reaction Time (ASI + I vs. PLA, p &lt, 0.05). In Post-Game assessments, 4-letter Absent Reaction Time (p &lt, 0.05), 6-letter Present Reaction Time (p &lt, 0.01), 6-letter Absent Reaction Time (p &lt, 0.01), Mean Present Reaction Time (p &lt, 0.02), and Mean Absent Reaction Time (p &lt, 0.03) were improved with ASI + I vs. PLA. There was a non-significant trend in Pre-Game Sternberg 4-letter Present Reaction time in ASI + I vs. PLA (p &lt, 0.07). ASI + I ingestion better maintained changes in Go/No-Go Mean Accuracy and Reaction Time, Psychomotor Vigilance Task Reaction Time, and Cambridge Post-Game Visio-spatial Processing and Planning. Results provide evidence that ASI + I ingestion prior to playing video games may enhance some measures of short-term and working memory, reaction time, reasoning, and concentration in experienced gamers.

Precalculus and single-variable calculus courses are a critical early juncture for the success of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students in the United States (US). The default course structure is often a required three-term sequence of precalculus, differential calculus, and integral calculus. In this paper we analyse variations to this structure, the nature of such variations, their frequency across US universities, and how instructional approach and performance rates in those variations compare to those in the standard course offerings. We found that course variations are relatively common, and are primarily targeting students with more math preparation, less math preparation, or those majoring in a specific discipline. We found that for less prepared students, who are typically at the highest risk of failing, course variations resulted in similar passing rates, essentially levelling the playing field for these students. Although we had conjectured that disruptions to the standard offering would allow for greater use of active learning strategies, no such difference was observed. Ways in which these course variations can redress systemic educational inequalities, opportunities for design improvement, and future research are discussed.

This study furthers the theory of conceptual blending as a useful tool for revealing the structure and process of student reasoning in relation to the Sierpinski triangle (ST). We use conceptual blending to investigate students’ reasoning, revealing how students engage with the ST and coordinate their understandings of its area and perimeter. Our analysis of ten individual interviews with mathematics education masters’ student documents diverse ways in which students reason about this situation through the constituent processes of blending: composition, completion, and elaboration. This reveals that students who share basic understandings of the area and perimeter of the ST recruit idiosyncratic ideas to engage with and resolve the paradox of a figure with infinite perimeter and zero area.

In the United States (US) and elsewhere across the world, undergraduate mathematics instructors are increasingly aware of the value of inquiry-based instruction. In this research commentary, we describe the intellectual origins and development of two major strands of inquiry in US higher education, offer an explanation for apparent differences in these strands, and argue that they be united under a common vision of Inquiry-Based Mathematics Education (IBME). Central to this common vision are four pillars of IBME: student engagement in meaningful mathematics, student collaboration for sensemaking, instructor inquiry into student thinking, and equitable instructional practice to include all in rigorous mathematical learning and mathematical identity-building. We conclude this commentary with a call for a four-pronged agenda for research and practice focused on learning trajectories, transferable skills, equity, and a systems approach.

This article provides an overview of a modeling sequence that culminates in student reinvention of a bifurcation diagram. The sequence is the result of years of classroom-based research and curricu...

We present findings from a recently completed census survey of all mathematics departments in the United States that offer a graduate degree in mathematics. The census survey is part of a larger project investigating institutional features that influence student success in the introductory mathematics courses that are required of most STEM majors in the United States. We report the viewpoints of departments about characteristics shown to support students' success as well as the extent to which these characteristics are being implemented in programs across the country. We conclude with a discussion of areas where we see the potential for growth and further improvement.

This study examined whether addingSixty-eight participants (female, 54%) were grouped in a double-blind, parallel, stratified random, placebo-controlled manner to supplement their diet with a placebo, DG, or DG + C for 12 weeks while maintaining their normal diet and physical activity. Diet, physical activity, body weight, body composition, anthropometric measures, resting energy expenditure, fasting blood samples, and questionnaires were obtained at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks and analyzed using general linear models with repeated measures. Data are reported as mean (±SD) and change from baseline (mean, 95% confidence interval) for weeks 4, 8, and 12, respectively, withDG treatment promoted significant but minor reductions in fat mass (-0.56 [-1.02, -0.14],Ingestion of thermogenic supplements containing DG (300 mg/d) with and without caffeine and other nutrients in overweight but otherwise healthy participants who did not alter diet or physical activity promoted clinically insignificant changes in body weight and composition.

This research commentary argues for more research that attends to the processes of organizational change in mathematics departments. It outlines both the ways that research on organizational change can benefit scholarship in mathematics departments, and how mathematics education researchers are needed to develop theories of change that are contextualized to the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics. This commentary closes with a research agenda for moving this emergent field of study forward. This agenda involves applying change theories to historical, ongoing, and new change projects in mathematics departments, while simultaneously attending to issues of equity and social justice.

In this chapter, we present: (1) a variety of theoretical frameworks used in STEM educational research, (2) an organizational structure through which to navigate these frameworks, and (3) a meta-analysis of how each of the STEM disciplines employs (or does not employ) the various frameworks. The organization and discussion of theoretical frameworks provides researchers with a useful tool to make decisions regarding project design and alignment of methodologies, and the meta-analysis provides a useful overview of where and how theoretical frameworks are being used. Together, this chapter serves as a point of comparison to derive implications for future directions for STEM educational research.

Vitamin D and calcium supplementation have been posited to improve body composition and different formulations of calcium may impact bioavailability. However, data are lacking regarding the combinatorial effects of exercise, diet, and calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation on body composition changes in post-menopausal women. Herein, 128 post-menopausal women (51.3 &plusmn, 4.5 years, 36.4 &plusmn, 5.7 kg/m2, 46.2 &plusmn, 4.5% fat) were assigned to diet and supplement groups while participating in a supervised circuit-style resistance-training program (3 d/week) over a 14-week period. Diet groups included: (1) normal diet (CTL), (2) a low-calorie, higher protein diet (LCHP, 1600 kcal/day, 15% carbohydrates, 55% protein, 30% fat), and (3) a low-calorie, higher carbohydrate diet (LCHC, 1600 kcal/day, 55% carbohydrates, 15% protein, 30% fat). Supplement groups consisted of: (1) maltodextrin (PLA), (2) 800 mg/day of calcium carbonate (Ca), and (3) 800 mg/day of calcium citrate and malate and 400 IU/day of vitamin D (Ca+D). Fasting blood samples, body composition, resting energy expenditure, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance measures were assessed. Data were analyzed by mixed factorial ANOVA with repeated measures and presented as mean change from baseline [95% CI]. Exercise training promoted significant improvements in strength, peak aerobic capacity, and blood lipids. Dieting resulted in greater losses of body mass (CTL &minus, 0.4 &plusmn, 2.4, LCHC &minus, 5.1 &plusmn, 4.2, LCHP &minus, 3.8 &plusmn, 4.2 kg) and fat mass (CTL &minus, 1.4 &plusmn, 1.8, 3.7 &plusmn, 3.7, 3.4 &plusmn, 3.4 kg). When compared to LCHC-PLA, the LCHC + Ca combination led to greater losses in body mass (PLA &minus, 4.1 [&minus, 6.1, &minus, 2.1], Ca &minus, 6.4 [&minus, 8.1, &minus, 4.7], Ca+D &minus, 4.4 [&minus, 6.4, &minus, 2.5] kg). In comparison to LCHC-Ca, the LCHC-Ca+D led to an improved maintenance of fat-free mass (PLA &minus, 0.3 [&minus, 1.4, 0.7], Ca &minus, 1.4 [&minus, 2.3, &minus, 0.5], Ca+D 0.4 [&minus, 0.6, 1.5] kg) and a greater loss of body fat (PLA &minus, 2.3 [&minus, 3.4, &minus, 1.1], Ca &minus, 1.3 [&minus, 0.3], Ca+D &minus, 3.6 [&minus, 4.8, &minus, 2.5]%). Alternatively, no significant differences in weight loss or body composition resulted when adding Ca or Ca+D to the LCHP regimen in comparison to when PLA was added to the LCHP diet. When combined with an energy-restricted, higher carbohydrate diet, adding 800 mg of Ca carbonate stimulated greater body mass loss compared to when a PLA was added. Alternatively, adding Ca+D to the LCHC diet promoted greater% fat changes and attenuation of fat-free mass loss. Our results expand upon current literature regarding the impact of calcium supplementation with dieting and regular exercise. This data highlights that different forms of calcium in combination with an energy restricted, higher carbohydrate diet may trigger changes in body mass or body composition while no impact of calcium supplementation was observed when participants followed an energy restricted, higher protein diet.

Purpose: To determine whether adherence to a repeating 30-d non-linear diet intervention while participating in a supervised exercise program that includes resistance-exercise would promote weight and fat loss without weight loss plateau and whether alterations in carbohydrate and protein intake may influence results. Methods: Fifty sedentary and obese pre-menopausal females (35.2±7.6 years; 88.7±18 kg, 32.6±6 kg/m2, 42.5±4.2% fat) were randomly assigned to an exercise-only (EX) or EX plus diets containing higher proportions of carbohydrate or protein. Diets were hypoenergetic for 30-d (7-d at 1,200 kcals/d, 21-d at 1,500 kcal/d), more isoenergetic for 30-d (2,200 kcals/d), and repeated three times during a 24-wk intervention. Diets were either 45:30:24 (HCD) or 30:45:25 (HPD) carbohydate:protein:fat. All participants performed 30-min resistance exercise (3 d/wk) and a brisk walking program (3 d/wk). Data were analyzed by general linear model (GLM) statistics with repeated measures and presented as mean changes from baseline (mean [UL, LL]). Results: Participants experienced a significant and reduction in body weight (EX -2.24 [-6.5, 2.0], EX+HCD -6.99 [-9.4, -4.5], EX+HPD -4.49 [-7.1, -1.8] %), fat mass (EX -3.45 [-10.9, 4.03], EX+HCD -12.15 [-16.4, -7.9], EX+HPD -8.54 [-13.2, -3.9] %), and percent body fat (EX -1.30 [-5.6, 3.0], EX+HCD -5.91 [-8.3, -3.5], EX+HPD -4.31 [-7.0, -1.6] %) with those in the EX+HCD experiencing a more linear response. Participants in the EX and EX+HCD groups maintained fat-free mass to a better degree (EX -0.89 [-4.0, 2.2], EX+HCD -3.21 [-5.0, -1.2], EX+HPD -1.92 [-3.8, 0.002] %). Participants dieting generally experiencing greater benefit with some evidence that those in the EX+HPD experienced greater changes in blood lipids. Conclusion: A 30-day repeated non-linear diet can promote fat and weight loss without a plateau. Consuming a HPD may help maintain fat-free mass during weight loss and improve some markers of health compared to HCD interventions.

Summary Objective Genetics contribute to variability in individual response to weight‐loss interventions. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of a commercially available exercise and weight‐loss program and whether alignment of diet to genotype related to lipid metabolism promotes greater success. Design Sedentary women with obesity (n = 63) had genotype (FABP2rs1799883, PPARG2rs1801282, ADRB3rs4994C3, ADRB2rs1042713, rs1042714) determined using a direct‐to‐consumer genetic screening kit purported to promote greater weight‐loss success through dietary recommendations based on these genes. Participants were randomly assigned to follow a moderate carbohydrate (MC) or lower carbohydrate (LC) hypo‐energetic diet that aligned (A) or did not align (NA) with genotype for 24 weeks while participating in a resistance training and walking program. Data were analysed by general linear model repeated measures adjusted for baseline variables and are presented as mean (95% confidence interval) changes from baseline. Results Participants in the LC group experienced greater improvements (p = 0.051, ηp 2 = 0.025) in per cent changes in body composition (weight: MC −3.32 [−1.4, −5.2], LC −5.82 [−4.1, −7.6]; fat mass: MC −7.25 [−3.2, −11.2], LC −10.93 [−7.3, −14.5]; fat‐free mass: MC −0.32 [1.4, −2.0], LC −1.48 [0.7, −3.0]; and body fat percentage: MC −4.19 [−1.6, −6.8], LC −5.60 [−3.3, −7.9] %). No significant differences were observed between genotype groups (weight: A −5.00 [−3.3, −6.7], NA −4.14 [−2.2, −6.1]; fat mass: A −10.15 [−7.0, −13.6], NA −8.02 [−4.0, −12.0]; fat‐free mass: A −1.23 [0.3, −2.8], NA −0.56 [1.12, −2.3]; and body fat: A −5.28 [−3.0, −7.6], NA −4.51 [−1.9, −7.1] %). Conclusions Adherence to this exercise and weight‐loss program promoted improvements in body composition and health outcomes. While individuals following the LC diet experienced greater benefits, alignment of these diets to this genetic profile did not promote greater health outcomes.

This paper focuses on the question of what makes a good disciplinary or interdisciplinary problem. We draw from literature across the STEM disciplines and two conference sessions to provide insight into what makes a good problem within a specific discipline and across the disciplines. We use various frameworks to analyze a variety of problems that were nominated as exemplars by STEM education research experts. Common features identified include real-world connections, reinforcement of conceptual understanding, a low floor and high ceiling, multiple solutions paths, and building dispositions of professionals in the discipline. While a good problem need not have all of these features, in general, good problems have more of these features. We also recognize that these problems are context-specific, as what may be considered a problem for one learner could be a trivial exercise for another. We discuss some of the challenges of designing good interdisciplinary problems and identify some features that can make a problem interdisciplinary, including use of cross-cutting concepts and drawing on the specific expertise of each discipline.

This article presents a case study that details the successes and lessons learned by faculty and administrators at San Diego State University (SDSU) who are in the process of implementing a substan...