Computer-Aided Interactive Calculus at Illinois Wesleyan University

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Mathematics at Illinois Wesleyan is shifting from precalculus to calculus level courses. Last year, over 78% of the freshmen were advised to begin their mathematics in one of the calculus courses. In an attempt to make the calculus experience more meaningful to the general student population, they are offering several avenues through the freshman calculus experience. After a positive experiment involving software under development at the University of Illinois through the "Calculus and Mathematica" project, the Department added a three course sequence, Calculus/Mathematica, to its offerings in the spring of 1992. The department is modifying and adapting the University of Illinois software to accommodate the different audience and the course goals of this institution. Because in this new approach to the teaching and learning of calculus, the keyboard and screen is replacing pen and paper, they are now holding all class meetings in the lab, where lectures, homework, and tests are being done with the aide of the computer. The new computers are allowing the mathematics department to continue to reduce the amount of time that the instructor spends lecturing instead of guiding the students to develop the necessary insight needed to master the material.