College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Irene Duranczyk

  • Associate Professor

  • Office Hours

    Office hours are available by prearranging an appointment through email or through an invite using Google Calendar. Generally the following times are set aside for scheduling an appointment.
    Online (virtual): Tuesdays & Wednesdays 3:30 – 5:30 and 8:00 – 9:00 pm; other hours by appointment at http://z.umn.edu/iw8 
    Campus: Tuesdays & Wednesday 3:30 – 5:30; other hours by appointment at http://z.umn.edu/iw8

Irene Duranczyk

Areas of interest

Institutional barriers and the cognitive and affective blocks students face when taking mathematics at the college level. Particular focus on community college mathematics education. Additional research and activities in internationalizing undergraduate education, incorporating universal instructional design into the curriculum. Collaborations with Russia and China with undergraduate professors and students.

Degrees

EdD Grambling State University, College of Education Developmental Education: Higher Education Administration and Management, Cognate: Mathematics Education 
Grambling, LA

Biography

What motivates me in my work?

Being a member of a community that is working to advance an engaged, multicultural peaceful world is my passion. My teaching, learning, advising, and scholarship is inspired by what can be achieved if we work as a community to address inequalities. I carry out this work through mathematical literacy at the undergraduate level. Following the numbers does provide insight into decision making at the local, national, and international levels in all our institutions. Contributing to the analysis and creation of research and practices of “how we teach” and “who has access” provides another opportunity for making a difference. Reflecting with graduate students on today’s multicultural teaching and learning challenges is a platform that will help create a more equitable society tomorrow.

What can students expect from me?

Creating bridges between lived experiences and academic pursuits guides my activities in and out of the classroom. To be a resource in your journey to independence and full participation in our global multicultural society is my goal. Whenever possible, classroom activities are designed with community engagement related to the topic(s) of the course. Education is a personal responsibility. It will happen inside of you thorough your efforts. Given the opportunity, I will nurturing and support you along the way.

How do diverse perspectives enhance my work?

I am a first generation college student from a large working class family who happened to achieve a Doctor of Education degree because of the supportive teachers and the extended family-community that nurtured me along the way. I have broad experiences living and working in a multicultural community and envisioning and launching educational programs, schools, and a 2-year associate degree campus in Detroit, Michigan. My teaching, advising, and engagement in postsecondary education is informed and challenged by my lived experiences.

RESEARCH FOCUS

To investigate the institutional barriers and the cognitive and affective blocks students face when taking mathematics at the college level. The knowledge generated from this research will be used for developing pedagogical processes and assessment practices that prepare students for success in college-level mathematics. This research will advance opportunities for students taking mathematics or mathematics-based courses to obtain the skills necessary to complete a college education and the confidence to pursue a college degree that requires advanced mathematical skills.

In collaboration with Nidhi Kohli, Assistant Professor in the department of Educational Psychology at UMN, Vilma Mesa, University of Michigan, April Strom, Scottsdale Community College, and Laura Watkins, Glendale Community College, I am a coPI recently awarded a three-year, $2.3 million grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study algebra instruction at community colleges. The project investigates the conditions under which algebra courses can be associated with improvements in student learning and performance. It involves six community colleges from three states and focuses on three key algebra topics: linear equations, rational equations, and exponential equations. The results will be used to design programs to improve instruction and to support student success in algebra.

I also have active research in Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (IMID) in postsecondary settings and Multicultural Equity Pedagogy for postsecondary online education.

Professional Experience

I am a first-generation college student; the first woman in my family to receive a degree beyond high school.

I started my career as a high school chemistry teacher in Detroit, Michigan, and worked in a street academy with marginalized students throughout the ‘70s and with community groups during the implementation of court-ordered desegregation in the Detroit Public School.

I taught developmental mathematics education from 1990-2007. I was a program administrator of developmental education at the post-secondary level from 1980-2002. My research has been on the impact of developmental mathematics education, highlighting the voices and views of the students in four-year institutions. I have also taken a critical look at the pedagogy and materials used in developmental mathematics as a result of my research in the impact and effectiveness of developmental education.

I was born in Detroit and lived my adult life there until 2002. I am now a resident of Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis.

Academic and professional positions (selected)

Program administrator, developmental mathematics, Eastern Michigan University. Campus Dean/Director, Jordan College. President, Midwest Careers Institute.

SELECTED AWARDS AND GRANTS

2016 NSF Grant, Algebra Instruction at Community Colleges: An Exploration of its Relationship with student success, $1,576.242.00

2013 Multicultural Recognition Faculty Award, CEHD

2010 Multicultural Teaching  and Learning Fellow, sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota

2007 College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), Office of Research and Policy Summer Research Grant. ($4852.00)

2007 Determining the institutional factors and student characteristics that correlate with student success in mathematics and the retention and graduation of undergraduate students in CEHD

2007 National Association for Developmental Education (NADE) Outstanding Research Conducted by a Developmental Education Practitioner Award ($500.00)

Publications

Mesa, V., Cawley, A., Duranczyk, I., Watkins, L., & Ström, A. (accepted). Characterizing classroom interactions to assess the quality of algebra instruction at community colleges. MathAmatyc Educator.

Peralta, Y., Kohli, N., Ström, A., Duranczyk, I., Mesa, V., & Watkins, L. (2019). A psychometric analysis of the Algebra and Precalculus Concept Readiness assessment. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 1-16. doi:10.1177/0734282919846019Mesa, V., Duranczyk, I, Watkins, L., & the AI@CC Research group. (2019). The structure of EQIPM, a video coding protocol to assess the quality of community college algebra instruction. In U.T. Jankvist, M. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, & M. Veldhuis (Eds.). Proceeding of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. XXX-YYY). Utrecht, the Netherlands: Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University.

Cawley, A., Strom, A., Mesa, V., Watkins, L., Duranzcyk, I., & Kimani, P. (2019). Investigating mathematical errors and imprecisions in content and language in the teaching of algebra.  Graven, M., Venkat, H., Essien, A. & Vale, P. (Eds). (2019) Proceedings of the 43rd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol 2). (pp. 137 – 144) Pretoria, South Africa:PME.

Kimani, P., Watkins, L., Lamm, R., Duranzcyk, I., Mesa, V., & Strom, A.(2019). Exploring relationships between hours of professional development, mathematics knowledge for teaching, and instructor’s ability to make sense of procedures.  Graven, M., Venkat, H., Essien, A. & Vale, P. (Eds). (2019) Proceedings of the 43rd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol 2). (pp. 464 – 471) Pretoria, South Africa: PME.

Mali, A., Cawley, A., Duranczyk, I, Mesa, V., Ström, A., & Watkins, L. (2019). Identifying sense-making in algebra instruction at U.S. post-secondary colleges. In U.T. Jankvist, M. Van denvHeuvel-Panhuizen, & M. Veldhuis (Eds.). Proceeding of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. XXX-YYY). Utrecht, the Netherlands: Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University.

Pishcherskaia, E. N. & Duranczyk, I. M. (2018). Bridging countries and cultures through global academic cooperation.  Scientific Journal of Baikal State University, 2, 176-184.

Duranczyk, I., & Pishcherskaia, E. (2018). Bridging countries and cultures through accessible global collaborations. Education Sciences8(4), 1-11.

Duranczyk, I. M. (2015). Integrated multicultural instructional design for student success.  Proceeding of Man and His Values in the Modern World VI (pp.24-32) held October 16-17, 2014 in Chita, Russia. 

Duranczyk, I.M., Loch, S., & Stottlemyer, J. (Eds) (2013) Collaborative statistics using spreadsheets. Houston, TX: Rice University, Connexions (http://cnx.org/content/col11521/latest/)

Duranczyk, I. M. (2013). Open access maths textbook: Students’ Perspective. In B. Ubuz, C. Haser, & M. A. Mariotti (Eds). Proceedings of the Eighth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 2488-2489). Retrieved from http://www.mathematik.uni-dortmund.de/~erme/doc/CERME8/CERME8_2013_Proceedings.pdf

Duranczyk, I., Myers, K., Couillard, E., Schoen, S., Higbee, J. (2013). Enacting the Spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: The Role of Postsecondary Faculty in Ensuring Access. Journal of Diversity Management, 8(20), 63-72.

Sitomer, A., Ström, A., Mesa, V., Duranczyk, I., Nabb, K., Smith, J., & Yannotta, M. (2012). Moving from anecdote to evidence: A proposed research agenda in community college mathematics education.  MathAMATYC Educator, 4(1), 34-39.

Duranczyk, I. M., Higbee, J. L. (2012). Designing distance education for access and equity: Structure and content. Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI

Duranczyk, I. M., Higbee, J. L. (2012) Constructs of Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (IMID) for the Mathematics Classroom. Journal of Mathematics and Culture, 6(1),148-177.

Higbee, J. L., Duranczyk, I. M., Buturian, L. (2011). Implementing Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design in Blended Courses. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/46163_2011.pdf

Fayon, A. K., Goff, E., & Duranczyk, I. M. (2010) Impacting the attitudes of ELL students in an Introductory Science Course through integrated learning communities. The Learning Assistance Review, 15(2), 7-19

Duranczyk, I. M. (2009). Technology resources: Mathematics accessibility for all not accommodation for some. MathAMATYC Educator, 1(1), 18-22.

Presentations

Jang, S. & Duranczyk, I. M. (May, 2015). Undergraduate Research Opportunity Projects Emerge from Introductory Statistics Course.   Presentation at the Minnesota Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges and Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MinnMATYC/MCTM) Spring Math Conference. Duluth, MN.

Schoen, S. & Duranczyk, I. M. (August, 2014) Online Learning with Equity Pedagogy.  Paper and Poster Presented at the 30th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI

Duranczyk, I. M. (2014, May). Engagement in statistics through service learning. Presentation at the Minnesota Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges and Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MinnMATYC/MCTM) Spring Math Conference. Duluth, MN.

Zientek, L. R., Duranczyk, I. M., Schoen, S., & Mesa, V. (2013, October) Community college research: Gathering evidence from a collection of dissertations. Paper presented at the 39th Annual Conference of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), Anaheim, CA. 

Schoen, S., & Duranczyk, I. M. (2013, May). Socio-cultural developmental mathematics for online or hybrid, secondary and postsecondary levels. Presentation at the Minnesota Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges and Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MinnMATYC/MCTM) Spring Math Conference. Duluth, MN.

Duranczyk, I. M. (2013, February) Open access textbook: The students’ perspective in an undergraduate mathematical thinking statistics course with service learning. Paper and Poster presented at the Eighth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME). Antalya, Turkey.

Duranczyk, I. M. & Higbee, J. L. (2013, February) Designing distance education for access and equity: Structure and content. Paper presented at Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Virtual Conference, Transforming the teaching and learning environment.

Duranczyk, I. M., & Higbee, J. L. (2012, August). Designing distance education for access and equity: Structure and content. Paper presented at the 28th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI

Duranczyk, I. M. (February, 2011) Critical Multicultural Instruction for Undergraduate Mathematical Thinking Courses. Paper and Poster presented at the Seventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME). Rzeszow, Poland

Duranczyk, I. M. (2010, July), Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (IMID) for undergraduate mathematical thinking courses. Paper (Duranczyk & Higbee) and poster presented at the International Conference on Ethnomathematics (ICEM), Towson, MD.

Duranczyk, I. M. (2010, May). Facilitating undergraduate mathematics education research goals among and between college campuses. Presentation at the MinnesotaMathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges and Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MinnMATYC/MCTM) Spring Math Conference. Duluth, MN.

Lee, A., Williams, R., & Duranczyk I. M. (2010, February). Excellence for all: Integrating student learning and development. Presentation at the 29th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience (FYE), Denver, CO.

Higbee, J. L. Duranczyk, I. M. & Ghere, D. (2007, June). Multicultural awareness project for institutional transformation: Making the case for Universal Instructional Design. Paper presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the European Access Network (EAN), Galway, Ireland.