Writing to Give Purpose

By Kirsten K. Meymaris

Math students often struggle to see the relevance of mathematical concepts, routinely disengaging when concepts feel abstract or disconnected from real life. This blog post provides some insight into intentionally designing writing assignments that transform student perceptions by grounding mathematical skills in personal experience. Through discussions on caffeine half-life and subscription cost analysis, students use algebraic reasoning to examine their own habits, make data-informed decisions, and engage meaningfully with peers. The writing component serves as the spark that pulls students into mathematical thinking and helps them engage with a subject that they might have found intimidating or unappealing.

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“When will we ever use this?”

“Why should I care?”

“Why do we have to learn this?”  

As a math instructor for over 15 years, I’ve heard these questions from my students… for over 15 years! A recent report by the RAND Corporation found that roughly one-half of middle and high school students report losing interest during math lessons (Schwartz et al., 2024), with many desiring more real-world applications in their coursework. Although the students I teach are older, the findings match the experience I am seeing. It is a constant battle to show relevance, promote interest, and ultimately, transform rote calculations into personalized connections.  

In the online College Algebra class at Purdue Global, the writing assignments provide this bridge. Our first major writing assignment is in week three, when students have just begun learning about exponents and polynomials. “Is caffeine affecting my sleep?” is the discussion assignment which introduces students to fractional exponents as it relates to the half-life of caffeine. Different forms of exponents in and of themselves are notoriously abstract (Suarka & Kusumah, 2024); introducing them with an additional challenging scientific concept of half-life would not normally produce a better understanding of either. However, when placed within the concept of caffeine consumption and its effect on their own personal sleep, students tend to pay attention.

Student Example 1

Here’s my caffeine check-in, written while I had a coffee buzz… With 34mg of caffeine from a Coke at 6 PM…. That means about 20.9 mg or 61% of the caffeine from my soda is still active at bedtime, no wonder I sometimes feel half-awake through the night. Now that I’ve done the math, it’s clear that if I want better, deeper sleep, I should probably move that Coke to lunchtime instead of dinner.

• Excerpt, MM212 Student NL 2504C

Yes, students will have to do some calculations, but the scores in class are based mostly on the interpretation of the results. The discussion directions ask students: Consider the time of day in which caffeine is ingested and share any possible effects it might have on daytime activities or nighttime sleep, justifying your thoughts with numeric evidence.

Student Example 2

Lately I’ve been using a cold brew coffee by “Stok”, a brand I happened across recently when they were selling a pumpkin spice blend…

So, using the equation A = C (0.5)^t/k, where:

A = 195(0.5)^(10/5.7)A = 195(0.5)^(1.7544)A = 195(.2964)A = 57.798

So after 10 hours I’ll still have nearly 58 mg of caffeine in my system. This is more caffeine than the average can of coke – nearly twice as much. Going through this process has revealed to me exactly why I am often having difficulty falling asleep at the intended hour, and I need to address this.

• Excerpt, MM212 Student JP 2504C

Students are learning that there is more behind the numbers from genuine conversations with their peers. Throughout the class conversation, students are asked to comment and share advice regarding their classmates’ caffeine consumption.  

Student Example 3

I can relate to that midday crash…If you moved [your drink of Celsius] to around 12 PM, you’d still have about 60 mg left by bedtime, and drinking it closer to 10 AM would bring that down to roughly 46 mg. That might help you stay energized during the day while giving your body more time to metabolize the caffeine before sleep.

• Excerpt, MM212 Student BB 2504C

Without these writing assignments and requirements, it would be extremely difficult to instill the same sense of rationale for many math formulas, as well as virtually impossible to provide the personalized meaning for each student. By requiring students to write about their own daily consumption and calculate the residual caffeine in their own system at bedtime, writing transforms the math skills into a tool for self-discovery and engagement.

Another example of personalizing math comes a little later in the term, when students are taking their simple linear equation models and looking at the accompanying graphs. During week five, students are asked to compare/contrast a subscription service with the associated per-use-pay.  Are they getting their money’s worth? This timely topic ensures immediate relevance to the very real phobias of subscription overload and decision fatigue. A 2023 report on subscription cancellations found that consumers often discontinue services “because of a lack of perceived value when compared to the cost” (Pugpig, 2023). The discussion directions ask students: Start a conversation with your peers by writing an opinion blog considering the cost difference between paying per-use or paying with subscription/membership for a service/membership of your choice.

Students are allowed to choose their own membership, from fitness club memberships to Amazon services to newspapers to coffee clubs, and the personalization is obvious, along with the resultant engagement. This discussion assignment is paired with the General Education Literacy goal, and since adopting this personalized approach to the written discussion, completion rates on this assignment have significantly improved (anecdotal evidence).

Furthermore, the math conversation has highlighted another important idea: Sometimes, there is more than one right answer in math. Students have written persuasive comments about their subscription experiences, sharing how the money is not the only factor to consider in this decision. The conversation is all about their experience, with the math calculation included as numeric support.

Student Example 4

An often-overlooked feature of subscriptions is that they encourage us to use the feature more frequently than we otherwise might. While in your situation it may have been worth the subscription … Most people only need to know their credit scores in preparation for certain events (like a change in residence), which may come around less than once a year. That said, features like monitoring for identify theft are passive and will be worth the fee to some.

• Excerpt, MM212 Student DC 2504C

Their personalized experience is genuinely highlighted in their peer conversations.  Additionally, writing about the service/memberships often translates into clear, actionable advice!  

Student Example 5

I never used DoorDash pass before so this is interesting realizing how much we actually spend on delivery. Basically paying $119.98 per 12 months which makes each order delivery fee only $1.15 is for sure a good deal. Now im actually invested in this because im beginning to realize how much im actually spending for each delivery, and I do use DoorDash quit a bit. I might take it upon myself to get a DoorDash pass now and be able to save some money.

• Excerpt, MM212 Student NM 2504C

More and more, students are commenting on how this assignment prompts them to reevaluate their subscription services and either cancel or continue based on their discussion. The students learn to use math to justify their own financial decision and offer qualified advice to others.

The consistent requirement to communicate math through written discussions continues to personalize, individualize, and elevate the College Algebra course. It is important for discussions to be designed with a focus on personalizing the theoretical concepts to demonstrate practical value. Writing actually becomes the pedagogical key that can open the door for many students to learn math.

References

Pugpig. (2023, September 29). Reuters Institute finds price and failure to find value driving subscription cancellations. https://www.pugpig.com/2023/09/29/reuters-institute-finds-price-and-failure-to-find-value-driving-subscription-cancellations/

Schwartz, H.L., Bozick, R., Diliberti, M.K., & Ohls, S. (2024). Students lose interest in math: Findings from the American Youth Panel (Research Report No. RRA3988-1). RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA3900/RRA3988-1/RAND_RRA3988-1.pdf

Suarka, N.K.S.D., & Kusumah, Y.S. (2024). Students’ learning obstacles in exponential: A case study in Indonesian higher education students. Jurnal Pendidikan MIPA, 25(2), 530-541. https://jpmipa.fkip.unila.ac.id/index.php/jpmipa/article/view/65/46

Kirsten K. Meymaris is a math educator at Purdue University Global (PG) with over 20 years of experience in all aspects of online education. Kirsten’s degrees in mathematics and computer science pair together well, allowing her to use technology for teaching students deeper mathematical understanding and interpretation of data.