Rate My Professor Mike Smith

Smith's research centers on mathematics education, particularly strategies for transition to proofs courses and tactile learning in undergraduate classrooms. He has earned prestigious teaching awards, including the Junior Faculty Teaching Award from Lycoming College in Spring 2016; the All-University Graduate Teaching Award from the University of Virginia in Spring 2006; the Mathematics Department Teaching Award from the University of Virginia in Fall 2005; and the Seven Society Award for Superb Teaching from the University of Virginia in Spring 2004. His publications include "Sharks, Minnows, and Wheelbarrows: Calculus Modeling Projects" (PRIMUS, 2011), "The Parity Theorem Shuffle" (PRIMUS, 2016), "Introducing Abelian Groups with Bullseyes and Jenga" (PRIMUS, 2016), and "The Euclidean Discus Toss," forthcoming in Touch it, Feel it, Learn It: Tactile Learning in the Undergraduate Mathematics Classroom, edited by Julie Barns and Jessica Mikhaylov. Additional works feature active learning ideas for proofs courses (PRIMUS, 2023). Through his pedagogical contributions, Smith has influenced mathematics instruction at Lycoming College and beyond, supporting student success in actuarial exams and advanced studies.