NCAT Redesign Scholars in Mathematics
Marchetta Atkins, Alcorn State University
Betty Frost, Jackson State Community College
Latonya Garner, Mississippi Valley State University
Jamie Glass, The University of Alabama
Daniel Miller, Niagara County Community College
Tammy Muhs, University of Central Florida
Shahla Peterman, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Nell Rayburn, Austin Peay State University
Phoebe Rouse, Louisiana State University
John Squires, Chattanooga State Community College
Kirk Trigsted, University of Idaho
Karen Wyrick, Cleveland State Community College
Scholar: Marchetta Atkins
Institution: Alcorn State University
Redesign Description: College Algebra
Marchetta Atkins has been an instructor at Alcorn State University since 1988. She has taught courses in intermediate algebra, college algebra, trigonometry, business calculus, foundations of mathematics, real number systems, informal geometry, probability and statistics. She has also worked with Alcorn’s teacher education program and has written grants to support teacher training at both the middle- and high-school levels in southwest Mississippi. Marchetta served as the project leader for Alcorn’s redesign of College Algebra, which was initiated in 2008 as part of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Course Redesign Initiative, a collaborative effort between IHL and NCAT (2007 – 2010). Enrolling about 320 students per semester, College Algebra is offered in four sections of 80 students each. Marchetta and the team are working to redesign Intermediate Algebra as well. Marchetta earned a B.S. in mathematics and computer science and a M.S in mathematics education at Alcorn State University.
Scholar: Betty Frost
Institution: Jackson State Community College
Redesign Description: Basic Math, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra
Betty Frost has been a member of the faculty at Jackson State Community College (JSCC) for 35 years, serving as chair of the mathematics department for over 20 of those years. She has taught math courses ranging from Basic Mathematics through Calculus III. She led the team that redesigned JSCC’s remedial and developmental math sequence that annually enrolls ~2200 students. Key features of JSCC’s redesign are mastery learning, modularization, multi-exit options, and the SMART Math Center, an emporium that accommodates 80 students. Even though she was a naysayer at the beginning of the redesign process, Betty has become genuinely committed to the concepts of course redesign and to helping others redesign their courses in ways that will best meet their needs and the need of their students. Betty earned an A.S. in mathematics from Northeast Mississippi Junior College; a B.A. in math education from the University of Mississippi and an M.S. in mathematics from Memphis State University.
Scholar: Latonya Garner
Institution: Mississippi Valley State University
Redesign Description: Intermediate Algebra
Latonya Garner is assistant professor of mathematics at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU). Her research interests are course redesign, curriculum reform and the effects of technology on students' matriculation in mathematics courses. She was first introduced to course redesign at the University of Mississippi under the leadership of NCAT Scholar Tristan Denley where she taught several redesigned Elementary Statistics courses. At MVSU, she led the redesign of Intermediate Algebra as part of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Course Redesign Initiative, a collaborative effort between IHL and NCAT (2007 – 2010). The redesign, which uses both computer-aided learning in the lab and traditional classroom lectures, enhanced student learning and student completion rates while reducing instructional costs. Latonya received a B.S. in mathematics education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an M.S. in applied mathematics from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Mississippi.
Scholar: Jamie Glass
Institution: The University of Alabama
Redesign Description: Intermediate Algebra
Jamie Glass has been an instructor at The University of Alabama (UA) for 19 years and has taught all levels of freshman mathematics. Since 2001, she has managed the day-to-day operations of the Mathematics Technology Learning Center (MTLC), which serves ~9500 students per year. Jamie has been involved with course redesign since 1999 and has worked with an extraordinary group of peers to redesign all of the freshman-level math courses at UA over the last 10 years. During Jamie’s tenure, the MTLC has received a 2001 Alabama Quality Award (Judges Special Recognition), a 2008 Pearson Teaching and Technology Leadership Award and a 2009 Top Honors (Platinum) Award from the IMS Global Learning Consortium. Jamie has advised numerous colleges and universities about course redesign, offering advice about operations, policies, decisions and mistakes made at UA. She also teaches AP Calculus at a local private high school. Jamie earned a B.S. in mathematics at Jacksonville State University and an M.A. in math education at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Scholar: Daniel Miller
Institution: Niagara County Community College
Redesign Description: Introduction to Statistics
Dan Miller has taught at Niagara County Community College (NCCC) for over 20 years. He has taught mathematics courses ranging from developmental math to calculus as well as computer science courses. Dan has written over 20 solution manuals for a variety of college and high school mathematics textbooks and has authored content for MyMathLab/MathXL software. He led NCCC's redesign of Introduction to Statistics (~20 sections) as part of the State University of New York (SUNY) Course Redesign Initiative, a collaborative effort between SUNY and NCAT (2007 – 2010). As part of this project, Dan designed a large computer lab that was built in the space formerly occupied by two underutilized classrooms. In 2009, he and his colleagues applied the principles learned to redesigning NCCC's developmental Mathematics Literacy course (~50 sections). Because these two redesigns have now filled the new computer lab to capacity, Dan is working on creative solutions so that other courses can be redesigned in the future.
Scholar: Tammy Muhs
Institution: University of Central Florida
Redesign Description: College Algebra
Tammy Muhs has been a faculty member in mathematics and statistics at the community-college and university level since 1998. She is currently the general education program mathematics coordinator at the University of Central Florida. Tammy led the team that redesigned College Algebra in fall 2008 as part of NCAT’s Colleagues Committed to Redesign program. UCF has gone on to redesign Intermediate Algebra and Precalculus. Tammy is the director of the Mathematics Assistance and Learning Lab (MALL), which has a capacity of 320 students and serves up to 5,800 students during a single semester. Tammy has given presentations and provided assistance on course redesign to several institutions and organizations. She has received a university teaching award, led multiple math initiatives and is actively involved in curriculum reform at the local, state and national levels. Tammy earned an M.S. in mathematics from the University of North Florida and expects to complete a Ph.D. in modeling and simulation from University of Central Florida in 2011.
Scholar: Shahla Peterman
Institution: University of Missouri-St. Louis
Redesign Description: College Algebra
Shahla Peterman is a mathematics teaching professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) where she has taught since 1982. She teaches several levels of algebra, structure of mathematical systems, calculus, trigonometry and finite mathematics and has managed the Math Technology Learning Center since it was built in August of 2005. Shahla has received numerous awards for her contributions to mathematics and to teaching. Most recently, these include the College of Arts and Sciences Lecturer of the Year Award in 2006 and the UMSL Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in 2007. In collaboration with Teresa Thiel, she directed the redesign of College Algebra at UMSL as part of NCAT's FIPSE-funded Roadmap to Redesign (R2R) program (2003 to 2006). Shahla earned a B.A. in mathematics from Esfahan University, Iran and an M.A. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Scholar: Nell Rayburn
Institution: Austin Peay State University
Redesign Description: Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra
Nell Rayburn is professor of mathematics and chair of the math department at Austin Peay State University. Prior to becoming department chair, she taught courses ranging from college algebra to calculus to mathematical modeling and complex analysis in a career spanning more than 20 years. In 2004, she led a redesign team which revamped the department's general education core course designed for students majoring in the arts and humanities. The redesign involved cooperative and active learning strategies and resulted in a reduction of DFW rates from 58% to 26%. For the last four years, she has served as the math department's liaison with the university's academic support center for the redesign of two developmental courses, Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra, by integrating them with two college-level math courses, Mathematical Thought and Practice and Statistics. This project was part of the Tennessee Board of Regent's Developmental Studies Redesign Initiative (2006-2009) which was undertaken in collaboration with NCAT. The redesign produced the Linked Workshop Model, which links individualized, computer-based instruction in workshops to traditional instruction in the classroom to allow students to earn core course credit while removing their mathematics deficiency. Nell received a Ph.D. in mathematics from Vanderbilt University.
Scholar: Phoebe Rouse
Institution: Louisiana State University
Redesign Description: College Algebra
Phoebe Rouse has been an instructor at LSU for 29 years and has taught college algebra, trigonometry, math for pre-service teachers, liberal arts math, business calculus, and teacher-training courses for graduate students. She has been the College Algebra Course Coordinator for 15 years and has received four university excellence in teaching awards. In fall 2003, Phoebe led the redesign of LSU’s college algebra course as part of NCAT’s Roadmap to Redesign program, which included constructing learning lab space for 275 students. As the Precalculus Mathematics Coordinator for the last six years, she has expanded the LSU redesign program to include 5,000 students in three courses using entirely computer-based assessments. She has contributed material to four successful textbook series, videotaped a commercial business calculus lecture series and written content for MyMathLab/MathXL software. Over the last six years, she has guided many other colleges, universities and high schools in their use of technology to redesign their courses in ways that will best meet their needs and the need of their students. Phoebe earned a B.S. in math education with a minor in speech and an M.Ed. with an emphasis in supervision and administration, both at LSU.
Scholar: John Squires
Institution: Chattanooga State Community College
Redesign Description: Basic Math, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra (at Cleveland State Community College)
John Squires currently serves as the math department chair at Chattanooga State Community College. Prior to that, he taught math at Cleveland State Community College for 19 years and chaired the math department from 1999 to 2009. At Cleveland State, he received the 2007 Faculty Star Award for outstanding service to the institution and the 2008 Distinguished Faculty Award. John was the architect of the redesign of developmental and college-level math at Cleveland State, which won the 2009 Bellwether Award given annually by the Community College Futures Assembly. He is currently implementing course redesign throughout the entire math curriculum at Chattanooga State. John is the recipient of the League for Innovation’s 2009-2010 Cross Fellowship. John has a B.S. in economics from Iowa State University, an M.A.T. in mathematics from Drake University and an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Tennessee.
Scholar: Kirk Trigsted
Institution: University of Idaho
Redesign Description: Pre-Calculus
Kirk Trigsted has been a faculty member in the math department at the University of Idaho since 1996 and the Director of the Polya Mathematics Learning Center since 2001. The Polya Mathematics Learning Center was created in 2001 as part of NCAT’s Program in Course Redesign and began with the redesign of two large-enrollment introductory math courses, Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra. Kirk oversees a staff of 50 employees including instructors, graduate students and undergraduate students. Kirk has worked with NCAT's Roadmap to Redesign program to enable new colleges and universities to adopt mathematics redesigns. Kirk received a B.S. in Mathematics and Education from Lewis-Clark State College in 1991 and taught high school in Texas and Idaho for three years. He also received an M.S. in mathematics from the University of Idaho in 1996.
Scholar: Karen Wyrick
Institution: Cleveland State Community College
Redesign Description: Basic Math, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra
Karen Wyrick has taught math at Cleveland State Community College since 1992. She is an outstanding instructor and has been selected by students as the college’s best instructor on more than one occasion. She was the recipient of the 2006 Faculty Star Award for outstanding service to the institution. Karen is currently the math department chair at Cleveland State and has been an active participant in the successful redesign of three developmental math courses and eight college-level math courses. Karen has a B.S. and an M.S. in mathematics from Middle Tennessee State University.
