Cornell University has long offered a Calculus for Life Sciences course. In this case study, we report on how a team of pure mathematicians has modernized both the content and teaching methods of this course. The content went from a standard calculus course with few genuine applications in the life sciences to a course focusing on dynamical…

The Mathematics Department at Cornell University has recently secured a grant from the University to implement systemic change in how we teach courses that reach students at critical transition points in their mathematical development. In this article, we report on the changes made to our large multi-section first-semester calculus course in order…