Welcome to Fresh@News, Villanova's e-mail newsletter for parents
and friends of the Class of 2013. Over the year we will be sending you
occasional postings about activities at Villanova University that relate the
Freshman Class. Instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe from this
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By now a lot of the members of the Class of 2013 have gotten some
grades in their math courses. A lot of our students are strong in mathematics,
but for others math can be a challenge. Today Fresh@News
talks to Dr. Douglas Norton,
Chair, Department of Mathematical Sciences.
Fresh@News: We understand that almost all of our
first year students take a math course. What is the purpose of that?
Dr. Douglas Norton: Actually we have a wide variety
of math courses for our first year students, and we try to match the first year
math course to the needs of the student. Many of our social science students
will be taking a course called discrete math where they will study things like
voting systems. Since mathematics is (among other things!) really the
language of Engineering and the Physical Sciences (Chemistry, Physics, and
Astronomy), most of those students are taking a first-year calculus course that
meets their needs. We have an entirely different program for our Biology
students; many of the problems will deal with issues such as populations of
pathogens like the H1N1 virus, and those students will also gain the
statistical skills that they will need for their laboratory work. There is a
separate health-related statistics course for the Nursing students. Liberal
Arts students can choose from courses on discrete math, statistics, and a
special version of calculus specifically for liberal arts majors.
Fresh@News: What about the business students?
Dr. Douglas Norton: Recent articles in publications
such as The Economist and Business Week have emphasized the importance of
“quants” (quantitative thinkers) in business these days -- not just
in financial companies in particular but in all sorts of businesses. With the
development of financial derivatives and the continuing fallout in the
world’s financial markets, folks with good quantitative skills -- not
just computational skills but good habits of analytical thinking -- are in high
demand, and the non-specialists need much more quantitative awareness than in
the past. The Villanova School of Business has all of its first-year students
in the standard Calculus sequence, right alongside the engineering majors. That
sort of thorough and in-depth approach to the ideas of calculus should serve
them well as they head into an increasingly quantitative business environment.
Fresh@News: What about math anxiety? Some of our
subscribers say that they suffered from math anxiety when they were students.
Dr. Douglas Norton: This is an issue that my
colleagues and I think about all of the time. I always ask my own first-year
students if they have any concerns about taking a math course. I sometimes hear
some heartbreaking stories of female students who were told, “You are a
girl, you shouldn’t take this math course, it will be too hard for
you,” or of a young man who was told, “You’ll never get this,
take an English course instead.” After a while, some students start to
internalize this, and they tell themselves “I’m no good at
math” or say, “I can’t do math. I can’t even balance my
checkbook.” Actually our colleagues from other countries tell us that
this is rather a distinctively American thing. Unfortunately, this eventually
translates into a fear of math in some students, and a conviction that they
can’t really do the work.
Fresh@News: So what do we do for those students
who are afraid of math?
Dr. Douglas Norton: Villanova
students are bright and hard working, and they can, in fact, do a great job in
their math courses. It is normal for students to struggle with some math
issues, but most of our professors are very sympathetic to student concerns,
and are happy to work with students outside of class. Another great thing we
have is the Mathematics Learning and Research Center (MLRC); most of the
students just call this the “math center.”
Fresh@News: Tell us a bit about the MLRC.
Dr. Douglas Norton: The MLRC, located on the second
floor of Old Falvey, is a room with big tables, staffed by undergraduate and
graduate students who have strong math skills themselves and who have been
trained to know how to help other students. Some students will make an
appointment for help with a specific problem; others will just drop in for
help. We also encourage students to do their homework at the center. In other
words, since the students are going to do their math homework anyway, we say,
“why not do your homework right in the center?” Then if they get
stuck on a problem, they can just turn to someone for help. Another important
note: All services provided in the MLRC are free!
Fresh@News: What advice do you have for parents?
Dr. Douglas Norton: I can really advise a few
things. First, don’t let comments like “I hate math” or
“I can’t do math” slip by unchallenged; that can reinforce
their own contributions to a lack of self-confidence that in turn can provide
unnecessary hurdles for them. This gets us back to the very first question: why
do most first-year students take math? The reasons are really twofold. Most
disciplines require some quantitative or analytical skills specific to the
discipline, and we try to meet those needs. More generally, all students need a
certain level of “numeracy” or “quantitative literacy”
to be engaged and responsible members of that increasingly quantitative world
into which they are headed. If they have difficulties, encourage them to talk
to their professor. Some first year students are still shy about going to their
professor during office hours, so students might need a bit of encouragement to
take that first step. As we have mentioned, the MLRC is a great resource.
Finally, parents might encourage their sons or daughters to find a study-buddy
or a study group. Our feeling (and this is supported by research as well) is
that students do much better if they study in groups. Often, the best way of
learning the material is helping someone else to understand it.
For hours of operation and more information on the Math Learning
and Resource Center, visit our website at http://www.villanova.edu/mlrc
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