Present a study conducted at The Ohio State University and compares students from the calculus-reform course sequence Calculus and Mathematica with traditional students in two areas: (1) conceptual and procedural understanding of calculus; and (2) achievement in calculus-dependent courses. Investigates student achievement in calculus-dependent…

Describes the specific courses in a sequence along with how the writing has been implemented in each course. Provides ideas for how to efficiently handle the additional paper load so students receive the necessary feedback while keeping the grading time reasonable. (Author/ASK)

Reports on a study replicating and extending a previous study examining the effects of the TI-92 graphics calculator and calculus instruction on students' success in calculus. Finds that students using a TI-92 had significantly better performance on the final exam and overall course grade than students using other calculators, and student-centered…

Discusses the progress and challenges of a new reformed calculus sequence for science, engineering, and mathematics students developed by the Institute of Technology Centre for Educational Programs and School of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota. Compares achievement and retention of Initiative students with a control group from a…

Discusses dialogue journal writing and its incorporation into a college-level Calculus 1 course. Identifies how: (a) e-mail dialogue journals provided a viable means of individualized, continual contact with students in a large class; (b) students benefited from asking questions and receiving timely explanations; and (c) the instructor received…

Outlines an attempt at integrating web-based activities into a precalculus course at a large university in which discussion of the development of the activities is initially provided. Investigates the effects of the use these activities in four classrooms. Focuses on the use of the activities by two instructors, only one of whom received…

Presents a way to examine in depth the polynomial approximation of a transcendental function by using graphing calculators. (ASK)

Studied the use of a Web-based Computer Algebra System called LiveMath in a computer supported collaborative learning environment for differential calculus. Results for one college class from this exploratory study suggest areas requiring further study and identify problems students had with the "WebCal" system, including the perception that they…

This article presents two classroom episodes in which students were exposed to the value of asking questions and to the different roles played by proof in mathematics. The conversation in the two episodes is outlined in the article. The setting was a classroom of fifteen good high-school students, who were studying calculus. These episodes…

The present research study investigates how undergraduate students in an integrated calculus and physics class use physics to help them solve calculus problems. Using Zandieh's (2000) framework for analyzing student understanding of derivative as a starting point, this study adds detail to her "paradigmatic physical" context and begins to address…

The idea of a graphing portfolio and its implementation in two levels of traditional university calculus courses is described. The activity of graphing helps students to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the connection between a function and its graph.

States the principal-agent theory is difficult to teach because of its technical complexity and intractability. Indicates the equilibrium in the contract space is defined by the incentive parameter and insurance component of pay under a linear contract. Describes a graphical approach that students with basic knowledge of algebra and…

In this article, the author describes an individualized term project that is designed to increase student understanding of some of the major concepts and methods in multivariate calculus. The project involves having each student conduct a complete max-min analysis of a third degree polynomial in x and y that is based on his or her social security…

Interesting problems sometimes have surprising sources. In this paper we take an innocent looking problem from a calculus book and rediscover the radical axis of classical geometry. For intersecting circles the radical axis is the line through the two points of intersection. For nonintersecting, nonconcentric circles, the radical axis still…

This paper examines the elasticity of demand, and shows that geometrically, it may be interpreted as the ratio of two simple distances along the tangent line: the distance from the point on the curve to the x-intercept to the distance from the point on the curve to the y-intercept. It also shows that total revenue is maximized at the transition…