PROOF (Practices for Research-based Outcomes in Open and Flexible Teaching)
is part of the MfA (Mathematics for All) grant whose main purpose is to share new innovation strategies for teaching math courses, and strengthen the sense of community within the Department.
For the Fall 25 and Spring 26 semesters, PROOF grant activities include:
- Faculty Retreats.
- Virtual Teaching Spotlights.
- Book Club.
In addition, there are also funds that can be used to support Faculty when traveling to local conferences.
Please feel free to reach out to Sheila Tabanli and Mariano Echeverria (co-founders of PROOF and current co-PIs) with any questions or comments.
SPRING 2026 Activities
Monday, March 2nd from 3:00-4:00pm - Regan A. R. Gurung, Ph. D. Leveraging Science for Effective Teaching and Learning
Effective- Evidence Based Teaching (slides)
Abstract: In this talk, Dr. Gurung will synthesize key research on evidence-based teaching and effective student study strategies, offering practical and pragmatic ways to align our instructional practices with what science tells us about how students learn best. His work bridges social, health, and pedagogical psychology, and his scholarship—including Teach Like a Champ (with Elizabeth Yost Hammer) and Study Like a Champ (with John Dunlosky)—has influenced teaching and learning conversations nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of the American Psychological Foundation’s Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching in Psychology, as well as multiple university-wide teaching honors.
Monday, March 30th from 3:00-4:00pm – Matt Charnley, Ph. D. Training new Teaching Assistants
Abstract: As a part of the PhD program, all graduate students are required to take a Teaching Training Seminar in the spring of their first year, which I facilitate. This seminar is meant to prepare them for working as Teaching Assistants in future semesters, as well as for any teaching that they will do in the future. In this talk, I'll share some of the goals and structure of the seminar, how it is meant to accomplish these goals, and how it has changed over the last 5 years.
https://rutgers.zoom.us/j/92995844588?pwd=zga89vLcM31CuuTZc2OI6IcantYEQP.1
Saturday, April 11th from 12:00-2:00pm in person meeting CAC
Friday, April 24th from 3:00-4:00pm - Mindy Wey: Two Campuses, One Classroom: Understanding Transfer Students in Mathematics
Friday, May 1st from 3:00-4:00pm –Jeffrey A. Greene, Ph.D. Leveraging Learning Analytics to Support College Student Self-Regulation and Learning
Increasing pressures for efficiency and economy of scale have led to larger and larger class sizes in higher education. In such classes, it can be difficult for educators to identify students in need of support until after a major assessment event that can threaten students’ progress and identity. In this presentation, Dr. Jeff Greene will discuss how learning analytics can be used ethically to unobtrusively assess students’ self-regulated learning behaviors and then predict which students would benefit from support, before major assessment events. Then, Dr. Greene will discuss science of learning to learn interventions designed to help these students succeed, as well as how they can be deployed in effective and scalable ways.
Faculty event on Sat, Sept 27, 2025
An Interdisciplinary Math Course Supporting Student Success Dr. Sheila Tabanli discusses an interdisciplinary, hybrid course model (Math 125) designed to support student success through research-driven pedagogy rather than traditional content delivery.
Highlights include:
* Addressing the “expert blind spot” in faculty teaching
* Emphasizing belonging, resilience, and student-centered learning
* Introducing her RR2PG framework (Reducing Research-to-Practice Gap)
* Sharing student outcome data: GPA increases and DFW rate reductions
* Integrating cognitive science tools like retrieval practice and metacognition
The talk argues that structured pedagogy and SEL-based support can dramatically improve persistence in STEM.
Fall Teaching Showcase – Celebrating Math Teaching & Innovation!
🗓 Date: Friday, December 12
🕓 Time: 12–2pm
📍 Location: Academic Building – West Wing, Room 6051
We’re looking forward to coming together to celebrate the creativity and innovation happening across our classrooms. The showcase will feature short presentations on teaching practices, active learning experiments, inclusive strategies, AI tools, and other small-but-impactful approaches faculty have tried this semester. You’re welcome to prepare slides or a poster, or simply attend and give a brief spotlight talk.
Thanks to financial support from Math for All (MfA), we will be offering lunch for all participants. For logistics and food planning, we kindly ask that you let us know whether you will be attending and whether you plan to present using this short form by December 5th.
We look forward to an energizing afternoon of community, conversation, and math-inspired surprises!
Warm regards,
Sheila Tabanli & Mariano Echeverria
TALK DESCRIPTIONS
Standards-Based Grading in Differential Equations: Matt Charnley describes a standards-based grading system for a Differential Equations course. The course is organized into 25 learning objectives, and students earn up to three checkmarks per objective through quizzes and exams.
Key features include:
* Quizzes and exams serve as reassessment opportunities
* Students can correct small mistakes through resubmissions
* Larger errors require new attempts on future assessments
* Final grades depend on total checkmarks earned
He also shares student feedback and ongoing challenges, such as grading workload and improving student buy-in.
Teaching Practices That Capture Students’ Attention by Connecting Data Science to Calculus: Veronica Kalicki presents strategies for increasing engagement in Math 135 Calculus by showing students how calculus underpins modern data science.
Main teaching practices include:
* Mini “data motifs” (CO₂ trends, stock curves, temperature change)
* Data-science framed problem statements (prediction, optimization, ML gradients)
* Visual-first instruction using tools like Desmos
* Prediction activities and inquiry prompts
* Career connections from fintech, NSA analytics, and defense
Her thesis: Students engage more when calculus is presented as the language of data, prediction, and optimization.
An Interdisciplinary Math Course Supporting Student Success Dr. Sheila Tabanli discusses an interdisciplinary, hybrid course model (Math 125) designed to support student success through research-driven pedagogy rather than traditional content delivery.
Highlights include:
* Addressing the “expert blind spot” in faculty teaching
* Emphasizing belonging, resilience, and student-centered learning
* Introducing her RR2PG framework (Reducing Research-to-Practice Gap)
* Sharing student outcome data: GPA increases and DFW rate reductions
* Integrating cognitive science tools like retrieval practice and metacognition
The talk argues that structured pedagogy and SEL-based support can dramatically improve persistence in STEM.
Mindsets: Chess to Mathematics Las Goonetilleke explores growth vs. fixed mindset through parallels between chess learning and mathematics learning.
Key points:
* Students often believe talent is innate (“math brain” myth)
* Similar mindset barriers appear in chess (fear of failure, defensiveness)
* Emphasizes the importance of the word “yet” in learning
* Encourages rewarding risk-taking and learning from mistakes
Includes references to the Chess in Education Conference and mindset frameworks.
Encouraging Student Reflection Using Exam Wrappers and Corrections Laurent Vera presents a reflective assessment strategy using exam wrappers and structured exam corrections.
Exam wrappers include:
* Student surveys about study strategies
* Self-analysis of types of mistakes
* Planning changes for future exams
Exam corrections allow students to regain credit by:
* Explaining their mistakes clearly
* Submitting fully correct handwritten solutions
Goal: improve metacognition and learning from assessment feedback.
Growth Mindset: Normalizing Mistakes Rasha Abadir emphasizes normalizing mistakes as a core teaching practice to foster growth mindset.
Main themes:
* Setting a supportive tone from day one
* Creating a safe space for student ideas
* Modeling vulnerability as an instructor
* Consistency in encouraging productive struggle
Though brief, the presentation centers on building classroom culture around learning through error.
VIRTUAL TEACHING SPOTLIGHTS:
Teaching Real Analysis as a Game (Alex Kontorovich)
Time: Nov 6, 2025 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J_LCQUFX-s