Implementing Reform in an Internet-Based Classroom

这项提议的主要目标是创建一个基于计算机的教室，它超越了物理环境的四面墙，从而使我们的传统学生和相当多的非传统学生都能体验到过去十年来改变数学的各种改革努力。特别是，我们建议建立一个计算机化的教室，在传统的技术教室的意义上，用于讲课、演示和辅导。此外，我们建议通过专用的网络服务器将教室联网，允许远程访问和参与实验室环境。因此，学生将能够在校期间在教室里开始作业，然后在离开校园后，他们将能够在任何一台能上网的电脑上完成这些作业。这个项目是根据McCallum， Hughes-Hallet， Gleason等人的“多变量微积分”文本进行改编的。虽然教室将提供给数学系的所有课程，但我们的目标是我们的多变量微积分，数值分析和数值线性代数课程。这些课程是最受益于计算机课堂的，也可以通过互联网访问。每学期我们都有几名继续学习这些课程的学生，他们在离主校区25到30英里的金斯波特、布里斯托尔或格林维尔生活和工作。要求这些学生每天回到校园，就像传统的计算机课堂一样，是不可能的。因此，我们建议在以计算机为基础的教室中教授这些课程，在现场进行教学和辅导，并在网上进行课外作业和项目。

The major objective of this proposal is to create a computer-based classroom that extends beyond the four walls of its physical setting, thus allowing both our traditional students and our rather large population of nontraditional students to experience the various reform efforts that have transformed mathematics over the past decade. In particular, we propose to establish a computer-based classroom that would be utilized for lecture, demonstration and tutoring in the sense of traditional technology-based classrooms. In addition, we propose to network the classroom through a dedicated web server allowing access to and participation in the laboratory environment from remote locations. As a result, students will have the ability to begin assignments in the classroom while on campus, and then they will be able to complete those assignments from any computer with access to the Internet after they have departed campus. The project is adapting for this setting the text "Multivariable Calculus" by McCallum, Hughes-Hallet, Gleason, et.al. Although the classroom will be available to all courses taught by the mathematics department, we are targeting this proposal at our courses in multivariable calculus, numerical analysis and numerical linear algebra. These are the courses that stand to benefit the most from a computer-based classroom which is also accessible via the Internet. Each semester we have several continuing-education students in these courses who live and work in either Kingsport, Bristol or Greeneville, which range from 25 to 30 miles from the main campus. Requiring these students to return to campus daily, as would be the case with a conventional computer-based classroom, is not an option. Thus, we propose to teach these courses in a computer-based classroom with a physical presence for instruction and tutoring, and an on-line presence for outside assignments and projects.