The focus of this three year project at Rollins College is the construction of a computer environment -- consisting of a computer algebra system - MAPLE, a specially designed interface to MAPLE, a hypertext system, and other software --- that is more suitable for teaching and learning calculus for the average student. This computer algebra system will demonstrate the reasoning processes of experts. The intent is that students will learn how to think about solving calculus as well as how to solve problems with the help of a computer algebra system. This computer environment is suitable for pre-calculus, science and engineering curriculum designs. The principal investigator Douglas Child is the first in the country to develop an easy way to use a computer algebra system both to do and to teach calculus with MAPLE. Child and co-PI Kurtz began developing curriculum and interfaces for computer algebra systems under grants from the Sloan Foundation. The calculus topics will be reordered. Differentiation and integration will be introduced early in the course via applied problems. There will be an emphasis on logic, precise use of language, numerical methods, approximations, and mathematical modelling. Experimental use of materials is planned at colleges and local high schools which have classes of approximately thirty-five students. National dissemination will be in the form of text to be published by Wadsworth/Brooks-Cole Publishers. Rollins College is contributing almost one-fourth of the project's cost with in-kind services.
