PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Categorizing professors’ feedback student proofs in abstract algebra and real analysis
Page: 568
Mathematics faculty spend considerable time scoring and providing feedback on student-generated proofs. Yet there is very little research on the feedback professors provide on proofs during the grading process. In this paper, we discuss a coding scheme developed for categorizing the feedback professors write on student-generated proofs in abstract algebra and real analysis. We then explore the types of annotations that professors make on student proof attempts. The results show that professors generously use annotations (like checkmarks) as informal grading tools or to signify things they have read when grading, most feedback focuses on a particular part of the proof that is no more than a few lines, and the majority of feedback does not convey why the feedback was given.