Degrees and Certifications

Hacettepe University, Turkiye, 1993, B.S., Mathematics Education
Middle East Technical University, Turkiye, 1996, M.S., Mathematics
The Ohio State University, 2001, Ph.D., Mathematics Education

Responsibilities

Area of Expertise

Mathematics Education

Research Interests

• Mathematics education
• Technology use in mathematics education
• The use of technology in education
• Mathematics teacher education
• Professional development
• Teacher education
• Teacher learning
• Lesson study
• Middle school
• Secondary education

Awards

• President's Awards for Excellence in Teaching, 2015
• COE Faculty Research Award, 2014
• Career Development Chair Award, 2013

Grants

• Student Success Through Evidence-Based Pedagogies (SSTEPs), NSF-DUE,  2015 - 2021
• Noyce Mathematics Fellows, TeachDETROIT, NSF-Noyce, 2015 - 2021
• REALM 2.0, Realizing Equity and Achievement for Learning Mathematics, MDE-Title II, 2018-2019
• REALM: Realizing Equity and Achievement for Learning Mathematics, MDE-MSP, 2016 - 2018
• Improving Proportional Reasoning Instruction through eNgineering Tasks (IMPRINT), MDE-MSP, 2013 - 2016
• Mathematics Enhancement for Detroit Area teachers (MEDeATe), NSF-Noyce, Capacity Building, 2012 - 2014

Presentations

 Lewis, J., Özgün-Koca, S. A., Nazelli, C., Hernandez, L., Greco, A. (2024). The effects of curriculum pacing policies on teachers' decision-making in instruction. 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Sydney, Australia.

Lee, H. J., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2024). Investigating the capability of collaborative online international learning (COIL) in improving mathematical feedback practices of preservice teachers. 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Sydney, Australia.

Özgün-Koca, S. A., Lewis, J., Nazelli, C., & Hernandez, L. (2024). Using transformative technology to teach central tendency and promote equity. International Association for Statistical Education (IASE) Roundtable Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.

Meagher, M. S., Nazelli, C., Özgün-Koca, S. A., & Edwards, M. T. (2023). Project CRAFTeD: An adapted lesson study for pre-service mathematics teachers. In T. Lamberg, & D. Moss, Eds.), Proceedings of the forty-fifth annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 1, pp. 523-531). Reno, NV: University of Nevada, Reno.

Lewis, J. Nazelli, C.; Özgün-Koca, S. A.; French, K.; & Hernandez, L. (2023). Professional development for human flourishing. Thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME 13). Budapest, Hungary.

Meagher, M. S., Edwards, M. T., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2022). Preservice teachers’ task choice in technology-rich environments. In A. E. Lischka, E. B. Dyer, R. S. Jones, J. N. Lovett, J. Strayer, & S. Drown, (Eds.), Proceedings of the forty-fourth annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 2034-2038). Nashville, TN: Middle Tennessee State University.

Hardamon, K., Nazelli, C. D., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2022, February). High-quality professional development to support and nurture lesson study. Session presented at the at the Twenty-sixth Annual Conference of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE).

Hoffmann, P., Kacin, S., Myhr, K., Özgün-Koca, S. A., & Hutchinson, A. (November 2021). Complexities of change: Lessons learned from an institution-level project to transform undergraduate STEM instruction. Session presented at 2021 AAC&U Virtual Conference on Transforming STEM Higher Education.

Özgün-Koca, S. A., Chelst, K., & Edwards, T. (April, 2021). Intentionally building "M" into STEM activities. Session presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Edwards, T., Chelst, K., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (April, 2021). Standards for mathematical practice and scenario-based learning in middle school mathematics. Pre-recorded presentation at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Nazelli, C. D., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021, April). Lesson planning for a real classroom: Adapted lesson study for preservice. Research and poster roundtable sessions presented at Mathematics Teachers Lesson Study in Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Conference (LSMSTEC) (Virtual Conference due to COVID-19).

Nazelli, C. D., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021, April). Lesson study as professional development tool for preservice mathematics teachers. Structured poster session presented at the 2021 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting (Virtual Conference due to COVID-19).

Hardamon, K., Nazelli, C. D., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021, April). Project REALM: High-quality professional development to support and nurture lesson study. Poster session presented at the 2021 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting (Virtual Conference due to COVID-19).

Özgün-Koca, S. A., Zopf, D., & Nazelli, C. (February, 2021). Enhancing elementary teachers’ mathematical knowledge: From peer review to inter-institutional conversations. Session presented at the Twenty-fifth Annual Conference of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) (Virtual Conference due to COVID-19).

Featured publications

A quadratic to a quadratic? This is new! Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching Pre-K–12

Meagher, M., Edwards, M. T., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021). A quadratic to a quadratic? This is new! Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching Pre-K–12, 114, 860-868.
   

GPS: Investigating variability

Shafer, K. & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021). GPS: Investigating variability. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PreK-12, 114(1), 78-82.

Growing Problem Solvers provides four original, related, classroom-ready mathematical tasks, one for each grade band. Together, these tasks illustrate the trajectory of learners’ growth as problem solvers across their years of school mathematics.

Visualizing complex roots of quadratic equation

Edwards, T. G., Özgün-Koca, S. A., & Chelst, K. (2021). Visualizing complex roots of quadratic equation. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching Pre-K–12, 114(3), 238-243.

A quadratic equation was the basis for activities involving both concrete and technological representations.

Fostering middle school teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching via analysis of tasks and student work

Özgün-Koca, S. A., Lewis, J. M., & Edwards, T. G. (2020). Fostering middle school teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching via analysis of tasks and student work. Mathematics Teacher Educator, 9(1), 50-62.

Mathematical knowledge for teaching is a complex web of knowledge domains. In this article, we share findings from an 18-month professional development project that aimed to improve middle school mathematics teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) of proportional reasoning by focusing on the critical analysis of mathematical tasks and student work. Although multiple studies have shown that professional development can contribute to teachers’ MKT globally, little is known about how this knowledge grows and how specific domains of MKT can be targeted through professional development. Findings in this study show how professional development positively influenced participants’ knowledge of content and teaching and knowledge of content and students, two domains of MKT, through teachers’ twinned analyses of tasks and student work in proportional reasoning.

An integrated biology and mathematics activity to investigate photosynthesis and linear relationships

Sönmez, D. & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2020). An integrated biology and mathematics activity to investigate photosynthesis and linear relationships. American Biology Teacher, 82(7), 488-493.

An activity that effectively integrates both mathematics and biology concepts through technology and proposes multiple learning modes for students through real-world context.

Nurturing the generation and exploration of mathematical conjectures with preservice teachers: An example with a perimeters task. Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College

Meagher, M. S., Özgün-Koca, S. A., & Edwards, M. T. (2020). Nurturing the generation and exploration of mathematical conjectures with preservice teachers: An example with a perimeters task. Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College, 11(1),13-20.

Generating mathematical conjectures is an important mathematical habit of mind for preservice teachers to develop so that they can, in turn, help their students to develop this skill. In this paper we present a classroom episode in which preservice mathematics teachers experience conjecturing in the context of a rich, open-ended task. They also reflect, throughout the task, on how they might nurture the generation and exploration of mathematical conjectures with their own students.

Publications

Sönmez, D. & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2024). The use of technology to integrate biology and mathematics. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 11(3), 703-719.

Meagher, M., Edwards, M. T., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2023). Challenging misconceptions about the coefficient of determination (R2) with a dynamic GeoGebra applet. North American GeoGebra Journal, 11(1), 48-61.

Nazelli, C., Zopf, D., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2022). Engaging elementary pre-service teachers with high leverage mathematical practices. In P. Jenlink (Ed.), Mathematics as the science of patterns: Making the invisible visible through teaching (pp. 183-201). Information Age Publishing.

Crawford-McKinney, K., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2022). Mathematics through children’s literature. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching Pre-K–12, 115(9), 625-632.

Lewis, J. M., Özgün-Koca, S. A., Hernandez, L., Nazelli, C., & French, K. R. (2022). Does the choice of observation instrument matter? The Mathematics Educator, 30(2), 33-63.

Crawford-McKinney, K., Özgün-Koca, S. A. & Rebar, K. (2022). “Power of yet”: The integration of the culturally responsive literature with the productive struggle in mathematics. Michigan Reading Journal 54(2), 50-56. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol54/iss2/11/

Crawford-McKinney, K., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2022). When Sophie thinks she can’t. Worlds of Words Reviews, 14(2), Special issue on Global Perspectives on STEM. https://wowlit.org/on-line-publications/review/xiv-2/

Meagher, M., Edwards, M. T., & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021). A quadratic to a quadratic? This is new! Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching Pre-K–12, 114, 860-868.

Edwards, T. G., Özgün-Koca, S. A., & Chelst, K. (2021). Visualizing complex roots of quadratic equation. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching Pre-K–12, 114(3), 238-243.

Shafer, K. & Özgün-Koca, S. A. (2021). GPS: Investigating variability. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PreK-12, 114(1), 78-82.

 

Courses taught by Asli Ozgun-Koca, Ph.D.

Winter Term 2025 (future)

• MAE7250 - Advanced Studies in Teaching Algebra

Fall Term 2024 (current)

• MAE1000 - Detroit by the Numbers
• MAE5150 - Methods and Materials of Instruction: Secondary School Mathematics
• MAE7200 - Advanced Studies in Teaching Statistics and Probability

Fall Term 2023

• MAE1000 - Detroit by the Numbers
• MAE5150 - Methods and Materials of Instruction: Secondary School Mathematics

Winter Term 2023

• MAE7250 - Advanced Studies in Teaching Algebra

Fall Term 2022

• MAE1000 - Detroit by the Numbers
• MAE5150 - Methods and Materials of Instruction: Secondary School Mathematics

Winter Term 2022

• MAE7200 - Advanced Studies in Teaching Statistics and Probability

Recent university news spotlights

• Wayne State University College of Education receives NSF grant to advance equity in teaching data literacy in Detroit

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