LogicWriter Actual (https://tinyurl.com/logicwriteractual) is a web app that helps early undergraduate CS students write with symbolic logic notation (↔, ∃, ∧, Greek letters, etc.). It designed with a quick start easy-to-use interface and is compatible with most writing programs. LogicWriter Actual is designed to minimize cognitive demands on software operation so that students can focus on mathematical writing.

"Proof Buddy" is an online browser based tool designed to teach proof writing to beginning computer science students. It has been designed from the ground up with educational purposes in mind and has been used successfully with hundreds of students since January 2022 at Drexel University. The tool helps students build and check proofs in a variety of systems. It is capable of doing Natural Deduction, both Boolean logic and first order logic, and is being extended to Equational Reasoning. Important instructor-centered features include that the teacher can create assignments of proof problems, which the software can auto score and have results uploaded into their school's LMS. Additionally, the tool allows proofs to be saved and exported and used as new rules. When this feature is used by the instructor, it permits a customization of the allowable rules. When this feature is used by the students, it allows them to create their own lemmas which reduces the cognitive load of a more intricate proof.

Mathematics instruction in computer science goes beyond prescribed topic coverage. It should build proficiency and willingness to engage in mathematical thought whenever appropriate: knowledge retention (across multiple years), and knowledge transfer across multiple application/course contexts. This evergreen subject has seen significant changes recently: the CS enrollment explosion; on-line instruction; active learning; greater diversity in background, interests, and goals among students; and expanded use of lookup technology for student work. Additionally, mainstream software development now encompasses mathematical ideas such as functional programming; cryptography; statistical inference; and mathematical certification of software. Retention and transfer (and their relative, "mathematical maturity") can be supported by well-considered and well-timed instructional action, supplementing the student realizations that may happen naturally. Cultivating authentic student engagement can help seeing course activity as building mathematical understanding for career use rather than an ephemeral game played for points. BoF participants will collaboratively discuss observations, reactions, thorny situations, and suggested practices for knowledge retention and transfer, in order to establish understanding for future directions.

This talk introduces an ongoing study which began Summer 2021. We emulate proof writing in novice programmers by having them explain their solution to logic puzzles in the first week of an intro course, as this contains many of the skills used in proof writing without requiring any prerequisite knowledge of mathematical structures. An isomorphic question is asked at the conclusion and checked for improvement. We correlate with their performance in the cs class. To ensure that the improvement is related to the cs course material, other factors (prior math courses, GPA et al) are controlled. Computer science majors typically cover material in logic and proof, either as part of programming course, or as a separate computer class. Conventional wisdom would hold that there are a variety of overlapping skill sets between the subject of logic/proof and writing efficient error-free code, and so instructors rely on this intuition to justify introducing (and in fact frequently requiring) this content to introductory programmers. Our study checks for transfer of skills between computer science and proof writing, as no approach to these logic problems is ever directly a part of the content matter in the computer class. Early results of isomorphic questioning from the start and end of the summer quarter indicate a highly statistically significant correlation, even controlling for other factors such as mathematical background and academic strength.

We investigated the impact of assigning specific roles in Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) activities versus giving the same group activities without pre-assigned roles. We hoped to show that the group with additional structure would receive tangible benefits: more engagement with partners, greater comprehension of material, heightened content interest, and increased retention. Preliminary results suggest that the proportion of minimally participating students was not statistically significantly different, and neither were the individual assessments. The roled section did have higher scores overall in the course, both in the group activities and also in the final exam; however, the difference was small and not clearly statistically significant. Unexpectedly, disciplinary actions and post course surveys indicate a greater rate of plagiarism on both shared lab reports and individual homework assignments in the free-form group and this may be a factor for instructors to bear in mind when utilizing group activities.