PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Mathematics on the internet: Charting a hidden curriculum
Page: 884
I report on a pilot study for an explanatory multi-method (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) research project that examines how undergraduate students in mathematics courses make use of online resources in order to assist with their studies. A survey of 42 students in a diverse undergraduate institution along with 4 semi-structured follow-up interviews were used to collect preliminary data on how these undergraduates make use of the internet as well as to test the data collection protocol. Initial findings suggest that students make use of online resources (beyond those assigned by the instructor) extensively and to a greater extent than in other subject areas. I also report on which resources are being used by students and find evidence of two distinct ways in which these resources are being employed. Questions will be posed about how an expanded follow-up study can best be of service to the mathematics education research community.