Mathematics Learning Laboratory

本课题是对数学课程进行改革，将二级发展性数学课程的课程分为两门课程。调整课程结构的决定是基于对学生在短短12周的学期内成功完成这门课程所涵盖的广泛内容的困难的分析，以及高级课程的成功率表明，即使通过的学生在微积分预科和微积分方面也可能处于危险之中。此外，在目前的结构中，学生在微积分预科之前没有接受过大学水平的代数教学。虽然该系在微积分预科和微积分中引入新的教学方法取得了巨大成功，导致通过率大幅提高，但由于准备不足，数百名学生从未参加过这些高级课程。该系正在利用这个项目更好地为绝大多数开始学习发展数学的学生做好准备，为高水平的微积分预科和微积分课程做准备。这个项目的核心是将这些发展课程的部分以及微积分预科和微积分部分转变为多媒体实验室课程，在这些课程中，学生单独和小组合作，进行最先进的、交互式的、基于光盘的教学，并辅之以包含探索环境、视频剪辑、模拟、解释和练习的附带文本。使用这项新技术，学生们可以按照自己的节奏学习模块，准备好了就参加熟练程度考试。新的CD-ROM技术具有自定进度的特点，可以更好地利用学生在本课程中的额外时间。

This project is reforming the mathematics program by dividing the curriculum of the second level developmental mathematics course into two courses. The decision to restructure the curriculum is based on an analysis of students' difficulties in successfully completing the extensive content to be covered in this course in a semester of only 12 weeks and the fact that the success rate in upper-level courses indicates that even students who pass may be in jeopardy in precalculus and calculus. In addition, in the present structure, students receive no college-level algebra instruction prior to precalculus. While the department has had significant success in infusing new teaching methodologies in precalculus and calculus resulting in significantly higher pass rates, hundreds of students never make it to these upper-level courses because of their poor preparation. The department is using this project to do a better job of preparing the vast majority of students who start out in developmental mathematics for upper-level precalculus and calculus courses. Central to this project is the transformation of sections of these developmental courses along with sections of precalculus and calculus into multimedia laboratory courses where students work individually and in small groups on state-of-the-art, interactive, CD-ROM-based instruction, supported with accompanying texts that contain exploratory environments, video clips, simulations, explanations, and exercises. Using this new technology, students work on modules at their own pace, taking proficiency exams when they are ready. The self-paced nature of the new CD-ROM technology makes better use of the additional time students have in this course.