Old+MA+Learning+Outcomes

We organize our learning outcomes using the categories of ** Research, Mathematics, and Teaching and Professional Community: **

Research
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 * Knowledge of Scholarship Graduates will become familiar with scholarship in mathematics education, including important issues, theories, paradigms of research, and the newest research findings.

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 * Research Skills Graduates will have a strong understanding of research methods, including a wide range of specific research skills and the ability to conduct good research.

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 * Thesis Project Graduates will complete a thesis or project related to the teaching and learning of important mathematics. These may include: a. a thesis involving original research b. a principled development of a piece of curriculum. c. a principled analysis of an area of school mathematics (e.g. fractions, whole number arithmetic, ratio, functions). d. action research in a student’s own classroom. e. a paper deemed by the student’s committee to be of publishable quality. f. a report of involvement in the creation, implementation, and/or evaluation of a professional development experience.

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 * Understanding of Research Process Graduates will understand the general research process in the field as described in the following items: a) locating an interesting and important problem; b) conducting a literature review to situate the problem; c) developing a conceptual framework from the literature; d) establishing focused research questions or project task; e) choosing appropriate methods for conducting the research; and f) dealing with issues of research quality such as validity, reliability, and usability.

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 * Effective Communication Graduates will share theoretical perspectives, research methods, and results in a community of peers, such as at professional meetings, research conferences, department seminars and colloquia, etc.

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 * Effective Analysis Graduates will be able to carefully analyze a mathematical concept from school mathematics, including its internal structure and its connections to other concepts.

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 * Instructional Practice Graduates will be able to coordinate this careful analyses of topics from school mathematics with knowledge about students’ thinking in those areas in order to inform instructional practice.

Mathematics
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 * Personal Development Graduates will continue to deepen personal mathematical knowledge by engaging with fundamental mathematical ideas.

Teaching and Professional Community
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 * Current Issues and Trends Graduates will be able to knowledgeably discuss critical issues in the field of mathematics education and be aware of current trends.

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 * Scholarly Inquiry Graduates will use scholarly inquiry as a lens in reflecting on past and future practices in real school settings.

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 * Research and Pedagogy Graduates' teaching practice will show evidence of knowledge of research and pedagogy gained in the program.

Direct Measures
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 5 Objective 8 Objective 11
 * 590 Question on Master's Exam
 * 591 Question on Master's Exam
 * Actual performance of student presentation
 * Master's Exam
 * At least one paper in 611 will ask them to reflect on practice in light of research.
 * Teaching evaluations by faculty. Each graduate will have their teaching evaluated at least once as part of the TA teaching assignment, as part of their mentored experience or in their classrooms in the public schools.

Indirect Measures
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objectives 3-4 Objective 8 Objective 9
 * Successful completion of MathEd 590.
 * Successful completion of MathEd 591.
 * Successful completion of thesis or project and defense. Qualities of theses and projects evaluated approximately every two years by external reviewer.
 * Successful completion of one or more of MathEd 550, 562, 608, 660, 661, 663 or grad level math class.
 * Successful completion of at least one semester of 611.