Associate Professor of Practice Emeritus Profile Image
Associate Professor of Practice Emeritus Mathematics nathan.wakefield@unl.edu

My previous page, http://www.math.unl.edu/~nwakefield2/, is no longer active. Be sure to change your browser to remove the ~ from my URL.

Contact Information

Mailing Address:
243 Avery Hall
Department of Mathematics
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0130

Phone: 402-472-7261

FAX: 402-472-8466

Teaching

Spring 2019: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level II, Math 106 Calculus I

Fall 2018: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level I

Spring 2018: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level II

Fall 2017: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level, Math 445 Number Theory, Math 106 Calculus I

Spring 2017: Math 896Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level II, Math 106 Calculus I

Fall 2016: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level, Math 106 Calculus I

Summer 2016: Math 800T Mathematics As a Second Language

Spring 2016: Math 896Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level II, Math 106 Calculus I

Fall 2015: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level, Math 310 Introduction to Modern Algebra

Summer 2015: Math 800T: Mathematics As a Second Language

Spring 2015: Math 896Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level II, Math 102 College Trigonometry, Math 101 College Algebra

Fall 2014: Math 896 Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the Post-Secondary Level, Math 101 College Algebra, Math 100A Intermediate Algebra

Research

My research is focused on the teaching mission of the department.

Below are some of my publications (peer-reviewed):

  • Wakefield, N., Uhing, K., Hamidi, M. (2018). Building long-term support for faculty through graduate student instructor professional development. In W. M. Smith, B. R. Lawler, J. F. Strayer, & L. Augustyn (Eds.). Proceedings of the seventh annual Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership conference. Washington, DC: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
  • Miller, E., Uhing, K., Hass, M., Zigterman, R., Quigley, K., Wakefield, N., & Lai Y. (2018). Graduate student instructors' growth as teachers: A review of the literature. In T. Fukawa-Connelly, N. E. Infante, M. Wawro, & S. Brown (Eds.), Proceedings of the 21st Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. San Diego, CA.
  • Wakefield N., Champion J., Bolkema J., & Dailey D. (2018). Diagnostic and achievement effects of an early-semester mastery activity in College Algebra. International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, 1-17.
  • Donsig A., & Wakefield N. (2017). An early-semester mastery activity and intervention in first-year calculus. (2017). In W. M. Smith, B. R. Lawler, J. Bowers, & L. Augustyn (Eds.). Proceedings of the sixth annual Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership conference. New Orleans, LA: Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
  • Miller, E., Wakefield, N., & Lai, Y. (2017). Opportunities to learn from teaching: A case study of two graduate teaching assistants. In T. Fukawa-Connelly, N. E. Infante, M. Wawro, & S. Brown (Eds.). Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. San Diego, CA.
  • Lai, Y., Smith, W., Wakefield, N., Miller, E., St. Goar, J., Groothius, C., & Wells, K. (2016). Characterizing mathematics graduate student teaching assistants' opportunities to learn from teaching. In J. Dewer, S. Hus, & H. Pollatsek (Eds.). Mathematics Education, A Spectrum of Work in Mathematical Sciences Departments, 7, Springer.
  • Brilleslyper, M., Wakefield, N., Wallerstein, A., & Warner, B. (2016). Comparing the growth of the prime numbers to the natural numbers, Fibonacci Quarterly, 54(1), 65-71.
  • Wakefield, N. (2016). Generalized iterations and primitive divisors, Journal of Number Theory, 159, 273-294.
  • Miller, N., & Wakefield, N. (2014). A mentoring program for inquiry-based teaching in a college geometry class. International Journal of Education in Mathematics Science and Technology, 2(4), 266-272.

Grants

  • Wakefield, N. (PI), Donsig, A. (Co-PI), Awarded 5/2018-9/2018 Math 100A, Math 101, Math 102 Kelly Grant OER Development, UNL Internal Grant, $12,000
  • Wakefield, N. (PI), Harbourne, B. (Co-PI), Radu, P. (Co-PI), Smith, W. (Co-PI), Awarded 12/2017-12/2019 Online Exams in the First Year Mathematics Program: A first step in exploring the option, UNL Internal Grant, $20,000
  • Smith, W. (PI), Donsig, A. (Co-PI), Wakefield, N. (Co-PI), Awarded 08/1/2016-07/31/2021 Student Engagement in Mathematics Through an Instructional Network for Active Learning, NSF, Award Number 1624643, $332,442 for UNL, part of an overall $3,000,000 grant.
  • Wakefield, N. (PI), Smith, W. (Co-PI), Awarded 04/2015-04/2016 PI Supporting Blended Education in High-Enrollment Mathematics Courses, UNL Internal Grant, $24,954
  • Wakefield, N. (PI), Donsig, A. (Co-PI), Lewis, W. (Co-PI), Walker, J. (Co-PI), Awarded 08/2014-08/2015 PI Actively Learning Mathematics, Mathematical Association of America, $24,815

Ph.D. Students

Karina Uhing: co-advising with Yvonne Lai

Meggan Hass: co-advising with Yvonne Lai

Resources

In my role as Director of First-Year Mathematics Programs, I have developed several resources for instructors at UNL. I include links here for ease of access.

Some of the following resources may require UNL credentials to access:

Education

Ph.D., Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder. May 2013, Advisor: Su-Ion Ih, Dissertation title: Primitive Divisors in Generalized Iterations of Chebyshev Polynomials

Th.M., Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary. May 2022

M.A.R., Religion, Faith Baptist Theological Seminary. May 2020

M.S., Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder. May 2012

M.A., Mathematics, University of Northern Colorado. May 2008, completed 35 graduate credit hours toward Ph.D. in Educational Mathematics

B.S., Mathematics and Aviation Technology, Metropolitan State College of Denver. 2006. Magna Cum Laude