Relating mathematics learned in the classroom to real situations increases student motivation and enhances learning. In this paper, we provide an example of a classroom application of calculus to physiology in two courses: "Differential Equations" and "Calculus I for Biology and Medicine." We designed and implemented a project…

This article presents four inquiry-based learning activities developed for a liberal arts math course. The activities cover four topics: the Pythagorean theorem, interest theory, optimization, and the Monty Hall problem. Each activity consists of a dialogue, with a theme and characters related to the topic, and a manipulative, that allow students…

The simplest age-structured population models update a population vector via multiplication by a matrix. These linear models offer an opportunity to introduce mathematical modeling to students of limited mathematical sophistication and background. We begin with a detailed discussion of mathematical modeling, particularly in a biological context.…