Resource Suite Instruction
One purpose of the College Mathematics Instructors Development Source (CoMInDS) is to provide readily accessible resources for teaching-related professional development (PD) for college mathematics instructors. In order to meet this goal, we have created a Resource Suite that contains activities, assignments, readings, etc. that providers of PD can use.
The resource suite currently has contributions from members of the CoMInDS community. Its continued success depends on having a wide variety of resources that are current and useful. The following information offers an overview of, and directions for the process for signing up for MAA Connect, browsing resources, and submitting items.
Sign Up for MAA Connect
Step 1 – Navigate to https://connect.maa.org/home: Enter the address in your web browser and hit enter. You’ll see information about upcoming events and latest discussions on the landing page.
Step 2 – Sign-in: Click “sign-in” on the MAA Connect landing page. It will take you to a login page that connects with the MAA member database.
- If you are an MAA member enter your web credentials to log in. Skip to Step 5 – Setting up your profile.
- If you are not an MAA member, select “Create an account.” We suggest opening in a new tab! This will take you to the MAA website where you can register for an account!
Step 3 – Register for an account: Complete the form that asks you for your credentials including your address for your institution. Make sure you enter an email address that you actively use and make a note of your username and password. Then hit submit and you should get a “successful message!” It may take 2-5 minutes for your account to be created in the MAA database. Once you have completed the registration process, you will receive an email describing how to login and verify your account.
Step 4 – Logging in: Go back to the MAA Connect login page and enter your new username and password as your login credentials.
Step 5 – Setting up your profile: There is a welcome video on the MAA Connect landing page (also to the right) with details of how to set up your profile, add a profile picture and select your communication preferences (i.e. discussion post summaries via email and notification settings). This video guide also illustrates how to sign up and to familiarize yourself with the platform.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgt4cf-eB3c&t=52s
You can also download the “Getting Started” guide from the MAA landing page at https://connect.maa.org/home.
For help signing up, reach out to communities@maa.org.
Join The CoMInDS Community
Step 1 – Navigate to “Communities” on the horizontal teal menu bar.
Step 2 – Select “All Communities”: This will take you to the list of MAA Connect communities that you can join.
Step 3 – Join the CoMInDS community: Scroll down to “College Math Instructor Development source (COMInDS) and click the button that says “Join”.
Step 4 – Select your notification preference: You will see a box that prompts you to select preferences for email notifications you can receive when community members make contributions. We suggest using the daily or weekly digest options.
For help joining the CoMInDS community, reach out to communities@maa.org.
Browse Resources
Step 1 – Navigate to the CoMInDS Community page in MAA Connect.
Step 2 – Select “Library” from the Community page menu.
Step 3 – Locate the curated collection folder: Near the bottom of the page you will see a folder structure (see image below) with folders on the left and folder contents on the right. Select the subfolders “CuratedCollection” and “InstructionalResource” to see subfolders organized by resource type.
Step 4 – Browse the subfolders or search using the search bar: When you select a subfolder, its contents will populate a list of contents to the right of the folder structure. Alternatively, you can use the search bar further up on the page to browse resources by key phrase or by author.
Still need help navigating the resources provided on MAA Connect? Create a discussion post letting us know what you are looking for and we can help you track it down!
Submit Resources
In order for the submissions to have a uniform format and for them to include key information in a consistent manner, we have created a google form in which you can put the pertinent information about the resource you are contributing. That form can either be found here (tinyurl.com/CoMInDSresourcesuiteFORM), or by selecting the button at the top-right of this screen.
Please note that we expect intellectual credit to be attributed properly. Thus, the form includes questions about authorship and the role of the submitter in the resource.
Brief Overview of the Submission Process
After you complete the Submission Form, a member of the CoMInDS Resource Suite Editorial Board will do an initial review, which will address issues such as clarity and completeness of the submission. They will contact you with requests for clarification or for additional information and you should feel free to ask for clarification. After they have received your revisions and have formatted the information about the resource, they will contact you again so you can review the submission before it is added to the CoMInDS Resource Suite.
If you have any questions, please contact cominds@maa.org.
Brief Overview of the Submission Form
The following diagram outlines the types of submissions you may consider contributing.
Associated with each of these branches is a set of questions to be answered by you, the submitter of the resource. In case you would like to see the questions we ask in the form before filling it out, we have examples of the questions for Activity, Assignment, or Syllabus submissions. You can find these questions below, and if you would like to create your own Google Doc version of these questions before filling out the official form, please select the correct option to the right.
For example, if you want to submit an activity, you first answer the questions for any Submission (e.g., your contact information), then the questions for an Instructional Resource (e.g., context in which the resource is used), and then for an Activity (e.g., a synopsis and goals of the activity).
We imagine there may be products you would like to submit that you will have difficulty deciding what type of resource it is. Don’t worry too much because members of the CoMInDS Resource Suite Editorial Committee will be able to help you with these decisions.
Activities (for use in class)
Your FIRST name
Your LAST name
Email Address
Has the resource you are submitting been published (or made available publicly in some other way, such as via a website) previously?
[Yes/No/I am not sure]
What is the citation or source for the resource?
Which of the following describes your role in this submission?
[I am submitting a resource that someone else created OR I am submitting a resource that I had some role in creating or adapting]
[Then the submission form branches to additional questions about authorship to ensure that intellectual credit is properly attributed]
Title
Abstract
[Include a 180-character description of the resource you are submitting.]
Experience level of instructions
[Describe the level of experience of the instructors with whom you use this resource (check all that apply). REMEMBER: “instructor” refers to novice college math instructors (e.g., TAs) as well as those who are instructors of record or other instructors of college mathematics.]
Type of department
[In what type of department have you (or other authors) used this resource? Check all that apply: Master’s degree granting; Doctoral degree granting.]
Institution or program the resource is associated with
[That is, what is the name of the institution where this resource was used?]
Teaching responsibilities of the instructors
[Describe the teaching responsibilities for whom the resource was designed (check all that apply): Instructor of record; Teaching assistant/recitation/discussion section leader; Tutors; Peer teaching mentors; Other.]
Timing
[When is or could this classroom resource be used? Check all that apply: Prior to teaching; Beginning of the term; Middle of the term; End of the term.]
Synopsis of Activity
[Describe major components of this activity (e.g., what do the facilitator and participants do during this activity?)]
Goals of Activity
[Describe what participants have opportunities to learn/learn about from doing this activity (e.g., what do participants learn from doing this activity?)]
Delivery mechanism(s) for Activity
[In which ways have YOU USED this activity? Check all that apply: Face-to-face (e.g., group seminar or workshop); One-on-one (e.g., as part of a mentoring program); Online – synchronous; Online – asynchronous.]
Duration of Activity
[What is the approximate duration of this activity (i.e., how long does it take to complete this activity)? Provide your answer in minutes or as a range of minutes.]
LESSON PLAN
Preparatory work (e.g., homework to be done BEFORE this activity)
[Is there a homework (or other type of preparatory) assignment that participants complete before doing this activity? If so, describe it.]
Materials for Activity
[What materials are needed to do this activity? For example, handouts, sample student work, index cards, etc.]
Introduction for Activity
[How do you introduce the activity? In particular, what do you do and/or say to prepare participants to do the activity? This may include what you do to help participants understand the reasons for doing the activity.]
Directions for use of Activity
[Provide a chronological list of what you and participants do during the activity. Include details and advice to help other facilitators who will be using the activity for the first time. This is your opportunity to pass along the wisdom you have gained from creating/using this activity.]
Summary/Closure for Activity
[If not included in the previous section, describe what you do to provide a summary and/or closure to the activity. In other words, what do you do to bring the activity to an end? What is the main point (or points) that you want participants to understand by the end of the activity?]
Assessment
[What, if anything, do you do to assess what participants have learned from this activity/assignment/reading?]
Homework
[Are there homework, assignments, activities or readings you do as an extension of this activity/assignment/reading? If so, please describe.]
Upload any supporting documents for your resource.
Key words that describe your resource.
Is this resource closely associated with another resource(s) in the suite (contributed by you or someone else)? If yes, please provide the author’s name and/or title of the resource(s).
Assignments (for use outside of class)
Your FIRST name
Your LAST name
Email Address
Has the resource you are submitting been published (or made available publicly in some other way, such as via a website) previously?
[Yes/No/I am not sure]
What is the citation or source for the resource?
Which of the following describes your role in this submission?
[I am submitting a resource that someone else created OR I am submitting a resource that I had some role in creating or adapting]
[Then the submission form branches to additional questions about authorship to ensure that intellectual credit is properly attributed]
Title
Abstract
[Include a 180-character description of the resource you are submitting.]
Experience level of instructions
[Describe the level of experience of the instructors with whom you use this resource (check all that apply). REMEMBER: “instructor” refers to novice college math instructors (e.g., TAs) as well as those who are instructors of record or other instructors of college mathematics.]
Type of department
[In what type of department have you (or other authors) used this resource? Check all that apply: Master’s degree granting; Doctoral degree granting.]
Institution or program the resource is associated with
[That is, what is the name of the institution where this resource was used?]
Teaching responsibilities of the instructors
[Describe the teaching responsibilities for whom the resource was designed (check all that apply): Instructor of record; Teaching assistant/recitation/discussion section leader; Tutors; Peer teaching mentors; Other.]
Timing
[When is or could this classroom resource be used? Check all that apply: Prior to teaching; Beginning of the term; Middle of the term; End of the term.]
Synopsis of Assignment
[Describe major components of this assignment (e.g., what do the participants do to complete this assignment?)]
Goals of Assignment
[Describe what participants have opportunities to learn/learn about from doing this assignment (e.g., what do participants learn from doing this assignment?)]
Delivery mechanism(s) for Assignment
[In which ways have YOU USED this activity? Check all that apply: Face-to-face (e.g., group seminar or workshop); One-on-one (e.g., as part of a mentoring program); Online – synchronous; Online – asynchronous]
Duration of Assignment
[What is the approximate duration of this assignment (i.e., how long does it take participants to complete this assignment)? Provide your answer in minutes or as a range of minutes.]
Directions for participants for Assignment
[If you are NOT uploading a separate file that contains directions for how participants should complete this assignment, please provide those details here. Remember: This is your opportunity to pass on wisdom from your use of this assignment.]
Summary/closure for Assignment
[If not included in the previous section, describe what you do to provide a summary and/or closure to the assignment. In other words, what do you do to provide closure (perhaps during class)? What is the main point (or points) that you want participants to understand by the end of the assignment?]
Assessment
[What, if anything, do you do to assess what participants have learned from this activity/assignment/reading?]
Homework
[Are there homework, assignments, activities or readings you do as an extension of this activity/assignment/reading? If so, please describe.]
Upload any supporting documents for your resource.
Key words that describe your resource.
Is this resource closely associated with another resource(s) in the suite (contributed by you or someone else)? If yes, please provide the author’s name and/or title of the resource(s).
Syllabus or Agenda
Your FIRST name
Your LAST name
Email Address
Has the resource you are submitting been published (or made available publicly in some other way, such as via a website) previously?
[Yes/No/I am not sure]
What is the citation or source for the resource?
Which of the following describes your role in this submission?
[I am submitting a resource that someone else created OR I am submitting a resource that I had some role in creating or adapting]
[Then the submission form branches to additional questions about authorship to ensure that intellectual credit is properly attributed]
Title
Abstract
[Include a 180-character description of the resource you are submitting.]
Experience level of instructions
[Describe the level of experience of the instructors with whom you use this resource (check all that apply). REMEMBER: “instructor” refers to novice college math instructors (e.g., TAs) as well as those who are instructors of record or other instructors of college mathematics.]
Type of department
[In what type of department have you (or other authors) used this resource? Check all that apply: Master’s degree granting; Doctoral degree granting.]
Institution or program the resource is associated with
[That is, what is the name of the institution where this resource was used?]
Teaching responsibilities of the instructors
[Describe the teaching responsibilities for whom the resource was designed (check all that apply): Instructor of record; Teaching assistant/recitation/discussion section leader; Tutors; Peer teaching mentors; Other.]
Please provide a brief description of course/workshop for which the syllabus/agenda is used. Please include a description of what participants will have opportunities to learn in this course/workshop.
Format(s) in which this syllabus/agenda has been used
[Check all that apply: Pre-semester orientation/workshop; Term/semester-long seminar (meeting 1 hour per week); Term/semester-long seminar (meeting 2 or more hours per week); Individual or series of workshops.]
Delivery mechanism(s) for the course/workshop
[In which ways have YOU USED this activity? Check all that apply: Face-to-face (e.g., group seminar or workshop); One-on-one (e.g., as part of a mentoring program); Online – synchronous; Online – asynchronous.]
How many people are typically enrolled in the course/workshop?
Is this course/workshop a required component of your program?
Upload any supporting documents for your resource.
Key words that describe your resource.
Is this resource closely associated with another resource(s) in the suite (contributed by you or someone else)? If yes, please provide the author’s name and/or title of the resource(s).