College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Irene Duranczyk

  • Pronouns: she/her/hers

  • Associate Professor Math Education

  • 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 https://calendar.app.google/JzL1esmXLhL2TXrr5 
    Campus: Tuesdays & Wednesday 3:30 – 5:30; other hours by appointment at https://calendar.app.google/JzL1esmXLhL2TXrr5 

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

Principal Investigator 

National Science Foundation 

Supplemental Funds 

Collaborative Research: Algebra Instruction at Community Colleges: Validating Measures of Quality Instruction 2024-2025 Award Request: $100,370.00 

 

Principal Investigator 

National Science Foundation 

Collaborative Research: Algebra Instruction at Community Colleges: Validating Measures of Quality Instruction 2020 - 2023 Award Amount: $501,852.00 

 

Fostering International and Multilingual Student Success (FIMSS) faculty learning community, 

2024-2025 Bolashaq Scholar, 2022-2024 Collaborative Online International Learning Cohort Member, 2018. 

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

Publications

Mesa, V., Ko, I., Boeck, C., Duranczyk, I., Akoto, B., Lim, D., Kimani, P., Watkins, L., Ström, A., & Beisiegel, M. (2023). A blueprint for measuring mathematical knowledge for teaching college algebra at community colleges. In P. Drijvers, C. Csapodi, H. Palmér, K. Gosztonyi, & E. Kónya (Eds.), Proceedings of the Thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13) (pp. 3843-3850). Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics and ERME. 

Duranczyk, I., Mesa, V., Ko, I., and VMQI Team. (2023, July) Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching for College Algebra at Community Colleges. 2023. In M. Ayalon, B. Koichu, R. Leikin, L. Rubel & M. Tabach (Eds.). Proceedings of the 46th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 2, pp. 251-258). PME 46. 

Akoto, B., Lim, D., Duranczyk, I., & AI@CC 2.0 VMQI. Utilizing Cognitive interviews to improve items that measure mathematical knowledge for teaching community college algebra. In C. Fernández, S. Llinares, A. Gutiérrez,& N. Planas (Eds.) (2022). Proceedings of the 45 th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 4). Alicante, Spain: PME. (p. 167) 

Patrick Kimani, Laura Watkins, April Ström, Irene Duranczyk, Vilma Mesa, et al.. Engaging community colleges faculty in developing items for assessing mathematical knowledge for teaching. Twelfth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME12), Feb 2022, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. ⟨hal-03748736⟩ 

Lamm, R., Mesa, V., Kohli, N., Duranczyk, I., Watkins, L., & Ström, A. (2022). Construct Validation of an Instrument That Assesses Quality of Instruction in Community College Algebra. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 1-14. 

Duranczyk, I. & Pishcherskaia E. (submitted September, 2022, rewrite for resubmission). Virtual Bridge Building: A case study for and by faculty engaging in International Learning. Education Sciences 

Inah Ko, I., Mesa, V., Duranczyk, I., Herbst, P., Kohli, N., Ström, A., & Watkins, L. (2021) Understanding the characteristics of mathematical knowledge for teaching algebra in high schools and community colleges, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1080/0020739X.2021.2006348   

Lim, D., Kimani, P., Duranczyk, I. M., Watkins, L., Gerami, S., Breit-Goodwin, M., & Cawley, A. (2020). Connecting Across Representations in Community College Algebra: Lessons From the Classroom. MathAmatyc Educator, 12, 12-20.

Presentations

Mesa, V., Ko, I., Duranczyk, I., Kimani, P., Watkins, L., Lim, D., Beisiegel, M., Ström, A., & Akoto, B. (2024, July). Mathematical knowledge for teaching college algebra at community colleges [Conference session]. 47th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Auckland, New Zealand. 

Watkins, L., Kimani, P., Duranczyk, I., Akoto, B., Mesa, V., Lim, D., AI@CC 2.0 VMQI Research Group. (2024, July). Investigating the relationship between faculty beliefs and cooperative learning in U.S. community colleges [Conference session]. The 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Sydney, Australia. 

Mesa, V., Ko, I., Boeck, C., Duranczyk, I., Akoto, B., Lim, D., Kimani, P., Watkins, L., Ström, A., & Beisiegel, M. (2023). A blueprint for measuring mathematical knowledge for teaching college algebra at community colleges. 13th Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education, Budapest, Hungary. 

Duranczyk, I., Mesa, V., Ko, I., and VMQI Team. (2023, July) Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching for College Algebra at Community Colleges. 46th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Haifa, Israel. 

Duranczyk, I. M. 48th AMATYC Annual Conference, "Connecting with Math Research Across the Globe: Topics and Methods," American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges, Toronto, Canada. (November 2022). 

Lim, D., Lang, N., Akoto, B., & Duranczyk, I. M. 48th AMATYC Annual Conference, "Lessons learned from Cognitive Interviews for Teaching College Algebra," American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges, Toronto, Canada. (November 2022). 

Duranczyk, I. M. (Panelist), 48th AMATYC Annual Conference, "Panel Discussion Global Perspectives: Shared Space for Professional Innovation," American Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges, Toronto, Canada. (November 2022). 

Akoto, B., Lim, D., & Duranczyk, I.M., Utilizing cognitive interviews to improve items that measure mathematical knowledge for teaching community college algebra. Paper presented at the 43nd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Alcante , Spain 

Mesa, V., Duranczyk, I, Watkins, L., & the AI@CC Research group. (February, 2019). The structure of EQIPM, a video coding protocol to assess the quality of community college algebra instruction. Paper presented at the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. Utrecht, the Netherlands: Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University.

Mali, A., Cawley, A., Duranczyk, I, Mesa, V., Ström, A., & Watkins, L. (February, 2019). Identifying sense-making in algebra instruction at U.S. post-secondary colleges. Paper presented at the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. Utrecht, the Netherlands: Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University. 

Cawley, A., Duranczyk, I., Mali, A., Mesa, V, Ström, A., Watkins, L., Kimani, P., & Lim, D. (2018). An innovative qualitative video analysis instrument to assess the quality of post-secondary algebra instruction. Paper presented at the 42nd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Umea, Sweden: PME. 

Duranczyk, I. M. (2017, February). Measuring gains in algebra knowledge at community colleges: Assessing the efficacy of the Algebra Pre-Calculus Readiness test. Paper and Poster presented at the Tenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME). Dublin, Ireland.