The goals of this project are 1) to construct a set of integrated activities that can be used to supplement mathematics and physics courses for engineering technology programs at Wake Technical Community College, as well as for use in high school courses, 2) to help students develop a more positive attitude toward mathematics and physics, and 3) to better prepare students for a highly technical workplace. The activities will be designed to produce a student centered learning environment in which students use technology routinely, participate in hands-on experiences regularly, and acquire the skills necessary to immediately apply mathematics in a variety of contexts. The activities will cover the same content found in Algebra and Trigonometry I, II, Calculus, and algebra-based physics courses.
A resource package of integrated mathematics and physics activities will be created by five members of the mathematics and physics department. They will utilize information from the national skills standards, the AMATYC Crossroads document, and research from the AAPT to direct the content and skills required of the activities. Current involvement of the department in A Capstone Project (DUE 9652146 ) and local tech prep programs will continue and information gathered from this participation will be used as well. This resource package will be used in an integrated mathematics and physics sequence for AAS curricula at Wake Technical Community College. Students' opinions of the activities will be assessed. Participating students will be tracked with regard to their future success.
The resource package will provide students with a coherent, organized array of mathematics and physics content. It will provide a model for an integrated curriculum that other two-year colleges may replicate. Progress will be disseminated through AMATYC, NCMATYC, NCTM, NCCTM, and AAPT conferences across the state and nation.
