Abstract
A multi-section coordinated math-for-social-sciences course was redesigned over several semesters within the context (and constraints/culture) of a U.S. doctoral university with very high research activity and informed by a course coordination framework. Changes were made in the following areas: Structure, Content, Resources, Assessments, and Policies. Analysis of surveys about student appreciation of the course features yielded three overarching themes: salience of resource (location of the resource, familiarity of the resource type), policies supporting student success (via on-demand flexibility and grade improvement opportunity), and instructor impact/role in the course. Concrete recommendations on how to navigate the tensions of innovation in a constrained environment are provided that could also be applied to other multi-section coordinated courses in mathematics (e.g., calculus) as well as in STEM (e.g., physics, biology, chemistry), and even secondary school settings.
Keywords
mathematics and the social sciences, course coordination, institutional culture, STEM education, course redesign
How to Cite
Patterson, S. B. & Lesser, L. M., (2026) “Lessons Learned from Redesigning a Coordinated Multi-section Math-for-Social-Sciences Course at a Research University”, Ohio Journal of School Mathematics 103(1): 11, 117-143. doi: https://doi.org/10.18061/ojsm.6942
