About the Project
In 2019, Texas Lutheran University was awarded approximately $300,000 from The National Science Foundation( NSF)-IUSE program (award # 1905246 ) for a project titled “Mathematical and Statistical Projects Across the Curriculum (M2AC): Empowering Non-STEM Students to Appreciate and Use Quantitative Modeling” to be conducted during the period from October 2019 to September 2022. The project will serve a national interest to improve attitudes, awareness, and use of quantitative modeling among students in the social sciences, applied sciences, arts, humanities, and biology. The main goals of the project are:
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Increase students’ positive attitude, awareness of the relevance of, and competency in mathematics and statistics through the application of quantitative modeling and the use of technology to solve problems related to topics of interest and relevance.
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Increase among faculty outside of mathematics an appreciation for using mathematical and statistical modeling and technology to help students apply mathematics/statistics concepts to their disciplines.
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Increase usage of modeling projects outside mathematics courses through project dissemination and the development of an online archive of peer-reviewed modeling projects.
Building a library of peer-reviewed modeling projects is an essential part of M2AC project. In Summer of 2020 and 2021, the PI and the collaborating faculty will develop discipline-specific mathematical and statistical modeling projects. Faculty involved in this project will include five consulting faculty in mathematics, statistics, computer science, computational physics, and several participating faculty from disciplines outside mathematics: psychology, political science, kinesiology, art, philosophy, and biology. Additional disciplines which may be added during the second year of the grant. Participating faculty assign the projects to students during the semester. We will then use pre- and post-instruments as well as comparison student groups to gauge impact. Each project includes a student version which will be available to public and an instructor’s notes. Instructor’s notes include information for the teaching faculty and will be available to faculty outside TLU upon request. We also invite faculty from TLU and other institutions to submit additional modeling projects for peer review and inclusion on the website.
For questions about the study please contact the principal investigator, Reza O. Abbasian at rabbasian@tlu.edu or co-principle investigator, John T. Sieben at JSieben@tlu.edu
You will find modules within the following broad categories:
Each module has two components:
1) A student version which describes the project , sources of data, methodology and other information needed to complete the project.
2) An instructor's notes which includes additional information for the instructors.
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