Curriculum reform in higher education is focusing on enhancement of undergraduate education in a variety of ways, including multicultural education, specialized courses for freshmen and seniors, improved calculus instruction, and development of thinking and writing skills. Strengthened general education requirements are a major target in many…

In the late 1990s failure rates in a first-year introductory calculus course at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology reached peak levels. This paper reports on findings from an action research project that was set up in 2002/2003 to improve the situation. The study confirms that students approach their tasks differently which…

A study was conducted at Merrimack College in Massachusetts to compare the grades of students who took the recommended course as determined by their mathematics placement exam score and those who did not follow this recommendation. The goal was to decide whether the mathematics placement exam used at Merrimack College was effective in placing…

These conference proceedings include two invited lectures, three working group reports, three topic group reports, two Ad Hoc group reports, a round table report, a list of participants, and a list of previous proceedings. The invited lectures were: "Values in Mathematics Education" (Ubiratan D'Ambrosio) and "Remarks on…

This document ties the essential skills needed in mathematics to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards to help facilitate future curriculum development. The overall goal for the 21st century is to make mathematical power a reality for all students. The rationale for this document can be found…

Beginning in 1987, a reform movement was heavily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to change the teaching of calculus. Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) received seven NSF grants over an eight-year period, allowing the college to: establish a state-of-the-art calculus computer lab; purchase calculators, graphing…

An analysis of trends in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores looks at SAT verbal and mathematics averages by racial group and gender, reports racial group percentages of examinees by state, and charts relationships between ethnic group, parental education, family income, student years of postsecondary study, and scores. (MSE)

Presented at the Advanced Placement Annual Conference (APAC) in Las Vegas, July 2007. This presentation explores the demographic and course-taking patterns that have been identified behind what students take AP exams and how to best reach the population of students that are not currently taking AP exams.

This manual is an instructor's guide for the utilization of the "CCA High School Mathematics Curricula: Advanced Algebra and Calculus" courseware developed by the Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (CERL). The curriculum comprises 34 algebra lessons within 12 units and 15 calculus lessons that are computer-based and require…

This article describes the Jaime Escalante Math Program, a system that in 1989 helped an East Los Angeles high school set a record by administering over 450 Advanced Placement exams, having administered only 10 tests in 1978. The article is presented in three sections. The first section describes the program, discussing origins and backgrounds:…

This study is grounded in a reform calculus movement funded by grants from the National Science Foundation to find ways to improve student learning in mathematics, specifically in calculus. The study examines reasons why faculty accept or reject reform calculus teaching techniques, and what they consider to be the challenges and outcomes of these…

Steele and Aronson (1995) found that the performance of African-American subjects on test items portrayed as a problem-solving task, in a laboratory experiment, was adversely affected when they were asked about their ethnicity. This outcome was attributed to "stereotype threat". Performance was disrupted by the subjects' concerns about…

The Australian Reading Association felt that language in mathematics was a topic worthy of inclusion in their First International Conference and 19th National Conference. As a result, this book was formed from contributions of mathematics educators in Australia and New Zealand. The book is broken into five major sections: (1) Communicating…

In an effort to increase faculty use and knowledge of computers, Oakland Community College (OCC), in Michigan, developed a Summer Technology Institute (STI), and a Computer Technology Grants (CTG) project beginning in 1989. The STI involved 3-day forums during summers 1989, 1990, and 1991 to expose faculty to hardware and software applications.…

Homework gives students an opportunity to practice important college-level physics skills. A switch to Web-based homework alters the nature of feedback received, potentially changing the pedagogical benefit. Calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics students enrolled in large paired lecture sections at a public university completed homework…