Peter Keep

I've been a math professor since 2013. Throughout that time, I've taught a mixture of mathematics and statistics classes. If you find me on campus, then I'm likely making tea in my office or hanging out with students in one of our classrooms. If you find me at home, then I'm likely playing games with my kids, watching basketball, or playing video games.

Four Colors and Teaching Mathematics

What the Four Color Theorem and its history tells us about the role of humans and proof in mathematics education.
By Peter Keep
Posted on March 2, 2026

I was reminded of the Four Color Theorem the other day. I wasn’t thinking about maps. I wasn’t thinking about about graphs of any kind, honestly. [Read More]
Tags:
- math
- teaching
- AI
Generative AI ∉ (Teaching ∪ Learning)

There are no ethical use cases for generative AI in higher education
By Peter Keep
Posted on February 6, 2026

My college hosts a professional development day every semester for faculty and staff, and this semester’s is…interesting. There’s a theme for the day, normally something connected loosely with a recent college goal or broad focus. This semester, it’s “Approaching AI with Teamwork and Heart.” [Read More]
Tags:
- AI
Two Fun Infinite Series
By Peter Keep
Posted on January 21, 2026

I love teaching Calculus II. It hits the perfect sweet-spot of “has really cool mathematics” and “always available to teach,” since we run multiple sections of it every semester and, apparently, nobody else in my department really likes teaching it that much. Weird. Anyways, it’s my favorite class to teach. [Read More]
Tags:
- math
- teaching
Organizing my Syllabus

Using PreTeXt and GitHub to make the clickiest part of the semester less annoying.
By Peter Keep
Posted on January 14, 2026

The week before a semester starts is the worst. There are mandatory meetings about “important issues” that have absolutely nothing to do with me and my job. There are meetings about stressful things that have lots to do with me and my job. There are emails and enrollment numbers and course preparation and crises. And the part that I put off the most are the “clicky” things. [Read More]
Tags:
- personal
- teaching