Development of a Mathematical Modeling Course with Calculator-Based Laboratory (CBL)

安德鲁学院是一所两年制的小型农村私立文科学院，位于佐治亚州伦道夫县，该县在该州和全国的社会经济指标量表中排名垫底。这个NSF项目正在解决的问题是，安德鲁学院学生的学习成绩低，数学课程的入学率低。需要新的教学技术来提高学生的数学成绩，并增加学生转到四年制学院和大学的选择。该项目的目标是利用基于计算器的实验室开发一门新的数学建模课程，这将导致：(1)数学课程的成绩分布符合或好于大学整体成绩分布；(2)增加非必修数学课程的注册人数。用来实现目标的方法是：(1)为项目主任(PD)提供完成数学建模课程大纲和CBL实验室经验的发布时间，(2)获得CBL设备，(3)为PD和其他数学教师提供教授新课程的培训，(4)在大学目录和其他出版物中宣传新课程，(5)对项目活动进行形成性和终结性评估，以衡量成绩分布和非必修数学课程的入学情况的变化，以及(6)传播项目结果。该项目的特殊受众是安德鲁学院注册的农村、第一代、低收入和少数族裔学生的高比例，高中数学教师和50名向上跳跃的参与者--他们都来自佐治亚州排名最低的六个当地县学校系统。该项目的成果正在通过教师讲习班、地区和州数学会议、数学期刊和通讯以及针对文科院校的出版物进行传播。

Andrew College is a small, rural, private, two-year liberal arts college located in Randolph County, Georgia, a county ranked at the very bottom of the socio-economic indicator scale for the state and nation. The problems that are being addressed by this NSF project are low student academic performance and low enrollments in mathematics courses at Andrew College. New instructional technologies are required to improve student performance in math and to increase student options for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. The objective of the project is to develop a new course in mathematical modeling with calculator-based laboratory which will lead to: (1) grade distributions of the math courses in line with or better than the total college grade distribution and (2) increases in the numbers of students who enroll in non-requisite math courses. The methods that are being used to accomplish the objectives are to (1) provide release time for the Project Director (PD) to complete the syllabus for the mathematical modeling course and CBL laboratory experiences, (2) acquire the CBL equipment, (3) provide training for the PD and other math faculty to teach the new course, (4) publicize the new course in the college catalog and other publications, (5) conduct formative and summative evaluation of project activities to measure changes in grade distributions and enrollment in non-requisite math courses, and (6) disseminate the results of the project. The special audiences targeted by the project are the high percentage of rural, first generation, low-income, and minority students enrolled at Andrew College, high school mathematics teachers and 50 Upward Bound participants--all of whom come from six local county school systems ranked the lowest in the state of Georgia. The results of the project are being disseminated through workshops for teachers, regional and state math conferences, in math journals and newsletters, and through publications targeted to liberal arts colleges .