Characteristics of Successful Programs in College Calculus

这项由美国数学协会(MAA)主持的研究对微积分I进行了一项全国性的调查，以确定影响学生成功的因素，了解这些因素是如何在成功的项目中被利用的，并利用MAA的出版物、委员会和公共论坛来传播信息，帮助数学系建立其见解。研究采用了定量和定性的方法。在研究的第一阶段，将通过数学部门对微积分I的教学进行大规模的全国调查。这项研究建立在世界大型企业联合会数学科学(CBMS)研究的基础上，将调查数据与学生的成功联系起来。使用Sadler和TAI开发的流行病学模型，PI将检查诸如教师属性、部门重点、课堂变量和课外期望等因素作为可能的解释因素。还将进行基于网络的学生调查。数据将通过HLM分析进行研究，机构、课程水平特征和学生特征都将被检查。该项目的第二阶段将为培养成功的微积分学生的机构模型开发一个初步的理论框架。这就是选择在不同类型的机构中进行的八个案例。这些案例将使用模式匹配、解释构建和跨案例综合的方法进行分析。这项研究具有重要意义，因为尽管越来越多的高中生在学习更高水平的数学课程，但微积分学生的数量一直在稳步下降。PI表示，由于微积分教学不好，许多学生在本科生时期离开了STEM领域。找出在大学微积分教学中什么是有效的，为什么它有效，并广泛传播这些信息，这将提高学生在微积分课程中的成功。

This study to be conducted under the auspices of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) undertakes a national investigation of Calculus I to identify the factors that contribute to student success, to understand how these factors are leveraged within successful programs and to use the publications, committees, and public fora of the MAA to disseminate the information and help mathematics departments build on its insights.The study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. During the study's first phase, a large-scale national survey of Calculus I instruction will be conducted through mathematics departments. The study builds on the Conference Board on the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) studies to link the survey data with student success. Using the epidemiological model developed by Sadler and Tai, the PIs will examine factors such as instructor attributes, departmental focus, classroom variables, and out of class expectations as likely explanatory factors. A web-based student survey will also be conducted. Data will be studied through HLM analyses and institutions, course-level characteristics, and student characteristics will all be examined.Phase II of the project will develop a preliminary theoretical framework for institutional models that produce successful calculus students. This informs the selection of eight cases to be conducted in different kinds of institutions. The cases will be analyzed using the approaches of pattern matching, explanation building, and cross-case syntheses.The study is significant because the number of calculus students has been steadily decreasing in spite of the fact that more high school students are taking higher level mathematics courses. The PIs state that many students leave STEM fields as undergraduates because of poor calculus instruction. Identifying what works in college calculus instruction and why it works and widely disseminating the information will improve student success in calculus courses.