PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mathematicians’ grading of proofs with gaps
Page: 1110
In this study, we presented nine mathematics professors with three proofs containing gaps and asked the professors to assign the proofs a grade in the context of a transition-to-proof course. We found that the participants frequently deducted points from proofs that were correct and assigned grades based on their perceptions of how well students understood the proofs. The professors also indicated that they expected lecture proofs in the transition-to- proof course to have the same rigor as those demanded of students, but lecture proofs could be less rigorous than the rigor demanded of students in advanced mathematics courses. This presentation will focus on participants’ rationales for these beliefs.