Project PreCALC: Pre-Calculus as a Laboratory Course

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The purpose of Project PreCALC (PreCalculus As a Laboratory Course) is to replace Precalculus Mathematics with a new course, Mathematics of Motion and Change. This new course is designed to serve as a preparation for the technology-intensive, laboratory-based, calculus program and a fulfillment of the mathematical needs of science students for whom this course is intended as preparation for successful articulation of their major curriculum. In addition to the skills content needed for calculus, this course stresses active and cooperative learning and the development of students' written and oral communication skills in mathematics. Each semester, 20 freshmen in the Division of Science and Mathematics are expected to enroll in an experimental section of the Project PreCALC course. In a computer laboratory setting, they use data, graphs, and formulas to explore the concepts of functions, motion, and change. They apply suitable technological tools to finding solutions for real-world problems in the sciences. Through this process, they strengthen their understanding of the role of mathematics in the development and practice of science. Students going on to Calculus I are monitored and compared with other students normally registered for the course. The progress of the other students can be qualitatively and quantitatively monitored with respect to communication and problem-solving skills in their subsequent major course. After 2 years, the project can be evaluated through analysis of students' successful participation in Calculus I or, for students who do not go on to calculus, through assessment of students' abilities to apply the mathematical understanding gained to relevant courses in their majors.