A New Approach to College Algebra and Precalculus

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Mathematical Sciences (21)This project at California State University - San Bernardino (CSUB) is addressing low retention and success rates often encountered in lower division mathematics courses typically labeled College Algebra and/or Pre-calculus. Both science and non-science majors enroll in such courses, with some students seeking to satisfy General Education requirements and others pursuing major requirements. To confront this mix of backgrounds and goals, courses are being restructured in two ways. First, the introduction of projects applicable to the students' major is helping students see the relevance of the material and encouraging them to write about mathematics. Second, the use of a prototype software package allows the instructor flexibility in terms of class structure and involves the student as an active participant. Using HTML, Java and JavaScript, the software application offers information, demonstrations and exercises that cover the topics in an engaging manner. The software use ranges from simply supplying follow-along examples, to individualized concentration on particular areas. Its flexibility permits it to either accompany a text or become the primary source of course material. The package can be offered through a WWW server or run on individual machines using only a web browser. A small computer software package for the College Algebra course has already been created and tested. Class use of this software indicates increased retention rates among students. In this project the current package is being polished, as well as expanded, and topics from Pre-calculus are being added. The resulting software is forming a cohesive unit that can be easily adapted by other institutions. Evaluation efforts include measuring students' attitudes towards mathematics and its relevance both in the restructured sections as well as traditionally taught sections. The software package is being tested both here and at other sites, not only for factual information and appropriateness of exercises, but also for a measure of the student learning and instructor reaction to this mode of presentation. Finally, retention and success rates are being compared across different institutions.