2025 CMS Summer Meeting
Quebec City, June 6 - 9, 2025
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the Undergraduate Mathematics Classroom
Org: Matthew Coles, Lindsey Daniels and Nahid Walji (UBC)
[PDF]
Org: Matthew Coles, Lindsey Daniels and Nahid Walji (UBC)
[PDF]
- ZACK CRAMER, University of Waterloo
Out in the Open: Fostering 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion in Undergrad Math Classes [PDF]
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We all teach 2SLGBTQIA+ students—whether we know it or not. Yet
undergraduate mathematics classrooms often remain silent on issues of gender and
sexual diversity. In this talk, I argue that visible, intentional acts of openness and support
can meaningfully shift that dynamic. Whether it’s being proudly visible as a 2SLGBTQIA+
ally or speaking openly about one’s own identity, even small gestures can help create a
classroom where students feel safer and more seen.
As a gay math professor, I’ll share what it was like to come out to my students and the unexpected ways it transformed our learning environment. I’ll offer practical strategies for instructors—regardless of their identity—to create more inclusive and affirming learning spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. Together, we’ll consider what it means to create a math classroom where all students feel safe to be themselves.
- KSENIYA GARASCHUK, University of the Fraser Valley
- CAROLINE JUNKINS, McMaster University
Building community in undergraduate mathematics with MacPRIME: barriers and opportunities in a diverse student population [PDF]
- CAROLINE JUNKINS, McMaster University
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The McMaster Peer-Run Inclusive Math Experience (MacPRIME) is a 4-week virtual bridge program for incoming undergraduate Math and Stats students at McMaster University. The goal of this program is to help students enhance their mathematical preparation, while at the same time learn to work collaboratively, navigate university, and build an inclusive community. In this talk, I will discuss how the program has developed over its first three years to meet the needs of our changing student population, including ideas for supporting International students, English Language learners, and students living far from campus. I will share feedback from MacPRIME student leaders and insights from interviews conducted by my collaborator Difei Zheng.
- BURCU TUNCER KARABINA, University of Waterloo
Embedding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in University Mathematics Courses: Past Strategies and Future Directions [PDF]
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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are essential to fostering a supportive and accessible learning environment in postsecondary mathematics education. However, implementing EDI principles in traditionally structured, especially heavily coordinated, math courses poses unique challenges. In this talk, I will share practical strategies I have adopted to embed EDI into the design and delivery of undergraduate math courses.
Drawing on examples from my own courses, I will discuss initiatives such as flexible assessment structures, inclusive content design, proactive student support systems, and tools for reducing math anxiety. I will also talk about the use of anonymous feedback, differentiated instruction, and community-building practices. Finally, I will outline future plans that aim to strengthen these efforts, including the integration of learning analytics to identify and close performance gaps and the development of targeted mental performance coaching to support student confidence and resilience in mathematical learning.
- SARAH MAYES-TANG, University of Toronto
Teaching the math of traditionally feminine domains: a case study with group theory and quilting [PDF]
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The typical, default contexts for examples in mathematics classrooms fall within traditionally masculine domains (e.g. sports, building, cars), while students express surprise when faced with contexts traditionally labelled are feminine (e.g. sewing, childcare) in their math classes, if they ever come up at all. This imbalance and our tendency to immediately think of masculine contexts has an impact on the development of mathematical identity among female students, potentially hindering their engagement in and pursuit of math. To address this issue, this talk will explore a novel pedagogical approach: a Community Engaged Learning partnership between an undergraduate group theory course and the York Heritage Quilters Guild. This initiative aims to illuminate the rich mathematical underpinnings of textiles, specifically leveraging the principles of symmetry and pattern generation inherent in quilting to illustrate core concepts in group theory. The talk will detail the design and implementation of this partnership, preliminary findings on its impact on student engagement and conceptual understanding and discuss the broader implications for diversifying mathematical experiences and fostering a more inclusive mathematical community.
- VANESSA RADZIMSKI, University of the Fraser Valley
Supporting Diversity Through Flexible Projects [PDF]
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Students enter our courses with diverse backgrounds, interests, and career goals. With prescribed curricula, what learning opportunities might help students connect course content to their own experiences and goals? In this talk, I will share my efforts towards developing flexible-form projects in undergraduate mathematics courses, highlighting two instances of these projects. The first, will be from a mathematics course targeted towards prospective elementary teachers. In these projects, students are free to choose the topic for the project but must ground the work in relevant mathematics education literature and themes of the course. Secondly, I will share the flexible projects utilized in two upper-year abstract algebra courses, where students extend their learning beyond the specified objectives of the course. With such flexibility, however, comes a need for boundaries and expectations. In both cases, I will detail how students are guided to align their diverse projects with general project objectives.
- ASMITA SODHI, University of Victoria
Day 1, Part 1 [PDF]
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The first day of class can be nerve-wracking/exciting/overwhelming for both students and instructors. On most of my first days as a student, about five minutes was given for the syllabus and then we got to work – while my friends in other disciplines had “syllabus days” that meant their classes ended far earlier than they were scheduled to finish. As an instructor, I’ve tried to find a middle ground for my first days: taking the time to welcome students to the course and into our shared learning space, and also getting some math done. In this talk, I’ll speak about the first part of my first class of the semester, and how I aim to lay the groundwork for a positive classroom environment for the rest of the term.