Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-21T02:43:07.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
This chapter is part of a book that is no longer available to purchase from Cambridge Core

48 - Success and Failures of a Precalculus Reform Project

from Ideas and Projects that Work: Part 2

David M. Wells
Affiliation:
Penn State University
Lynn Tilson
Affiliation:
Penn State University (retired)
Nancy Baxter Hastings
Affiliation:
Dickinson College
Get access

Summary

Where we started

During the years from 1988 through 1996, the authors developed a set of materials ([1], [2], and [3]) for college algebra and precalculus. Our initial discussions about teaching and writing occurred at Penn State-New Kensington, a regional campus of Penn State University. The campus has an enrollment of about 1000 students, most of whom are freshmen and sophomores. The precalculus course is populated primarily by students who plan to complete degrees in engineering, technology, or science, either at New Kensington or at Penn State's University Park campus. College algebra is often taken as a terminal course or as a prerequisite for precalculus or business calculus. Failure rates in both courses are high, and neither course has lasting value for those students who pass, but choose not to take calculus. The size of the institution and the need for transferability of credits between campuses make it difficult for an individual instructor to depart radically from prescribed course content. This limitation led us to conclude that we could improve the courses most effectively by providing innovative approaches to traditional topics.

What we planned

We wanted our materials to be flexible enough to prepare students for both traditional and reform calculus courses, and to be used by instructors with different teaching styles. Our primary goals were that each course should be a valuable educational experience in its own right, and that students should recognize the value as the course was in progress.

Type
Chapter
Information
A Fresh Start for Collegiate Mathematics
Rethinking the Courses below Calculus
, pp. 390 - 392
Publisher: Mathematical Association of America
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×