We describe the components and implementation of an activity for multivariable calculus featuring applications to the field of chemistry. This activity focuses on the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient found using partial differentiation of the volume of an ideal gas with respect to temperature as pressure is held constant. Broader goals of…

We discuss student conceptions of improper integrals and infinity in the context of a second-semester calculus course (in a three-course sequence). Our observations stem from a sequence of activities used in an online course over a three-day period. Throughout the enactment of these activities, students are challenged to develop conceptions of…

The emergence of COVID-19 favoured the development at Université de Montréal of an educational initiative aimed at promoting modelling and simulation in teaching and learning postsecondary mathematics. In our learning activities, modelling is not reduced to curve fitting; software is used and questions are asked to get a deeper understanding of…

This study aims to prepare an educational program based on integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to develop students' mathematical thinking skills. It also aims to provide proposals that could have a major role in rebuilding some of the general features on which mathematics curricula can be built according to the STEM…

In the current study, using self-determination theory as a theoretical framework, we used multiple real-time assessments to investigate the dichotomous relationship between autonomy need satisfaction and frustration, and how these constituents underpin student functioning among higher education students during a learning activity. In total, 124…

The distant magnetic field of a magnetic dipole is usually derived via the magnetic vector potential and substantial vector calculus. This paper presents an alternate proof that is less mathematically intensive, and that ties together various problem-solving tricks (the principle of virtual work, observation that only instantaneous quantities…

Traditional methods of teaching differentiation calculus usually involve lectures. Nevertheless, this process impedes students' thorough comprehension of concepts and their practical application by promoting dependence on memorisation and procedural learning. Numerous studies have also denoted that teaching experiments and technology can enhance…

We believe that developing cultural competencies can help students learn mathematics and conversely that learning mathematical content can help students learn about themselves and others. Using frameworks introduced by Rendón (2009) and Gutiérrez (2018), we present a five-part bundle of activities for undergraduate differential equations course…

In this article, the authors share activities designed to help students make a connection between the complex roots of X[superscript 2] - 2x + 5 = 0 and the graph of y = X[superscript 2] - 2x + 5. We piloted these activities in three precalculus classes. The activities involved both concrete and technological representations of the mathematical…

This article reports on a reconceptualization of the Precalculus course experience at Florida International University. We discuss the details of the redesign process--unified within a faculty learning community (FLC) model--along with a broader change in the course sequence leading up to Calculus. We provide data, including the comparison between…

In this study, we analyzed student participation and success in a college-level Calculus I course that utilized standards-based grading. By measuring the level to which students participate in this class structure, we were able to use a clustering algorithm that revealed multiple groupings of students that were distinct based on activity…

In calculus courses, instructors often use the end-of-section problems in a textbook in homework assignments or other course assessments. As a result, these problems influence the teaching and learning of calculus. In this study, we examine the levels of cognitive demand of these problems in a mainstream calculus textbook and classify them within…

The development of modeling skills in mathematics is essential for individuals to understand, describe, control, and predict phenomena around them. This article describes the results of an investigation to find out how an activity -- based on a Models and Modeling Perspective -- stimulates the mathematics modeling skills of undergraduate students…

Students' procedural knowledge and conceptual understanding of matrices can improve when they use technology, in particular spreadsheets, as a tool. Complex real-world applications of matrix calculations are time-consuming and prone to errors if done by hand, yet calculations can be performed easily with spreadsheets. In this article, the author…

Active learning techniques are generally considered to be any classroom activities in which students become an active participant in learning, instead of a passive listener to a lecture. Service learning activities are generally experiential (real life) and reflective problem-based learning activities in which students enrolled in an academic…