Gary M. Simundza DUE 9553704 Wentworth Inst of Tech FY1995 $ 499,951 Boston, MA 02115-5998 Advanced Technological Education Title: Mathematics for Technology - Laboratory Investigations Mathematics faculty at Wentworth Institute of Technology have been employing active learning strategies characteristic of the calculus reform movement at all levels of mathematics courses for students of engineering technology since 1989. This student population is motivated primarily by perceived relevance of subject matter to specific technical problems. We propose to develop, through joint efforts of mathematics and technical faculty, laboratory investigations using engineering laboratories and multi-media simulations that will illustrate and teach mathematical concepts. The project will begin at the intermediate algebra/trigonometry level and continue through calculus. 50 sections per year, containing 1500 students, will be affected at Wentworth. Through an existing network of Tech Prep consortia, Wentworth will take the lead in extending the secondary level "integrated curriculum" reforms of Tech Prep to the college level. Collaboration among faculty from Wentworth and neighboring colleges and secondary schools involved in Tech Prep, as well as selected industry personnel, will result in a series of workshops and minicourses to disseminate materials and methods developed at Wentworth to mathematics teachers at New England area institutions, affecting a potential 25,000 Tech Prep students. The Wentworth project will serve as a national model for colleges of engineering technology in integrating the learning of mathematics with technical applications. Through the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC), a potential 100,000 additional students ma y ultimately be affected.
