Assistant Professor of Mathematics Chad Awtrey has published a SoTL article on writing in mathematics in the latest issue of the journal PRIMUS (Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies).
The article, “Impossible Geometric Constructions: A Calculus Writing Project”, details a series of three inter-connected writing projects that Awtrey has given to his second-semester calculus (MTH 221) students. These projects offer students the opportunity to use tools from second-semester calculus to solve one of the most famous geometric problems from Greek antiquity; namely, the impossibility of trisecting an angle of 60 degrees with a straightedge and compass. Included in the article are a discussion of common student difficulties associated to writing as well as sample grading rubrics for each paper.
This project was supported by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (through Awtrey’s CATL Scholars grant), and it is part of Awtrey’s ongoing SoTL research program which aims to measure the effectiveness of writing-to-learn and writing-in-the-discipline pedagogies on students’ conceptual understanding of and attitudes toward mathematics.