This conference is planned as a National dialogue about the present and the future of teaching and learning of first year mathematics at Canadian universities.

Canada's university mathematical teaching community is facing a number of significant challenges and opportunities: from managing increasingly diverse classes of incoming students, to understanding and dealing with the impact of the contemporary technology on teaching and delivering courses, to the task of keeping the content of mathematics courses relevant to various academic programs and, most important, to efficiently support students to achieve their personal, academic and career goals.

This conference will provide a comprehensive picture of the current state of teaching mathematics at the first-year undergraduate level in Canada and, by looking at research-based decisions and strategies, will suggest directions for the university faculty and instructors to move forward. It will be an enhancement and a continuation of the existing and upcoming related initiatives, such as those organized by the Math Education Forum at the Fields Institute, Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group, Canadian Mathematics Education Forum, and Canadian Mathematics Society. Our ambition is to hold a sequence of events that will further strengthen the community of Canadian university math instructors around our common goal: to develop and teach math courses that are relevant to the times we live in, and thus to the various contemporary and future academic programs, and, of course, beneficial to all our students.

The main purpose of the conference is to initiate a national dialogue, focused on the following themes and questions:

• Teaching level 1 math courses in Canada: What is common, what is different, and what are the driving forces behind the current situation?

• Horizontal perspective - comparison of goals and practices at different universities
• Vertical perspective - comparison of goals and practices at the high school and university levels
• Cross-cutting perspective - examination of the roles that level 1 math courses play in various academic programs

• How can we create a set of level 1 math courses that keep the necessary mathematical rigour; are accessible to a wide range of students; are relevant for a spectrum of academic programs; and are general and flexible enough to allow mobility across different programs, institutions, provinces and countries?

• What else, if anything, beyond math content should be done in level 1 math courses?

The two keynote addresses will be open to general public. Conference will adopt the working group model, for maximum engagement. Keynote speakers are expected to stay for the entire conference and participate in working groups.

For a detailed description of the conference goals and background, please consult CMS Notes, Volume 49, No 5, October/November 2017, pages 10-12, or download pdf.

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