Power Point - Blue Ribbon Mathematics
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WVU Calculus
Dr. Vicki Sealey
[email protected]
Dr. Jessica Deshler
[email protected]
Overview
Structure of calculus courses at WVU
Roles of graduate teaching assistants
(GTAs) and undergraduate tutors
Curriculum and methods of one of these
courses (Non-Engineering Math 155)
Info about nationwide AP calculus
students
Introductions
Tell us about yourself (name, where you
teach, etc.)
Tell us about calculus at your school
Options for Calculus I
Math 155 – One semester calculus I course
◦ Engineering sections
Gary Ganser
◦ Non-engineering sections
Vicki Sealey
Math 153/154 – Two semester calculus I
course
Eddie Fuller/Stacey Bowling
Math 150 – Business calculus
Marjorie Darrah
Eligibility for Calculus
• Quantitative Reasoning Assessment
Basic Algebra (BA)
Calculus Readiness (CR)
Math 150/153: 15 BA / 24 Total
Math 155:
17 BA / 33 Total
QRA Placement
Eligibility for Calculus
•
Course Credit
Math 150: C or better in College Algebra
Math 153/155: C or better in College
Algebra and Trigonometry
Course credit is honored over QRA scores
Eligibility for Calculus
AP Credit
◦ 3 on the AB exam: placement into Math 155
◦ 4 or 5 on AB exam: credit for Math 155
◦ 3 on BC exam: credit for Math 155
◦ 4 or 5 on BC exam: credit for Math 155 and
Math 156
Course Structure for Math 155
Non-Engineering
Textbook: Essential Calculus by James
Stewart
Scientific calculator required
Graphing calculator strongly
recommended
◦ CAS not allowed (TI-89 and above, for
example)
◦ Memory cleared before each test
◦ Sometimes not allowed on quizzes
Course Structure, cont.
Four credit course, but meets for an
additional 50 minutes per week
◦ More time to do math (not just see math)
◦ Time for group work activities
Evening exams
◦ Common across sections
◦ Common grading
Homework
Roughly half online and half written
Online HW common across sections
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◦
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WeBWorK or WebAssign
Immediate feedback, multiple attempts
Video tutorials (WA only)
Each student has slightly different numbers in
each question
◦ GTA answers questions through e-mail
Instructors
Use an instructional team
◦ Course coordinator (Vicki)
◦ Grad student coordinator (Jessica)
◦ Lead instructor (Iwona Wojciechowska)
Consistency across semesters (and within
each semester)
Dedication to this course
Graduate Teaching Assistants
Their roles in the course:
◦ Each section has an instructor and a graduate
teaching assistant (GTA)
◦ Each GTA is assigned to two sections
◦ Proctor and grade exams, quizzes
◦ Assist the instructor as needed in-class
Group activities
Teach up to one class per week
Graduate Assistants
Professional development as novice
instructors of college math
◦ Teaching experience
◦ Write exam questions
◦ Office hours – working one-on-one with
students (Math Learning Center)
◦ Grading – common grading on exams, quizzes
Rubrics developed by Vicki Sealey, Jessica Deshler,
and by GTAs.
Other Help
Math Learning Center
Tutoring center in Towers dorms
Shared office hours
Review sessions outside of class
Curriculum
Concept first approach
◦ Procedures follow the concepts
◦ Applications often motivate a need for concepts
Emphasis on limits
◦ Limits of functions
Holes, jumps, asymptotes
◦ Derivatives
Limit of difference quotient
◦ Integrals
Limit of Riemann sums
Teaching Philosophy
Constructivist perspective
Reflective abstraction (Piaget)
◦ Not just seeing math topics
◦ Doing something with math and reflecting on
the structure
Cooperative learning
AP Calculus Statistics
From 1992, of students who took some
form of calculus in high school
◦ 31% took precalculus in college
◦ 32% took no calculus
Students who pass the AP exam do quite
well in college.
◦ We’re concerned about the students who
don’t pass the test but are still top students.
Many of these students aren’t taking additional math
courses.
QRA Placement
ASU Calculus Statistics
In a 5-year period at ASU, of all students
who received an A in precalculus and
their major required at least Calculus I…
43% did not take calculus.
ASU Calculus Statistics
During the same 5-year period at ASU
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43% of engineering majors
54% of math majors
51% of physical science majors
50% of technology majors
who enrolled in calculus I and whose
major required calculus II never earned
credit in calculus II.
Our hopes
College math should be a natural
progression from students’ high school
math courses
More students interested in studying
mathematics
◦ Math majors (including dual majors)
◦ Math minors
◦ Math ‘enthusiasts’