Empowering Service-Learners through STEM
Authors: Dr. Gracia Toubia-Stuckey and Dr. Laura Lynch
Abstract:
In the Department of Mathematics, the integration of service-learning (SL) into coursework has elevated the student perception of mathematics and its utility in their lives. We have integrated SL into a number of courses--most notably, Probability and Statistics and History of Mathematics. In Probability and Statistics, a recommended course for all CCGA students majoring in non-STEM disciplines, students address various needs of local organizations (mostly non-profit) and are themselves challenged by a wide range of problems: from setting-up databases to developing, taking and analyzing surveys and automating survey-taking processes. In History of Mathematics, a course required by all CCGA students majoring in mathematics, students are challenged to share unique historical perspectives of various mathematics topics, including robotics, with high school students. The interaction promotes the recruitment of high school students into STEM disciplines.
