Mathematics (21) The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) is coordinating a task force of leaders from both the two-year college sector and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) to design a series of AMATYC Traveling Workshops on spreading reform efforts in College Algebra. To develop supporting resources, the task force is drawing on many publications including the MAA's "Standards for College Algebra," complementary reports from MAA's subcommittee on Calculus Reform and the First Two Years (CRAFTY), and AMATYC's Fall 2006 report "Beyond Crossroads: Implementing Mathematics Standards in the First Two Years of College." Workshop themes embrace a constellation of overarching issues such as a focus on appropriate content, the use of technology, assessment strategies, the use of alternative pedagogical alternatives to lecture methods, as well as ways to improve students' attitude about mathematics. Through this series of Traveling Workshops the project is also exploring a model of professional development that can be customized to the needs of participants on a local or regional basis. The intellectual merit of this project lies in its focus on students taking college algebra who are not bound for calculus. The number of students in this group far exceeds those taking college algebra as a prerequisite for calculus, but many reform efforts and their accompanying learning resources are still developed with the needs and relevant application areas of the continuing student in mind. As a result, students often drop or fail the course, and after retaking the course, they typically leave with little appreciation of mathematical processes and habits of mind. By improving the College Algebra courses and teaching methods at the two-year college level the project is having a broad impact, since data now show that the number of students taking undergraduate mathematics courses at a community college is approaching half of all students taking undergraduate mathematics courses; and among courses at the level of precalculus, college algebra, or lower, the number exceeds fifty percent.
