Activating Calculus to Command the Seas: Reflecting on Ten Years of Active and Inquiry-Based Learning at the US Naval Academy

ABSTRACT

Over the past 10 years, the authors of this paper have implemented a series of project-based and inquiry-based learning initiatives in the calculus sequence at our institution. These initiatives took place in a department with an existing strong culture supporting teaching innovation and improvement. In this paper, we describe three initiatives in detail. We describe how in one, a syllabus redesign allowed for more instructor autonomy. In another, we were able to significantly improve student buy-in. We describe key support we received from our department and institutional leadership at each stage, as well as from working in community with each other. Finally, by looking at the long arc of change in our department, we hope to encourage others who are encountering roadblocks. By working in community, we have created an environment where active learning can flourish.

Keywords:

• Active learning
• inquiry-based learning
• project-based learning
• calculus
• communities of practice

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge all of the dedicated faculty in the department who dedicate countless hours to help their students learn. The authors would specifically like to acknowledge all of the leaders who have supported us. Specifically, the department leadership Will Traves, Vrej Zarikian, Jay Foraker, and Gary Lazzaro, our academic deans Bill Miller and Andy Phillips and our institutional leadership for teaching and learning Rae Jean Goodman and Karyn Sproles. Additionally, the authors want to acknowledge the instructors who assisted with our work by filling out time logs and making use of the curriculum including Jeff Parker, Pam Tellado, and other Calculus I instructors. Finally, the authors would like to acknowledge Christine von Renesse and Muraid Greene for coming to our institution to provide an outstanding inquiry-based learning workshop.

Notes

1 Over the past 10 years, there has been a push for more consistency. Individual instructors used to sometimes replace problems on the free response portion of the final; that is now frowned upon. Recently, some courses have held “grading parties” for the final exam, where each instructor grades one problem across many sections.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amy E. Ksir

Amy E. Ksir is a professor of Mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. She has a BS from Rice University, a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed a postdoc at SUNY Stony Brook. Amy is a leader in the IBL community. In her free time she enjoys playing folk music on oboe and accordion, and singing, especially with her spouse and two kids.

Justin M. Allman

Justin Allman is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. He has a BS in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MAED in Secondary Mathematics and an MA in Mathematics, both from Wake Forest University. He received his PhD in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and held visiting assistant professor positions at Wake Forest University and Duke University. Allman is a member of the “Red15” MAA Project NExT cohort.

Noble Hetherington

LCDR Noble Hetherington III is a Master Instructor of Mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. He has a BS in Applied Physics from RPI and a MS in Engineering Acoustics from the Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to joining the USNA faculty, he spent nearly seven years sailing the high seas as a Surface Warfare Officer on four different ships and qualified as a Naval Nuclear Engineering Officer.

Megan E. Selbach-Allen

Megan E. Selbach-Allen received her BS from the United States Naval Academy and Masters in Mathematical Science from the University of Liverpool in England. Upon graduating she commissioned into the US Marine Corps and served in Afghanistan and Liberia in addition to teaching math at her almamater the Naval Academy. She is now pursuing her PhD in Mathematics Education at Stanford University.

Daphne Skipper

Daphne Skipper is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. She completed an undergraduate degree at Sewanee, and an MA and PhD at the University of Kentucky. Many years of teaching core mathematics classes have fed her desire to provide a more effective learning experience for her students, leading her to tap into the active learning community at the Naval Academy. Her primary research focus is the theory and application of discrete optimization.