Developing and Implementing a
Technology Plan for Educators

Ed Conjura
Professor of Mathematics
The College of New Jersey

Subtitle: Getting the Horse to the Trough
             is sometimes much easier than getting 
             It to Drink

Overview of Presentation:
	-My Background and TCNJ
	-Definition of a Technology Plan
	-Phasing in the Process
	-Information Gathering and Analysis
		1. Create Faculty Technology Profiles
		2. Identify Key Courses
		3. Determine the Status Quo
		4. Identify Key Faculty
		5. Input from Students and Employers
	-Where we are and where we are going
	-Questions and Comments

My Background and TCNJ
           -PhD in Functional Analysis (Operator Theory)
         
	-Programming experience in Fortran, APL, PL/I, 
	 Forth, Pascal, Basic, C, C++, Mathematica, 
	 Matlab, Visual Basic, Java, etc.
          
           -First Exposure to Mathematica
              Rocky Mountain Mathematica
              Run by Stan Wagon & Ed Packel
           		in Frisco, Colorado Summer 1999 & 2000

The College of New Jersey 
          (approximate enrollment 6,600 & 355 full-time faculty)
              Schools of Science, Engineering, Business, 
              Social Sciences, Humanities, Art & Music, and Nursing
              
          The Department of Mathematics and Statistics
          (approximate enrollment 300 & 23 tenure track faculty)
              Specializations in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics,
              Statistics & Mathematics Education

Definition of a Technology Plan (mine)
	A working document that is backed by consistent 
	and on-going effort that is designed to help infuse
	technologies (such as Mathematica) into classroom
	instruction and guided student research.
	
	Key Ingredient:
		-SetTechnology Competency Guidelines
		-Outside and Inside Help
		-A Driving Force

Technology Competency Guidelines
	-Define Levels of Competency
		Level 1: Exposure to technology with a focus on visualization, 
		             its use as an aid in learning through demonstration,
		             its use in doing complicated computations, and its
		             use for solving complex mathematical problems.
		             Note: The focus at level 1 is not on the assessment
		                       of student mastery.
		             
		Level 2: Technology will be integrated into the entire learning
		             process. Students are taught how to use technology in
		             their study of mathematics and statistics and will be 
		             expected to demonstrate mastery of nontrivial concepts 
		             through a formal assessment process.
		             
		Level 3: Students will be able to apply technology to solve
		             difficult and possibly open ended problems, design 
		             algorithms, and implement algorithms to produce 
		             a working solution to a problem

Outside and Inside Help
	1. Have a Dean who is willing to add a 4th hour 
	    to a course for the purpose of incorporating
	    technology into the course
	   
	2. Have people at Wolfram like Andy Dorsett 
	    who comes to campus and offers seminars 
	    for faculty on Mathematica and helped my 
	    request to the Dean to approve money 
	    for a student download licensing agreement.
	    
	3, Have faculty who are wiling to help with information 
	    gathering and coordination

A Driving Force
	Find someone, perhaps yourself, who will be willing 
	to put in the extra time and effort needed to make 
	a technology plan work

Phasing in the Process
	 2002-2004 How Not to Start:  NSF CCLI Grant to
	 “Introduce Software Tools into Linear Algebra and
	  Principles of Mathematics”
	Note: “Principles of Mathematics” is now titled 
	         “Proof Writing Through Discrete Mathematics”
	
	2005-2009 Nothing
	
	2010 First draft of Technology Guidelines 
	
	2011-2012 Level 1 plan designed and partially implemented
	
	2013-2016 Level 1 plan continued and Level 2 plan begun
	
	2017 Level 1 & 2 plans continue with first phase of 
	        Level 3 plan

Information Gathering and Analysis

 		1. Create Faculty Technology Profiles
 		
		2. Identify Key Courses
		
		3. Determine the Status Quo
		
		4. Identify Key Faculty
		
		5. Feeback from Students and Employers

1. Create Faculty Technology Profiles
		Pre-Level 1 Plan Implementation
		
		(i). Have each faculty member complete a survey 
		     on knowledge base and level of understanding 
		     
		(ii) Conduct a follow-up personal interview to
		     help assess levels of knowledge and 
		     apprehensions/fears/lack-of-enthusiasm.

2. Identify Key Courses
		Level 1 Courses (Partial List)
                               Mat 127: Calc A
                               Mat 128: Calc B
                               Mat 205: Linear Algebra
                               
                    Level 2 Courses (Partial List)
                               Mat229: Calc C
                  	         Mat 301: Number Theory
                  	         Mat 326: Ordinary Differential Equations
                  	         
                   Level 3 Courses
                   	          Mat341: Computational Mathematics
                   	          Mat498: Applied Mathematics Capstone

3. Determine the Status Quo
		Survey all instructors (including adjunct faculty) 
		of a key course asking them what type of 
		technology they use in the teaching of the 
		course and to provide sample assignments and
		test questions related to the use of technology 
		and how it plays a role in student assessment.

4. Identify Key Faculty
                             Current Status
                             	-Faculty Coordinator for Calc A & B
                             	
                             	-Faculty Coordinator for Calc C
                             	
                             	-Faculty Coordinator for 
                             	                    Intro Stat Courses
                             	                    
                             	-Faculty Coordinator for Number Theory

5. Feedback from Students and Employers
                   -Obtain feedback from our 
                        Student Advisory Board
                   
                   -Design questions on the Senior Exit Survey 
                    that address the Department’s effectiveness 
                    in its use of technology in teaching and 
                    student research
                    
                   -Part of the feedback received from the 
                    employer supervisor of our students 
                    who take Internship for credit involves 
                    evaluation of the student’s level of 
                    technology preparation and asks  for
                    recommendations on how we might 
                    improve in their training.

Where we Are and where we are Going

	We at The College of New Jersey have come a Long 
	Way on a sometimes Very Rough Road and the 
	end is NOT in Sight, but I have always believed 
	that Patience is a Virtue!

Questions and Comments

Mat341: Computational Mathematics
             Prereqs: Calculus, Linear Algebra and 
                          Proof Writing through Discrete Mathematics
                          
            Note: All but Topic 5 are taught using Mathematica              
         Topic 1: An Introduction To Mathematica
	Topic 2: Functions and Programming
	Topic 3: Lists and Sets
	Topic 4: Counting and Some Number Theoory
	Topic 5: Excel/VBA 
	Topic 6: Numerical Problems 
	Topic 7: Some Linear Algebra Concepts
	Topic 8: Determinants
	Topic 9: Some Differential Equations using Linear Algebra
	Topic 10: Numerical Approximations to 
	              Ordinary Differential Equations
	Topic 11: Monte Carlo Methods
	Topic 12: Graphs and Trees
	Topic 13: Searching and Sorting