Photo by Chris Meyer
 “I know of no one on this campus who has had a greater impact on undergraduate education. His innovative and creative ideas have been remarkably effective, and literally thousands of undergraduates on this campus enroll each semester in courses which he and his colleagues have developed.” — David Hoff, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, |
Project-driven instruction is Daniel Maki’s instructional bread and butter. “Mathematics is learned by doing it,” he said. “It is not a spectator sport. Just as one does not learn to shoot free throws by watching others shoot free throws, one does not learn to do mathematics by watching others do mathematics.”
In all his courses, Maki’s teaching methods are focused on motivating and facilitating involvement. Students who might otherwise expect math to be tedious or intimidating are surprised to find themselves enjoying it. Alumnus Kris Marie Wilson, now an actuarial analyst with Western–Southern Financial Group, commented that Maki “took the monotonous mechanics of mathematics and turned it into a work of art.”
Maki’s pedagogical innovations have been implemented university-wide as part of the Mathematics Throughout the Curriculum project, which encourages interdisciplinary course development spanning disciplines as diverse as art, business, biology, journalism, history, political science, speech and hearing, criminal justice and finance and helps students learn math in context through hands-on class projects
Maki is a frequent invited lecturer at universities and national conventions, and has been recognized for his invaluable contributions to math education by the Mathematical Association of America’s Distinguished Service Award as well as the Rothrock Faculty Teaching Award in Mathematics.
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