Does College Mathematics Have a Future?

I have been wondering about something over the past few months. The concerns originated much earlier, as it seems that people are trying to avoid algebra within college math classes for non-STEM students.  More concerns were added as policy experts suggest that we align mathematics requirements with programs and, ideally, contextualize math for non-STEM students.  #CCA #STEM #MathPaths

There seem to be two premises at work:

1. STEM students need lots of algebra, like we’ve been doing.
2. Non-STEM students are harmed by algebra, and need something less ‘challenging’.

You can see by my phrasing that I am not objective about these premises.  Many people — mathematics educators, policy experts, and more — presume that STEM students, especially those headed towards calculus, are well-served by a college algebra experience.  The problem is that (1) the typical college algebra experience lacks development of covariational reasoning needed in calculus, and (2) our client disciplines have a more diverse need than we work with.  We continue to dig deep into symbolic calculus (which is one of our great achievements) but we downplay the usefulness of numeric methods that are heavily used in engineering, biology, physics, and more.

The STEM life is much more than putting calculus on top of algebra.

A brief story:  At a recent state MAA meeting, I attended a student session on mathematical modeling in biology.  The presenters where all about to get the BS in biology, and reported on fitting models using Matlab (Matrix Laboratory).  After the session, I asked one of the presenters where they learned the techniques … in a math class?  Nope — their biology professor taught them mathematical modeling because their math courses did not.

The non-STEM students are being tracked into statistics or quantitative reasoning, with statistics having the bigger push.  Policy experts push statistics because it is ‘practical’, and people will ‘use it’; these statements are true to some extent.  The problem is that almost all mathematical fields are practical.  In particular, algebra is practical.  Mathematics courses have failed to present algebra as a practical tool for living and for basic science & technology.

Even in a quantitative reasoning courses, we tend to de-emphasize great mathematical ideas.  Sure, we cover finances and statistics, voting and logic; however, the symbolic work combined with the concepts for transfer to new situations tends not to be there.  We use one of the best QR books on the market, and I supplement heavily on functions and related concepts; still, I do not think it is enough.  Some QR courses only apply a couple of concepts (such as proportional reasoning, or math in the news); great components of a QR course … terrible foundations for a QR course.

The risk I see is this: At some point, mathematics will be eliminated.  Non-STEM students get tracked into statistics and weak QR courses; mathematics is thereby eliminated for these students.  STEM students outside of mathematics are only required to show some basic background, and then all of their mathematics is taught by other departments (see biology story above).  The only mathematics students around will be mathematical science majors, and (in most institutions) this is far too small to support mathematics.

We need to do two difficult things:

• Get our heads out of the sand, in terms of modern mathematics (what we should be teaching)
• Effectively argue against the decay of mathematics requirements (especially in two-year colleges)

Fortunately, we have resources from people wiser than I … such as the Mathematical Sciences 2025 material (http://www.nap.edu/catalog/15269/the-mathematical-sciences-in-2025 ).  Please take a look at the diverse nature of mathematics needed in STEM fields, and think about how narrow of a focus we have.

The major threat to mathematics requirements comes from policy influencers (CCA, JFF, Lumina, etc).  Just because they say it, and have ‘data’, does not mean the idea is good or safe.  The degree requirements in institutions are the responsibility of faculty (including mathematics faculty).  It is our job to honor that responsibility, which does not belong to these external agencies.

Let’s keep mathematics as a valid component in a college education.

 
Join Dev Math Revival on Facebook:

2 Comments

• 

  By schremmer, August 5, 2015 @ 9:11 pm

  Re. “well-served by a college algebra experience”?

  Hung-Hsi Wu, in his response to the Elizabeth Green’s New York Times article which appeared in the Notices of the AMS, wrote “If Americans do “stink” at math, clearly it is because they find the math in school to be unlearnable. […] For the past four decades or so the mathematics contained in standard textbooks has played havoc with the teaching and learning of school mathematics.”

  He was speaking of “school math” but I don’t see that college does any better.

• 

  By schremmer, August 5, 2015 @ 9:20 pm

  Re. “At some point, mathematics will be eliminated.”

  It has already begun. At my school, the new “foundational mathematics” department, started with non-credit developmental arithmetic and developmental algebra. Being under pressure to pass 5% more students every year, the results in the next course, credit Intermediate Algebra, suffered and, as I had publicly predicted, they have now taken over the latter.

  I predict that being under pressure to pass 5% more students every year, the results in the next course, Precalculus, the results there will suffer and they will take it over.

  Etc.

  Eventually, though, the “next course” will be in a transfer instituion and then I really don’t see what they will do.

  In the meantime, the Mathematics Department will have died. And that will have been their own fault for engaging in courses which were mathematical only in name.

Other Links to this Post

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.