Here at the College of Sciences and Humanities, we love to highlight the new faculty members joining our team. Dr. Jonathan Watkins is a new assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. His area of specialty is mathematics education, including equitable teaching practices and educational technology.

What is your journey to Ball State?

Prior to joining Ball State, I served as the assistant director of the REACH Math Resource Center at the University of Louisville. In this role, I coordinated and served as the primary instructor for all of the university’s intervention courses in mathematics. I have a bachelor’s in mathematics and Spanish from Murray State University, and a master’s in mathematics and PhD in curriculum and instruction (with an emphasis in mathematics education) from the University of Louisville.

Why did you want to work at Ball State?

I had a great experience when I visited Ball State—and more specifically, the Department of Mathematical Sciences—for my job interview.  Everyone was very kind and welcoming, and many faculty members took time out of their day to attend my research talk and meet with me during my visit.

I was also attracted to the position because there are several mathematics teacher educators in the Department that share my research interests, and there are many interesting mathematics education courses (both at the undergraduate and graduate levels) offered by the department.

What are your research and teaching interests?

My mathematical interests include probability and statistics, algebra, and mathematics education; and my research interests include mathematical knowledge for taching, educational technology/courseware, and equitable teaching practices and strategies in mathematics.

As a mathematics teacher educator, I will be teaching both methods and content courses for future K-12 mathematics teachers. This fall, I am teaching an introductory math methods course for prospective high school teachers, as well as a research methods course for our graduate program in mathematics education. In the spring, I am scheduled to teach one of our math content courses for prospective elementary school teachers.

Is there anything in particular you hope to accomplish in your first year at Ball State?

During my first few years, I hope to begin the process of establishing relationships with local schools and building my research agenda/trajectory.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I enjoy spending time with my family, playing games (including board games, card games, and video games), learning new things (especially anything related to technology), and traveling to new places.

To learn more about the Department of Mathematical Sciences and its programs, please visit their website. To stay up to date on news and events, follow them on Facebook or visit their blog. For questions, please email the department at mathsci@bsu.edu.