Annual Conference 2019

Session Details

Friday, April 12th

The Returning Faculty Enrichment Track

Presenters: Kidder, Warren, White, Bernat

This track will include: Mobius Tips, Tricks, & Q&A (with Jennifer Kidder from Tompkins Cortland CC); Quantway College Online (with Lynae Warren from Empire State); and Quantway Core + Fundamentals Acceleration (with Brenda White from Morrisville and Joe Bernat from Nassau CC).

The Quantway College Workshop

Presenters: Whitehouse, Crawford-Mohat

This track will include discussions (led by Simon Whitehouse from Alfred and Mary Crawford-Mohat from Onondaga CC) on: What supports/needs are not currently met for QW College in the NIC?; Does QW College have everything/more than what is in a “typical” Quantitative Reasoning course?; and What can be removed/added to QW College to ensure transferability within SUNY? We recommend that faculty, administrators, and staff from campuses that offer QW College attend this track.

Pythagorean Triples Revisited

Presenter: Dr. Joseph Straight, SUNY Fredonia
Presider: Chris Yuen

Finding right triangles with integer side lengths has interested civilizations from the time of the ancient Babylonians to the present day. We review the history of Pythagorean triples, present an interesting geometric construction due to Paul Schweigerling, and relate Pythagorean triples to the problem of finding rational points on algebraic curves.

Cracking The Code to Successful Learning: Empirical Summary on Learning Behaviors and Outcomes in 100-level Statistics

Presenter: Joan Erickson, SUNY Delhi
Presider: Colleen Stevens

College-level introductory statistics often poses a steep learning curve for freshman students. Computation formulas and numerical trends embedded in the tables seem to overwhelm our students. How do the instructors work with deficient computational skills and inadequate conceptual understanding? We collected empirical data on student perception (self report) on course content and own capabilities, coupled with objective learning outcome measures to find out what is keeping students from reaching high performance in a statistics course.

Kick Starting an Open Educational Resource Initiative in Your Math Department

Presenter:s Sara Taylor (SUNY Dutchess CC) & Matthew Matkovich
Presider: George Hurlburt

While knowledge and use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) is increasing around the country, it remains a relatively new concept for many. Faculty from Dutchess CC and Rockland CC will share strategies for launching and sustaining OER math initiatives, including how to build faculty support and measure impact. Time will be allotted for Q&A and discussion.

Project Ernie Opening Session

Friday 12:20 – 1:15 pm, Director’s Room

Presented by Ray LaBounty (Corning CC) and MaryBeth Orrange (Erie CC). This session is specifically intended for the Project ERNIE 2019 cohort. Be sure to welcome our newest cohort of math educators this weekend!

Origami, Kahoot!, and QR Codes in the Classroom

Presenter: SYumiko Akiba (Project ERNIE), Corning CC
Presider: Erin Newton

Participants will see how to get students involved by using QR codes to hunt for origami directions focused on geometry terms. Then Kahoot! will be used to play games involving concepts being learned.

Social Dissonance: What Do People Really Think about the Topics of Today?

Presenters: Larry Danforth & Joel LaLone (Jefferson CC)
Presider: Andrew Draper

What do people really think about President Trump, the U.S. economy, abortion, the “Me Too” movement? College students via the Center for Community Studies at JCC are asking the local community these and a number of other questions as part of their annual surveys of the community. What are the local residents saying about the current issues? Come listen and find out.

Project-Based Learning, OERs, and Learning Communities Oh My …

Presenters: Dr. Rachel Santiago and Karen Wells (Monroe CC)
Presider: Brian Milleville

We will be sharing our experiences with all new adaptations to our writing intensive Survey of Math course. This includes the use of OERs, implementation of project based learning with a final assessment, and the introduction of a learning community for students who need the pre-requisite course.

Mathemagics 2

Presenters: Candy Dance & Colleen Stevens (Onondaga CC)
Presider: Janis Mazza

Improve class engagement! Have some fun! Motivate your students! Impress your friends! Learn some math “tricks” to use anytime, anywhere. These tricks are great for getting conversations going. Learn the math behind the trick. Your students will love them.

Using Mathematica in Calculus I

Presenter: Johanna Halsey & MaryAnne Johnson (Dutchess CC)
Presider: Alex Atwood

The presenters will briefly describe how they use the Computer Algebra System Mathematica in their Calculus sequence, with a focus on Calculus I. They will share how they have helped students deal with the trickiest parts of the program, and will provide examples of Calculus I projects and student work.

When Are Real World Applications Too Real?

Presenter: Ernie Danforth (Corning CC)
Presider: Rich Evans

The presenter has been writing real world applications as part of an author group for more than 25 years. Recently he had an application rejected by the publisher because it was too real. The presenter will place this application in context and also show the application. He will discuss the reasons for the rejection and lead a discussion on what we should or should not be presenting as applications in our mathematics classes. The presenter does not expect to solve this issue, but is hoping for a lively discussion and input from the audience.

Chat – ‘N’ – Chew

Presenter: Joe Bernat (Nassau CC) & Erin Newton (Onondaga CC)
Presider: Patty Zabel

Attendees rotate through various tables throughout the session. Each table has a ‘facilitator and a particular topic so ideas can be shared and discussed surrounding that topic. Topics include co-requisites, concurrent enrollment, placement policies, OERs, pathways, alternative instructional modalities, technology tools for instruction/assessment, AMATYC Impact, and what we want NYSMATYC to be. Some snacks will be provided so you can chew while you chat!

Puzzles, Puzzles, Puzzles

Presenter: Larry Danforth (Jefferson CC)
Presider: Patty Owens

A staple at the NYSMATYC conference for enough years that we lost count, “Puzzles, Puzzles, Puzzles” is back for another year. Teams of four compete in this year’s puzzle contest. Create your team ahead of time or join others at the session to keep the tradition going for another year. Just want to hang out, do some knitting, or play some cards in the company of math folks? That’s fine too! Feel free to stay in Keuka/Seneca after dinner!

Three (or More) Vignettes from the History of Mathematics

Presenter: Luis Moreno (Broome CC)
Presider: Chris Kemp

Some stories in the lives of mathematicians are so compelling that they could be parts of a novel, and would certainly be interesting to students. I have found that students know almost nothing about the history of mathematics. I’ll talk about events in the lives of several mathematicians that will show the humanity and strength of each one.

A Stacking of Cubes Problem: Instant Insanity and Other Extensions

Presenter: Dr. Satyanand Singh (CUNY City Tech)
Presider: Joe Bernat

Historically the Instant Insanity puzzle or the “Great Tantalizer” which consists of four cubes was introduced in 1960’s and made popular by Parker Brothers. In this presentation we will use the instant insanity puzzle to study an important problem in cube stacking. We encourage you to come play with cubes while you sharpen your teaching skills. We will use two approaches to solve this puzzle. The first will make use of basic properties of numbers and the second approach will use graph theory. We will touch upon other variants and extensions. The presentation is accessible to a freshman student. This work is supported by the MSEIP grant # P120A150063.

Learning How to Learn Mathematics

Presenter: Dr. Alex Atwood (Suffolk CC)
Presider: Barbara Dolansky

In the next fifty years our students will have to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Learning how to learn mathematics is one of the most important intellectual skills we can nurture in our students. How can we more effectively do this?

Collaborating to Increase Affordability: How to use a subscription model, Cengage Unlimited, to cut costs and improve student outcomes

Presenters: Dr. Dale Dawes (Project ERNIE / Bor. of Manhattan CC) & Gretchen Hughes (Cengage)
Presider: Jay Hurlburt

Built by educators, WebAssign empowers instructors with unmatched flexibility and control, superior content and extensive support to tailor their course to meet the variety of ways students learn best. WebAssign helps learners hone their problem solving and critical thinking skills through unique learning experiences that give them the tools they need, when they need it, to build confidence and elevate performance — preparing them for their future

Teaching Introductory Statistics with Simulation-based Inference (SBI)

Presenter: Barbara Dolansky (Dutchess CC)
Presider: Larry Danforth

The presenter will share how DCC’s Introductory Statistics course has transitioned from a traditional model to an activity-based approach using SBI. Hypothesis testing is introduced in the 2nd week of class, and students conduct physical and computer-based simulations regularly. Come learn about this exciting and effective way of teaching statistics!

Strategies for Scaling the Use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) Across Math Programs

Presenters: Drs. Alioune Khoule and Lakshmi Vidyasagar (LaGuardia CC) and Brian Milleville (Erie CC)
Presider: Joan Erickson

Scaling of Open Educational Resources can bring significant cost savings as well as improvements in student success. Department chairs and program coordinators from Erie CC (SUNY) and LaGuardia CC (CUNY) will share successful strategies and lessons learned from adopting OER across hundreds of course sections over the past two years.

Using Google Classroom to Collect Student Work

Presenter: George Hurlburt (Corning CC)
Presider: Mary Mohat-Crawford

Sick of trying to keep track of emails from students with their assignments? Sick of students sending you files in a format that is hard to read or comment on? Come and learn how to use Google Classroom to collect and grade student work.

Problem Matyc

Presenter: Ralph Selig (Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.)
Presider: Candy Dance

For those who enjoy solving the most trivial Problems in mathematics!!!!

Power Series in Probability

Presenter: Rich Evans (Corning CC)
Presider: Joe Straight

Come and see how power series really “come to life” when solving certain kinds of probability problems. Participants will simulate several basic probability experiments using coins and marbles. Results will be tallied to get an estimate of the expected value of certain random variables. The presenter will then show how power series can be used to find the exact expected value of these random variables. Various power series will be utilized, as well as derivatives, integrals and properties of power series. All friends of infinity are welcome!

Life Lessons – How We Can Change Students’ Perceptions and Be Leaders in Retention Efforts

Presenter: Tom Reid (Broome CC)
Presider: Luis Moreno

In this presentation the faculty role in retention efforts will be discussed. Faculty should feel empowered to be able to make a difference for their students. These ideas will be discussed through the lens of mathematics faculty. My goal is for attendees to leave reminded of their mission and feeling empowered

Themed Session: IMPACT (Sessions 22A – 22G)

Saturday 1:15 – 3:30 pm, Organizer: Mary-Beth Orrange (Erie CC). Presenters will rotate every 15 minutes to give short segments that can help us make an impact. The segments are in the themes of the new AMATYC document called “IMPACT” which gives guidelines on the teaching of mathematics for two-year colleges. IMPACT stands for Improving Mathematical Prowess And College Teaching. Conference attendees are welcome to stay for all or drop in for specific segments of the themed session.

PROFICIENCY: Exploding Dots & Proficiency

Presenter: Liz McGrath (Broome CC)

Come see for yourself the power of James Tanton’s exploding dots and The Global Math Project. This hands-on talk will demonstrate the use of exploding dots in several different levels to help students get excited about learning math while enhancing proficiency.

OWNERSHIP: Technology Helps!

Presenter: Joe Bernat (Nassau CC)

Using wireless display to encourage students to take active ownership in the classroom.

OWNERSHIP: Help Students Take Responsibility for Their Own Learning

Presenter: Erin Newton (Onondaga CC)

As educators, our job is to teach AND learn the material for our students, right? In this session, ideas will be shared on engaging students in the learning process and helping them to take ownership of their education and learning.

ENGAGEMENT: Linear Systems-Concrete to Abstract

Presenter: Brian Milleville (Erie CC)

A different approach will be discussed where a concrete example is introduced and analyzed first, and then the abstract processes for solving linear systems follows. A mixture problem combined with some by-hand calculations and spreadsheet calculations are used to analyze and setup the problem. Afterward, graphical software is used to visualize the solution. Lastly, algebraic methods are employed to solve linear systems.

ENGAGEMENT: Assessment with a Twist

Presenters: Colleen Stevens & Patty Zabel (Onondaga CC)

Have you ever handed back an assessment and watched students flip through it quickly and then file it away? How can we recapture assessments as opportunities. to learn? When are students most interested in how to solve a problem they just tried? In this session, we will share a slight twist on assessment that may help improve student engagement.

STUDENT SUCCESS: We Need to Talk!…Improving Student Success Through Communication

Presenters: Dan Groom & Christine Quinn (Finger Lakes CC)

In this session, we will discuss a new course policy that we initiated in the fall semester. We had hoped that requiring students to reflect on poor test grades would improve their future performance, but in actuality these discussions much more meaningful.

PROFICIENCY: Assessing Optimal Paths to an Undergraduate Degree Using Structural Equation Modeling

Presenter: Vanessa Singhroy (Queensborough CC)

The proposed methodological study intends to perform an SEM analysis on already existing data of randomly selected students in both pathway and non-pathway tracks at Queensborough Community College (CUNY) within the last 6 years, incorporating non-academic and academic factors to identify optimal paths to the completion of an undergraduate degree.

New Co-Requisite for Elementary Statistics

Presenters: Johanna Halsey & Sara Taylor (Dutchess CC)
Presider: Trevor Bradish

Dutchess Community College now has a co-requisite course paired with Elementary Statistics instead of requiring students to take a pre-requisite math course. The presenters will briefly describe how they created a co-requisite class including the placement requirements, content of the co-req, and how the first semester is going!

Math for Elementary Teachers

Presenter: Tim Putnam (Tompkins Cortland CC)
Presider: Elizabeth Congdon

The presenter will present what he is doing in the classroom and promote the NCTM. There will also be discussion about what everyone is teaching and how they are teaching it.

Activity-based Learning with a Focus on Skills: A Formula for Success?

Presenters: Ernie Danforth & Trish Shuart (Pearson)
Presider: Kathleen Speicher

Experience how introducing a new topic within the context of a scenario engages students and fosters conceptual reasoning while creating an atmosphere of collaboration, how graphing calculators aid visualization, how verbalization makes symbolical manipulation less daunting, and how “skill and drill” online homework reinforces it all.

OHM Workshop: Get Your Hands Dirty with OER!

Presenter: Josh Baron (Lumen Learning)
Presider: Ray LaBounty

Want to explore fully developed math courses that use Open Educational Resources to reduce cost to students? Do you rely on auto-graded algorithmically generated problem sets? Bring your curiosity AND laptop to this hands-on workshop during which you will setup an account in the Online Homework Manager and be able to explore course “templates” designed by other faculty around the country that include OER-based textbooks and associated problem sets. Experience math faculty from SUNY, CUNY and Lumen Learning will be on-hand to answer questions and highlight examples of how they are using OHM to save students $1000’s each semester and improve outcomes!

Online Math Made Easier: An Introduction to Using a Tablet or Tablet-Computer w/ Pen & Video Recorder

Presenter: Chaitanya Mistry (Ulster CC)
Presider: Vanessa Singhroy

This presentation will answer the questions: How can we effectively recreate the in-class experience? How can we do this in a straightforward and cost-effective way? Will the virtual lecture we create be ADA compliant? The presentation will demonstrate how these videos are created using a Wacom tablet (most any tablet will do), a Logitech headset, and VidGrid software (in a pinch one can use YouTube). There will also be discussion of why we chose the tools we chose.

Delicious Statistics Class Activities

Presenters: Pam Burch (Virginia Commonwealth U.) & Kathleen Speicher (Corning CC)
Presider: Dan Groom

Classroom activities are a fun way to teach and reinforce student learning in statistics. The presenters will demonstrate short, inexpensive, hands-on activities which can be done with food you can buy at any grocery store. In addition, resources where these and more activities can be found will be shared.

Navigating O.E.R with XYZ

Presenters: Dan Linville and John Kunkel (XYZ Homework)
Presider:

Attendees will be provided a quick overview of O.E.R. Hear how XYZ Homework helps faculty and administrators navigate this space to keep the quality of education high while driving the cost to participate down. Attendees are faculty and administrators interested in venturing into the O.E.R. environment.

Project Ernie Closing Session

Saturday 5:10 – 5:45 pm, Board Room

Organizers: Ray LaBounty (Corning CC) and MaryBeth Orrange (Erie CC). This session is specifically intended for the Project ERNIE 2019 cohort.

Executive Board Meeting

Saturday 5:10 – 5:45 pm, Director’s Room

The newly elected Executive Board meets at this time.

Saturday Banquet Dinner

Saturday 6:15 pm, Finger Lakes Ballroom

“Presentation: The Art of Collaborative Problem-Solving”

Presented by Fred Herbst, MFA Ceramics.
Open yourself up to unexpected opportunities and rewards by saying yes to collaboration. Fred Herbst will discuss how the simple act of saying “that’s an interesting concept, let’s work on it together” has shaped his professional life for the last 20 years. His collaborations with a variety of artists and scientists has allowed him to explore new ideas and possibilities on the SUNY-Corning Community College campus, around the country, and in Europe.

Math OER) + (Personalized Learning) = Student Success

Presenter: David Usinski (Erie CC)
Presider: Chris Yuen

Since Fall 2017 faculty at Erie CC have been involved in a Gates Foundation grant exploring the benefits of combining Open Educational Resources with a personalized learning platforms call Waymaker. Presenters will provide a demonstration of the technology and share national student impact research findings and research from local studies.

Factoring Quartics (really!)

Presenter: Russ Penner (Mohawk Valley CC)
Presider: Amanda Bartels

A procedure for factoring a quartic over the integers (into quadratics will be demonstrated. This might not be something you need to do every day, but it seems kinda important in the grand scheme of things.