A cross-disciplinary approach to supporting mathematically
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Ashuwin Vaidya
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 1:00 PM
Description
Many freshmen intending to earn a degree in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field begin their studies with inadequate mathematical preparation (American College Testing Association, 2019). However, this underpreparation is not the only challenge these students are navigating as they transition to college life; STEM majors are at a high risk of developing mental health issues due to the stress-inducing nature of their coursework (Kalkbrenner et al., 2022; Madhuri et al., 2021). In addition, STEM majors are less likely than their non-STEM counterparts to avail themselves of available counseling services (Kalkbrenner et al., 2022), and fully one-third of these students who abandon their majors report having struggled “with depression, high levels of stress, chronic anxiety, overwhelm, feelings of guilt, regret, shame, and self-blame for ‘failing’” (Holland et al., 2019, p. 330). To help address these rising concerns, the Mathematics and Counseling departments at Montclair State University (MSU) have undertaken a cross-disciplinary effort to design an introductory mathematics course called Transitions to College Mathematics (TCM) with integrated counseling services. This poster aims to share our program design, solicit feedback on this design, and generate conversations about how educators can support freshman STEM majors experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress in math.
A cross-disciplinary approach to supporting mathematically
Many freshmen intending to earn a degree in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field begin their studies with inadequate mathematical preparation (American College Testing Association, 2019). However, this underpreparation is not the only challenge these students are navigating as they transition to college life; STEM majors are at a high risk of developing mental health issues due to the stress-inducing nature of their coursework (Kalkbrenner et al., 2022; Madhuri et al., 2021). In addition, STEM majors are less likely than their non-STEM counterparts to avail themselves of available counseling services (Kalkbrenner et al., 2022), and fully one-third of these students who abandon their majors report having struggled “with depression, high levels of stress, chronic anxiety, overwhelm, feelings of guilt, regret, shame, and self-blame for ‘failing’” (Holland et al., 2019, p. 330). To help address these rising concerns, the Mathematics and Counseling departments at Montclair State University (MSU) have undertaken a cross-disciplinary effort to design an introductory mathematics course called Transitions to College Mathematics (TCM) with integrated counseling services. This poster aims to share our program design, solicit feedback on this design, and generate conversations about how educators can support freshman STEM majors experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress in math.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.