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Contents 1 About the Service 1.1 History 1.2 Sample Questions 1.3 Becoming a Math Doctor 1.4 Awards 1.5 Limitations 1.6 References

About the Service

“Ask Dr. Math” is a free service offered by the Math Forum at Drexel University that provides “a question and answer service for Math students and their teachers” ("About Ask Dr. Math") This service applies to all levels of Mathematics education from elementary school to college level topics, though K-12 is the main focus. Students can submit a question using an online form, browse the list of frequently asked questions, or search the question archive grouped by topic and grade level. Questions are answered by “Math Doctors,” volunteer content experts who lead students to find their own answers by addressing the concepts they have missed instead of providing direct answers to specific problems.

History

“Ask Dr. Math” was started in 1994 with questions answered by students at Swarthmore College. The demand for the service soon grew beyond what this group could handle, so new volunteers were “recruited from other colleges around the country. By the year 2000, there had been over 300 volunteer 'Doctors' from all corners of the globe” ("About Ask Dr. Math").

Sample Questions

Middle School: Ratios http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/62934.html

High School: Equations of Lines http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52848.html

College: Determinant of a 4x4 Matirx http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/51968.html

Becoming a Math Doctor

In order to answer questions for “Ask Dr. Math,” applicants must pass an initial screening that involves preparing a response to one of three sample questions following a given set of guidelines. The response is then evaluated by the service administrator according to five criteria: knowledge of math concepts, generating cogent responses, self-criticism, accuracy and precision, and diagnostic skill. Any areas that show a need for improvement are addressed through discussions between the service administrator and candidate, and the candidates responses are reviewed before being sent to patrons until it is determined that he or she can consistently prepare responses that do not require revision. At this point, tenure is granted, the candidate is granted full Math Doctor status, and he or she is allowed to submit responses without prior approval of the service administrator (Underwood et al., "Ask Dr. Math").

Awards

“Ask Dr. Math” has received numerous awards, including being named as a Virtual Reference Desk AskA Exemplary Service, a LookSmart Editor’s Choice, and a NetGuide Gold Site.

Limitations

While “Ask Dr. Math” provides an excellent online resource for those studying Mathematics, it is not without its limitations. According to technical reports published by Drexel University’s department of Computer Science, the service receives approximately 300 questions each day, but only about 40% of these receive a response (Underwood et al. "Expertise"). This is partially due to staffing issues, in that “of the more than 400 registered volunteer mentors, between 30 and 50 will actively respond to participant questions in any given month” (Underwood et al., 2005).Studies are currently underway to determine ways to more effectively manage staff with limited resources.

References

About Ask Dr. Math. Ask Dr. Math. Retrieved from http://mathforum.org/dr.math/abt.drmath.html.

Underwood, I., Weimar, S., Rider, R., Hewett, T., Char, B., Johnson, J., & Krandick, W. (2006) Ask Dr. Math: The Tenure Process. Technical Report DU-CS-06-05. Retrieved from https://www.cs.drexel.edu/files/ts467/DU-CS-06-05.pdf.

Underwood, I., Weimar, S., Rider, R., Hewett, T., Char, B., Johnson, J., & Krandick, W. (2006) Expertise in Math Doctors. Technical Report DU-CS-06-03. Retrieved from https://www.cs.drexel.edu/files/ts467/DU-CS-06-03.pdf.

Underwood, I., Weimar, S., Hewett, T., Char, B., Johnson, J., & Krandick, W. (2005) A Survey of Math Doctors. Technical Report DU-CS-05-15. Retrieved from https://www.cs.drexel.edu/files/ts467/DU-CS-05-15.pdf.