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Given the prevalence of research in undergraduate mathematics education focused on student reasoning and the development of instructional innovations that leverage student reasoning, it is important to understand the ways undergraduate mathematics instructors make sense of these innovations. We characterize pedagogical reasoning about inquiry-oriented instruction relative to vertices of the instructional triangle (content, students, and instructor). Through this lens, we analyze conversations of twenty-five mathematicians who elected to attend a workshop on inquiry-oriented instruction at a large national mathematics conference. Identifying differences in talk between two breakout groups, we argue that deeper mathematical engagement in task sequences designed for students supported deeper engagement in students' mathematical reasoning and engendered reasoning about instruction that was more frequently accompanied by rationale based in mathematics or students' reasoning about mathematics. Importantly, deeper mathematical engagement was observed when the discussion facilitator prompted participants to engage through a mathematical lens rather than an instructional lens.

Faculty peer observation has seen increasing uptake in recent years, in some cases as an alternative or supplement to student teaching evaluations. While many universities encourage faculty peer observation, it is not widely used in a formal way for formative assessment. This article outlines the development of a new faculty peer observation protocol designed for formative assessment of evidence-based educational practices. The goal of the protocol is to foster reflective teaching practices. The peer observation protocol has been designed to mitigate common faculty fears of classroom observation, with detailed assessment methods for specific topic areas. Preliminary testing of the protocol at one university indicated positive faculty outcomes with regard to personal reflection: all the faculty who tested the protocol reported that the observation process had been helpful for them to reflect on their teaching.

Background: In the US, there is significant interest from policy boards and funding agencies to change students' experiences in undergraduate mathematics classes. Even with these reform initiatives, researchers continue to document that lecture remains the dominant mode of instruction in US undergraduate mathematics courses. However, we have reason to believe there is variability in teaching practice, even among instructors who self describe their teaching practice as "lecture." Thus, our research questions for this study are as follows: what instructional practices are undergraduate mathematics instructors currently employing and what are the factors influencing their use of non-lecture pedagogies? Here, we explore these questions by focusing on instruction in abstract algebra courses, an upper-division mathematics course that is particularly well positioned for instructional reform. Results: We report the results of a survey of 219 abstract algebra instructors from US colleges and universities concerning their instructional practices. Organizing our respondents into three groups based on the proportion of class time spent lecturing, we were able to identify 14 instructional practices that were significantly different between at least two of the three groups. Attempting to account for these differences, we analyzed the individual and situational factors reported by the instructors. Results indicate that while significant differences in teaching practices exist, these differences are primarily associated with individual factors, such as personal beliefs. Situational characteristics, such as perceived departmental support and situation of abstract algebra in the broader mathematics curriculum, did not appear to be related to instructional differences. Conclusions: Our results suggest that personal bounds in general, and beliefs in particular, are strongly related to the decision to (not) lecture. However, many of the commonly cited reasons used to justify the use of extensive lecture were not significantly different across the three groups of instructors. This lack of differentiation suggests that there may be relevant institutional characteristics that have not yet been explored in the literature, and a transnational comparison might be useful in identifying them.

The article focuses on the significance of interpretation as a foundational process in human communication, selfhood, and community formation. Topics include the distinctions between human and non-human communities, the roles of perception and conception in interpretation, and the philosophical complexities surrounding how humans create, share, and understand meaning.

Objective: In this exercise, students collectively summarize a long and perhaps difficult reading into a shorter, more condensed version of itself; in the process, students experience the virtues of teamwork (the divide and conquer approach), gain valuable reading and note-taking skills, and collectively distill the essence of a reading in class. Courses: This exercise works best in any course with theoretical or complex readings assigned to students as outside reading, e.g., introductory courses in communication, communication theory, special topics in communication; the exercise requires 20-40 students. A list of references and suggested readings is included.

For years, communication scholars have been concerned with speakers and audiences. Early studies in rhetoric assessed the style of individual speakers across many occasions as well as the effectiveness of [...]

The 'Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana,' originating sometime during the 1st century in India, was published in the US during the early 1960s and significantly influenced later sex manuals. The popularity of this literature dating from the 1970s continues to inform debate over sexuality, marriage, and other areas of political controversy.

A study was conducted to analyze the interaction of retinoid X receptor alpha with 9-cis-retinoic acid. Stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy was utilized to carry out the analysis. Measurements were taken at different receptor concentrations. Results indicated a two-step binding mechanism supporting a rapid, enthalpically driven pre-equilibrium followed by a slower, entropically driven reaction.

Abstract: John Gray's Mars and Venus in the Bedroom is a popular sex manual and an important site of social persuasion. As a member her of the sex manual genre, [...]

One of the greatest barriers facing families as they move toward self-sufficiency is transportation. In east-central Minnesota, there is little, if any, public transportation. In the more remote areas of [...]