Prescott, Arizona- – Yavapai College Professor of Mathematica Andrea Schaben moved from her native Iowa to Arizona to be closer to family. While seeking a job as an instructor at community colleges in the metro Phoenix area, a position opened at Yavapai College’s Prescott campus. A lover of the outdoors combined with a rural upbringing, Schaben knew that this was a great fit.
Serving on the Mathematics faculty since 2014, Schaben says she’s enjoyed the autonomy that teaching at a smaller college affords her.
“I use many research based educational practices, and Yavapai College has allowed me to experiment with new teaching methods, which have enriched my practice,” Schaben said. “I like the diversity of the student population at Yavapai College, as my courses are split evenly between adult learners and traditional age students. Yavapai College has continued to be innovative in my 11 years here, which also suits my personality.”
Schaben has taught at multiple levels, starting with middle school students and then high school dual enrollment courses.
She has also coached basketball, track and field, and cross country. She still views herself as coach in her position at Yavapai College, coaching her students to encourage a love of learning and a desire to improve through focused practice.
“I was lucky enough to earn a scholarship to play college basketball at the Division II level, which fueled my desire to teach and coach,” Schaben said. “I wanted a career that featured mentoring young people, and combined with my love of sports, teaching became a mission and passion of mine. I spent most of my teaching career combining my love of sports by coaching in conjunction with my teaching responsibilities.”
Schaben earned a bachelor’s in Mathematics and Mathematics Education as well as a master’s in Health and Physical Education and a Master of Arts in Mathematics Education.
“I love sports, especially basketball, which means I am interested and constantly learning about, especially as it relates to statistics and analytics,” Schaben said. “I serve as the faculty athletic advisor, which is a dream role for me as I spent many years working in coaching and developed a fairly successful model for building culture in sport.”
Schaben said that students with a strong background in math can find employment in fields like programming, finance, teaching and engineering. She cited a recent study by The New York Times that found that math-adjacent degrees are those most likely to pay for themselves quickly. She also noted that engineers are even more highly sought after in the age of artificial intelligence.
“Math is everywhere in the world around us, from art to finance to analytics,” Schaben said. “My favorite courses to teach are Business Calculus and College Mathematics as we study finance, statistics, loans, savings, models (analytics), and many other practical applications that students can apply to their career and daily life. Analytics have recently come to the forefront as many sports teams are using data to make player and team decisions.”
Schaben says that she’s proud of her personal shift from providing traditional lectures to an adapted Building Better Classrooms approach, based on the book by the same name by Peter Liljedahl. She says that her students are more engaged, better problem solvers, and more satisfied since changing to a student-led classroom.
Schaben shared that her greatest success since she’s been teaching at Yavapai College is leading her department to adopt open education resources.
“We went from requiring a Pearson subscription and a graphing calculator, which would cost the student around $200, to now providing free texts, homework system, and calculators to students,” Schaben said. “I am so proud that our students now can spend that money on food, shelter, and any extras they want.”
Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.