We return this month with another faculty highlight, pulling again from IU's best and brightest. This fall and spring, instructional designers from eLearning Design and Services worked with Dr. Pepe Gimenez from the School of Natural Science and Mathematics at IU East to support his design of MATH-M 215 Calculus I, MATH-M 216 Calculus II, MATH-M 311 Calculus III, and MATH-M 303 Linear Algebra.
Of the co-designing experience, Gimenez says, "Initially, I had concerns that the instructional designer might not fully grasp the distinctive nature of mathematics and would suggest design elements effective in other fields but not necessarily suitable for math. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the instructional designer was well-versed in crafting mathematical courses. Having served as a SME at various universities previously, I must commend the unparalleled level of professionalism I encountered at IU."
Gimenez created discussion boards in which each student is assigned a unique problem to work on. A significant portion of the course grade involves assisting peers in solving and understanding these problems, and this has promoted student engagement and collaboration.
He also integrated MyOpenMath, an OER (open educational resource) assessment system, into his online courses, offering students free, interactive, and customizable assessment tools. Key features of the homework problems include scaffolded problems with embedded questions to guide students' thinking, along with worked and half-solved examples. Students can submit problems as many times as needed. They receive detailed solutions (and access to follow up video explanations if needed) after each submission. If the problem remains unsolved, students can attempt it using different numbers. This creates a very nurturing and supportive environment for students.
This student experience was affirmed by course evaluations. They were resoundingly positive and focused on the organization and clarity of the course materials. In addition to the course structure, students appreciated their engagement with their professor: "Pepe is one of the best instructors in my math degree program. He's personally concerned about students’ development and gives regular feedback when a student has problems with an area. He's thoughtful about all aspects of the course, be it the choice of textbook, progress, or clarifications. It's hard to find a better teacher."
Although Gimenez is happy he was able to adopt an open textbook for Linear Algebra (thereby enhancing accessibility and affordability for IU students), he is particularly proud of incorporating videos and explanations within each problem. This ensures that students don't spend extended periods of time grappling with challenges and become disheartened. Instead, they can promptly review problem outcomes and learn more efficiently. This approach lets Gimenez pose numerous questions, which fosters learning through practice. For instance, in Calculus I, students must submit 50 homework problems weekly. This is a substantial workload, but students are spared unnecessary struggles that would otherwise make this volume unsustainable.