Advancing community college teaching and interventions in mathematics

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) received a $581,955 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), awarded October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2030. This Level 3 Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) collaborative project, conducted in partnership with Randolph Community College and Chandler-Gilbert Community College, develops and delivers multiple products designed to advance evidence-based teaching methodologies in precalculus algebra courses nationwide. The primary deliverables include: (1) creation, modification, and curation of open educational resources (OER) specifically tailored for active learning in precalculus algebra; (2) production and distribution of a multi-episode documentary showcasing active learning techniques in community college settings with perspectives from both instructors and students; and (3) design and delivery of online professional development programming.

The project addresses persistent barriers to mathematics success at community colleges by equipping instructors with tools, resources, and sustained support to transition from traditional lecture-based instruction to student-centered, active learning approaches. By focusing on instructor needs during this pedagogical transition and demonstrating how active learning can improve student engagement and outcomes, the initiative aims to enhance student success, retention, and persistence while reducing mathematics as a barrier to STEM degree completion among the community college population.

Abstract

This level 3 iuse project, a collaborative effort between randolph community college and chandler-gilbert community college, aims to address persistent challenges in undergraduate mathematics education. Specifically, this project looks to accelerate the adoption of active, evidence-based teaching strategies in community college precalculus algebra courses nationwide. Many students, particularly at community colleges, encounter barriers in foundational mathematics courses that can hinder their progression into stem fields. This project will equip instructors with the tools, resources, and support to transition from passive, lecture-based methods to more engaging and effective student-centered approaches. This project will develop and refine high-quality open educational resources (OER) for precalculus algebra tailored for active learning, produce an innovative multi-episode expository documentary showcasing active learning in a community college setting, and develop online professional development. By fostering a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and enhancing student engagement, this project endeavors to improve student success, retention, and persistence and reduce mathematics as a challenge to stem success. This project aims to explore how mathematics instructors transition from lecture-based instruction to active learning methods in community college settings. Project activities will highlight the critical support instructors need to transition to student-centered active learning that have demonstrated potential to support positive student outcomes. This project will achieve its goals in four ways: (1) creating, modifying, and curating oers for precalculus algebra; (2) producing and sharing a documentary that captures active learning techniques, features instructor and student perspectives, and highlights the transformation of teaching practices; (3) designing and delivering online professional development to train instructors in implementing these strategies effectively; and (4) conducting mixed-methods research to investigate how mathematics instructors transition to active learning, identify crucial support mechanisms, and explore how the project documentary and professional development drive instructional change. Data collection will involve faculty surveys, classroom observations, and interviews. The NSF iuse: EDU program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of stem education for all students. Through the engaged student learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.