Using Analytics to Support Instructor Reflection on Student Participation in a Discourse-Focused Undergraduate Mathematics Classroom

Abstract

This paper describes a method for using instructional analytics to support changes in teaching practice. The study took place in a discourse-focused undergraduate mathematics classroom taught by an experienced instructor. Using the classroom observation tool EQUIP and social network surveys, we generated quantitative data on patterns of student participation in this classroom that were presented to the instructor at the end of the semester. Our analysis focuses on how the instructor made sense of these analytics and ultimately changed his teaching practices in a future semester. This paper provides insight into how three data sources can be triangulated—classroom participation, student experiences, and teacher perspective—to better understand discourse-based participation in undergraduate mathematics. We also discuss the implications of using this methodology for faculty professional development.