Ep. 06
‘Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation’, was published in 2023 and is an open textbook designed for people who think they’re not good at mathematics. This episode features conversations with and stories from co-authors Simon James and Chris Rawson alongside illustrator Erin Cheffers. They share how they came to create an OER, how Erin’s illustrations shaped the book, and how the book is changing the way they think about teaching, learning, and unit resources.
Guest bios: Simon James is an Associate Professor in Mathematics in Deakin’s Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Built Environment and has been recognised with a Deakin University Award for Excellence in Teaching for his work with undergraduate mathematics students.
Chris Rawson was - at the time of writing the textbook - a Senior Educational Designer for Deakin with a background in learning design and librarianship. Chris now works in the Deakin Library as a Scholarly Services Librarian.
Erin Cheffers is a graphics and user interface designer for Deakin’s Strategic Educational Initiatives unit. At the time of writing the textbook, Erin was a student of Design and Visual Communication and was a part of the project via Deakin’s Students as Partners program
Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/mathematicalreasoninginvestigation/
View Simon James at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/29627-simon-james
Connect with Simon James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-james-2a13b8123/
Connect with Chris Rawson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-rawson/
Connect with Erin Cheffers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-cheffers-558520219/
Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.24086916