This study to be conducted under the auspices of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) undertakes a national investigation of Calculus I to identify the factors that contribute to student success, to understand how these factors are leveraged within successful programs and to use the publications, committees, and public fora of the MAA to disseminate the information and help mathematics departments build on its insights.
The study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. During the study's first phase, a large-scale national survey of Calculus I instruction will be conducted through mathematics departments. The study builds on the Conference Board on the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) studies to link the survey data with student success. Using the epidemiological model developed by Sadler and Tai, the PIs will examine factors such as instructor attributes, departmental focus, classroom variables, and out of class expectations as likely explanatory factors. A web-based student survey will also be conducted. Data will be studied through HLM analyses and institutions, course-level characteristics, and student characteristics will all be examined.
Phase II of the project will develop a preliminary theoretical framework for institutional models that produce successful calculus students. This informs the selection of eight cases to be conducted in different kinds of institutions. The cases will be analyzed using the approaches of pattern matching, explanation building, and cross-case syntheses.
The study is significant because the number of calculus students has been steadily decreasing in spite of the fact that more high school students are taking higher level mathematics courses. The PIs state that many students leave STEM fields as undergraduates because of poor calculus instruction. Identifying what works in college calculus instruction and why it works and widely disseminating the information will improve student success in calculus courses.
