I will discuss some of the results of this experiment and the effect it has had on first year attrition rates. I will also discuss many of the techniques that I have personally infused into my classroom in response to the additional classroom time.

In this session, we will discuss a study of feasibility and effectiveness of two-stage quizzes as introduced into two mathematics courses at UBC with a total of 834 students. We examine both short and long term retention resulting from introducing group assessments, we analyze results of collaborative learning based on question type and group composition. Finally, we present student and instructor feedback as well as discuss future directions of implementation and research.

The biggest success of the course has been the students' final projects, where they must find some real-life problem that can be solved using Linear Algebra. Though none of these students are "math majors", some of these student projects have now been fully implemented: an Integer Program that assigns courses to professors to maximize preferences, as well as automated programs to produce 14-day schedules for a coffee shop in downtown Squamish (with 30 employees) and a trendy restaurant in downtown Victoria (with 25 employees).

I'll conclude by sharing how this inquiry-driven approach has allowed these undergraduates to engage more deeply with course content, where they are able to apply Linear Algebra to inspire change on the issues that matter to them.

In this talk, I will give an overview of the workshop and the feedback provided by participants. I will also discuss research by Mesa and Chang which motivated the theme of language and the more technical recommendations for the appropriate use of heterogloss voice to promote and/or steer classroom discussion.

The humanities and creative arts use a wonderfully “human” curriculum model that is not found in school mathematics. This model begins with the discussion and study of significant works of art and more from there to the creative processes of analysis, reconstruction and even reinvention. Along the way, essential technical skills are developed and practised. Mathematics turns this process around. There are wonderful works of art found in mathematics but school curricula begin with an agenda (often referred to as a laundry list) of technical skills with the ultimate intention of moving on to these works once technical mastery has been achieved. Alas, this grinding mastery turns out to be a slow and deadly process and most often the art and much of the meaning never appear, though the survivors are promised that these will be delivered in university. We discuss the possibilities for a “works of art” model in school mathematics and present an example from the Ontario Grade 10 curriculum.