PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Every mathematics class is online: Students’ use of internet resources for self-directed learning
Page: 168
Undergraduate students make extensive use of online resources in lower-division mathematics classes. This explanatory mixed method study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) explores how and why these students are using online resources for their self-directed learning in mathematics courses. Using a survey of 108 students from 13 2-year and 4-year colleges and 26 follow-up interviews, we identify the most commonly used online resources, self-reported description of how these resources are used, and students’ perceptions of best practices as well as their concerns about maladaptive practices. We use an Activity Theory framework (Engeström, 1999) that directs our attention to the role that tools play in students’ development over time and how these tools are leveraged to achieve learning goals. Our findings reveal undergraduate students as thoughtful and deliberate learners who make extensive use of online resources to help navigate the challenges of higher education.