PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Examining questions as written feedback in undergraduate proof-writing mathematics courses
Page: 264
The practice of providing written feedback on an undergraduate student’s proof in the form of asking questions is striking in that professors do not know whether the student attempts to answer the questions. This phenomenon leads us to investigate the reasons why professors ask questions as written feedback. We analyze the written questions of four professors teaching abstract algebra and real analysis at a medium-sized, rural, comprehensive public university in the northeast. We find that these four professors most frequently ask questions that either seek further explanation from students or address a mathematical detail within their proof. In some cases, the professors answer the questions they ask as written feedback. Overall, the professors ask questions as written feedback to encourage students’ thinking, thereby engaging students in the proof-writing process and improving the students’ proof production skills.