| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 12, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 14, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 1726869 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Elise Lockwood
elockwoo@nsf.gov (703)292-2410 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2017 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $298,184.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $298,184.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
7430 EAST DR LIBRARY TOWER 700 MONTGOMERY AL US 36117 (334)244-3249 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
P. O. Box 244023 Montgomery AL US 36124-4023 |
| Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | IUSE |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
To meet the needs of the STEM workforce, as well as to continue to have an educated citizenry, undergraduate mathematics instruction must be effective for all segments of the population. This project will center on college algebra for students who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) and those who have other print disabilities. These populations have historically been underserved by college mathematics pedagogies. Investigators at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) have developed an innovative, evidence-based method of mathematics instruction and assessment, called Process-Driven Math (PDM), which substantially reduces barriers to participation for this population. The PDM method is based on an interactive auditory/verbal exchange of language between the student and a human intermediary who functions as both reader and scribe. For this project, AUM is partnering with Rice University, Auburn University, and Bridge Multimedia to investigate the benefits of PDM for teaching as well as assessing student learning. The research and development activities will focus specifically on college algebra courses, with related attention to algebra courses at schools for the blind. Those activities will be conducted at four institutions of higher education, including one two-year college, and three state schools for the blind. The project will be conducted by a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in mathematics, mathematics education, special education, education research, and mathematics accessibility.
The specific objective of the project is to further develop, test, refine, and prepare Process-Driven Math for scaling to improve mathematics learning for all students (students with and without disabilities; STEM and non-STEM majors). The enormity of syntax in algebraic expressions creates barriers (e.g., cognitive load) for many students with disabilities who access their mathematics by listening to it. The PDM method employs chunking, which reduces the cognitive load on working memory for mathematics students who are BVI. Inherent in the method are bases in Universal Design for Learning (providing various methods of engagement, representation, action, and expression) and User-Centered Design (engaging users to gain firsthand perspectives of their needs and desires in order to design and develop tools that will optimally meet their needs). The research will address questions related to students' mathematics self-efficacy, students' mathematical errors, students' perceptions of mathematics education, and how college faculty tend to approach teaching mathematics to students who are BVI. Using a mixed-methods approach with self-efficacy assessments, learning assessments, focus groups, and interviews, the study will consider variables such as: students' majors (STEM versus non-STEM), students' disability status demographics (students with disabilities [blind/visually impaired or other print disabilities] compared to students without disabilities), instruction using PDM vs. Nemeth (or other mathematical braille), and use of user-centered design.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Overview
Process-Driven Math (PDM) was originally developed as a fully auditory tool used for mathematics instruction and assessment to support the learning of students who are blind and unable to read braille. The visually adapted Process-Driven Math method was created to support sighted students with disabilities who also needed additional tools to support mathematical learning. The goal of the project was to further develop, test, and refine Process-Driven Math to improve math learning for all students, with and without disabilities.
Intellectual Merit
The research team sought to answer questions about the efficacy of the visually adapted PDM method for post-secondary students with and without disabilities. An experimental study with random assignment incorporated PDM and non-PDM lessons into college algebra courses at three post-secondary institutions. Pre- and post-test data were used to determine the efficacy of PDM for all students combined, as well as students who indicated challenges in one or more of several categories of disability.
The research team also executed a qualitative study with middle and high school students at three state schools for the blind. Students were taught lessons using the fully audio PDM method. Researchers sought to answer qualitative questions about how high school algebra students with varying degrees of visual impairment, both braille and non-braille users, described their perceptions of learning and working through algebra content using the fully audio PDM method.
Broader Impact
In 2017, information about Process-Driven Math reached a broad audience when both digital and print articles highlighting PDM and the goals of the NSF grant award were published in Science magazine.
In the experimental portion of the study, students who experienced difficulties with concentration learned specific algebra content better with the visually adapted PDM method than with traditional teaching. These results were statistically significant. Although the effect size of the gains for students with perceived difficulty concentrating in the PDM treatment group was modest, the prevalence of children and young adults who have difficulty concentrating suggests that improving math education for these students could have a broad and significant impact.
In the qualitative portion of the study, high school students who attended three different schools for the blind were taught multiple lessons using the fully audio Process-Driven Math method. After being exposed to the method for several class periods, students participated in focus groups and gave their feedback. Several students indicated an appreciation for the PDM method of audio delivery as well as a frustration over the absence of written or tactile access to the math. Their input indicates there may be benefit in incorporating the audio delivery of PDM along with the visual and tactile PDM supports for a multisensory delivery of math content.
Summary
The project has resulted in a 2021 dissertation from Auburn University, a plenary address to the 2019 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD) conference, a 2020 Engineering Change Podcast with a reach to listeners in 80 countries over 6 continents, a Process-Driven Math DiversAbility Summit at UT Dallas in 2021, presentations at the 2020 and 2022 NSF special sessions for the Joint Mathematics Meetings which is a partnership among 13 mathematics societies, a presentation at the 2021 SINE COMMIT sectional meeting which was a special session of the American Mathematical Society, a 2019 round table discussion at the CLD International Conference on Learning Disabilities, a 2018 conference paper to the American Society of Engineering Education, and a 2021 workshop at the American Society of Engineering Education.
Last Modified: 12/06/2022
Modified by: Ann Gulley
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