Revision of In-Class Activities: Based upon extensive course-embedded assessment, we have identified four general areas where we would like to make significant revisions to our in-class activities:
To rewrite our Calc I “Functions and Rate of Change” module to reduce the emphasis on modeling of data and shift that modeling emphasis towards an introduction to building differential equation models (via difference equations);
To emphasize further the idea of “functions as objects” throughout Calculus I and II and link this more effectively to our development of differentiation and integration as operations on functions;
To make improvements to individual course activities that were not as effective in the classroom as we had expected; and
To make the use of the computer in these activities independent of a particular CAS.
Development of Instructor Support Materials: Based upon the feedback from our colleagues, we have identified three forms of
instructor support that would facilitate the effective implementation of our in-class activities:
Course Overview – including detailed concept mappings within each module and between modules so that instructors can effectively choose subsets of our materials to use in their classrooms;
Classroom Activity Guides - including implementation details and instructor journal entries; and
Sample Learning Assessment Practices.
Creating a website that provides access to both student and instructor support materials. In
addition, we plan to submit our materials to the JIBL and provide a link for interested instructors
to visit our website. (We have noticed that currently there are no materials available on the JIBL
that address this course content or this particular calculus student population.)
Additional Thoughts on Changes:
Reading and Modeling Quizzes
Reading comprehension (in context of modeling from theoretical statements)
At least one per module
Maybe a practice one to go home with before each one or before the first one.
Things like - statements about relationship - write relationship symbolically. Addressing the difficulties they have with word problems - optimization, etc. (These are set-ups for those)
Go to those word problems and take settings
Can we do the different reading levels - different problems at different levels.
Our old Reading Quizzes:
for those that we do not plan on writing a course activity for, leave that content out of what we cover in class and make a note on Instructor site that we assign reading from that section and assign homework problems.
We could include our old reading quizzes as illustration of the types of things we expect them to get out of the reading.
Include a link on site for that content (at the appropriate place among the other content) with just these notes to instructor.