The Teaching Seminar provides an opportunity for professional development focused on the best practices of teaching. It is our hope that all attendees will learn from the expertise of their colleagues and be in a state of continuous improvement in the classroom as an instructor. These talks will be especially helpful to those new to teaching, providing support and useful ideas for their classrooms. The Teaching Seminar meets once or twice a month at 4:00-5:00PM on Thursdays. If you have questions about the Teaching Seminar or are interested in giving a talk, please contact Tyler H Brock.
The Department of Mathematics & Statistics takes pride in the overall quality of instruction and the amount of scholarly teaching that occurs. The department is engaged in a number of student-centered initiatives, which you can read about here.
Note that talks are listed in reverse chronological order.
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Speakers: Tyler Brock (NAU)
Abstract: In this presentation I’ll discuss how I have used the “social annotation” platform Perusall to implement reading assignments in mathematics classes. I’ll talk about why I assign reading, how Perusall works, and why I find this a powerful tool for student engagement.
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Speakers: Jeff Hovermill (NAU)
Abstract: During this Teaching Seminar, I will share policy recommendations and research associated with this question and hope to engage us in conversation about DoMS coursework towards those ends.
Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Speakers: Jeff Rushall (NAU)
Abstract: Anyone who has taught calculus knows there are several problems associated with teaching calculus. These problems fall into several possibly overlapping categories, including but not limited to: curricular inconsistency across sections, pedagogical inconsistency across sections, assessment inconsistency across sections, and a wide range of student preparedness. I think about this stuff a lot. And I think we should consider making some changes. In this talk I’ll present 12-14 things I think I think about calculus, each of which, if implemented, would lead to change. And yes, each thing will probably irritate at least one person in the room.
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2026
Speakers: Gina Nabours (NAU)
Abstract: Gina will review how she, Abby Foth, and Jeff Hovermill ran MAT 150 this year and share the lessons they learned. Former students have agreed to be in attendance to share their experience in class and answer questions faculty might have.