The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, has named Robert Mayes, a former WVU faculty member in mathematics, to serve as director of the new Institute for Math Learning. Created in January, the institutes mission is to provide leadership and innovation in mathematics education for the university, state, and nation.
“WVU has taken a progressive leadership role with the establishment of the IML in changing mathematics education,”Mayes says.”I wanted to be a part of the initiative and I am honored to have been named director of the institute.”
Mayes came to WVU in 1989 as an assistant professor of mathematics, but left four years later to develop a doctoral program in mathematics education at the University of Northern Colorado. While there, he also directed the Mathematics and Science Teaching Center.
Recently he collaborated on a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to integrate current research in mathematics and science into high school classrooms through the work of graduate students in these disciplines. WVU has a similar program, known as the TIGERS project, in several state middle schools.
Mayes specializes in the use of technology and mathematical modeling in the teaching and learning of mathematics, teaching satellite television courses, and curricular revision. His numerous professional and scholar publications and presentations have focused on the application of the computers as a tool in the construction of conceptual understanding of college algebra concepts and on the effects of writing and mathematical modeling on student learning.
“The immediate goal of the IML is to improve learning and teaching in pre-calculus mathematics courses at WVU , including Math 124, 126, 128, and 129 for the fall of 2001. All of these courses will integrate computer laboratories with classroom instruction to actively engage students in learning mathematics,”Mayes says.
Mayes has already developed a vision of what he wishes the center to accomplish over a period of time. His long-term goals include: (1) implementing research-based changes in the teaching of pre-calculus, calculus, and mathematics courses for K-12 teachers (2) reaching out to West Virginia K-12 teachers (3) developing curricular materials (4) increasing the use of technology in the teaching of mathematics in schools across the state (5) conducting research into student learning styles and effective teaching techniques (6) attaining grants to support mathematics education projects on both the K-12 and undergraduate levels.
He earned a B.A. in mathematics education and a M.S. in mathematics from Emporia State University and his Ph.D. in mathematics education from Kansas State.