How the Network Works

First, a university class professor or university mathematician must identify one or more university classes that he/she wishes to involve in a network. Once the university classes are identified, one or more school district classes must be identified. It is important that the university and school district have a good working relationship, as the network will consist of the university mathematician (UM), the university class professor (UCP), the school district teacher (SDT), the university class students (UCS), and the school district students (SDS). Once the team is established, we proceed to setting up the networks.

There is considerable flexibility in setting up a network. Any combination of the school district classes may be routed to any combination of the university classes. Here are some possible scenarios, supposing that there are 2 university classes and 6 school district classes involved in the network.

• All school district students' questions are randomly routed to all university class students.
• Three of the school district classes' questions are routed to one university class, and the other three school district classes' questions are routed to the other university class.
• For assessment reasons, one might want half of each school district class routed to one university class, and the other half of each school district class routed to the other university class.

All university class students and school district students each receive a username and password enabling them to access the website. School district students submit questions through online forms on the website.

These questions are routed to the university class students who have agreed to respond to questions in that category and who have not having met their weekly cap. This weekly cap controls the maximum number of questions that a university student may receive per week, and is originally set when a network is created (but can be modified at any time). Through online profiles, university class students can control the number of questions they receive, up to the maximum number.

University class students are not obligated through MathNerds to respond to the questions they receive, although the university class professor or university mathematician may place course requirements on the university class students. Questions remaining unanswered in a university student's queue for more than two days are moved to a general queue, where any member of the university class may then reply to that question.

Once a network is set up, we typically "seed" at least one question though the school district class so that the school district and university class students are able to test the system prior to submitting "real" questions. We provide a sample form for giving the university class students their account information, and a sample form for giving the school district students their account information and seed question.

Some networks have used seed questions throughout the semester, whereby university faculty provide weekly problems to the school district students, who can then seek help from the teams of university class students on the weekly problem. Other networks have allowed entire school districts access to the project, and then the particularly needy or motivated school district students can benefit from the service.