PROCEEDINGS OF THE 20TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2017
San Diego, California
Characterizing the nature of introduction to proof courses: A survey of R1 and R2 institutions acrosstheUS
Page: 528
A number of institutions with mathematics programs offer introduction to proof courses in order to ease mathematics students’ transition from primarily calculation-based courses to proof- centered courses. However, unlike most tertiary mathematics courses, whose mathematical content is directly implied by their course titles, introduction to proof courses may vary in terms of the mathematics content discussed. In this study we document the variation in content of introduction to proof courses. This is achieved by examining recent syllabi and other relevant course documents from introduction to proof courses at 179 R1/R2 universities across the United States. The various types of content used in these courses are discussed. We describe the 15 categories of ITP courses that emerged from the course information we collected and offer our categories as a framework for classifying ITP courses or students in future studies.