Bio: Dr. Apkarian has a research-focused PhD in Mathematics Education from San Diego State University, with a concentration in Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. She is experienced with a variety of research projects and methods ranging from individual interviews aimed at exploring students' thinking to classroom design experiments and the roles of classroom discourse to national surveys. Her current major interests are in the use of social networks to investigate the social context of STEM departments and how that relates to institutional change.
Research: Dr. Apkarian's current focus in research is departmental change aimed at improving students' experiences with introductory STEM courses. Existing and ongoing research in RUME and DBER (and K-12 mathematics and science education fields) points to many pedagogical approaches, curricular changes, and program structures which can support student success and broaden participation beyond the current system. However, shifts at the individual, departmental, and institutional level toward implementing these practices and structures are fraught with difficulty and a major shift has not appeared. Dr. Apkarian believes that a systemic cultural approach is needed to understand the relationships between individual, department, and institutional factors that support and constrain interest, willingness, and capacity for instructional change.