Review and Evaluation of Baccalaureate Programs in Mathematics at UBCV

The Mathematics Department offers several baccalaureate programs, tailored to the needs and intentions of students. We offer Major and Honours degrees in both Arts (B.A.) and Science (B.Sc.), a Dual Degree in Mathematics and Education, and an elite Combined Major in Economics and Mathematics. We collaborate with Statistics and Computer Science to deliver the Major in Mathematical Sciences.

In this project, we will articulate a shared core of learning outcomes for all mathematics programs, and identify a set of competencies shared by all of our graduates. Given the expectation that our graduates will bring their competencies to bear in their future careers, we will also examine how well the learning experiences in MATH courses prepare students to use their knowledge of mathematics in new contexts.

Mathematics is about conceptual structures, reasoning, and proof; applications and algorithms link into every member of this trio. The proportional roles of these elements differ in various circumstances. This leads to a critical issue for designing our programs: how shall we balance experiences in which students learn how to understand the inner workings of the mathematics they study, and experiences in which their conceptual facility is transformed into computational skills and the ability to deploy their mathematical knowledge and problem-solving skills in complex new situations? This question naturally considers the relationships between the competencies for our graduates to have and the learning experiences we provide them in our programs. It will animate discussions between faculty, and between faculty, students, and alumni.

Philip Loewen, Professor and Head, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Young-Heon Kim, Project Co-Lead / Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Elyse Yeager, Project Co-Lead / Instructor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Eric Cytrynbaum, Associate Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Joel Feldman, Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Costanza Piccolo, Instructor / Math-CWSEI Director, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Andrew Rechnitzer, Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Patrick Walls, Instructor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Matt Coles, Science Education Specialist, Mathematics and Skylight, Faculty of Science
Mark Mac Lean, Professor of Teaching / Undergraduate Chair, Mathematics, Faculty of Science

Philip Loewen, Professor and Head, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Young-Heon Kim, Project Co-Lead / Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Elyse Yeager, Project Co-Lead / Instructor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Eric Cytrynbaum, Associate Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Khanh Dao Duc, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Greg Martin, Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Costanza Piccolo, Instructor / Math-CWSEI Director, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Andrew Rechnitzer, Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Geoffrey Schiebinger, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Patrick Walls, Instructor, Mathematics, Faculty of Science
Matt Coles, Science Education Specialist, Mathematics and Skylight, Faculty of Science