9452381 Scholz The College of St. Thomas is developing an undergraduate computer-mathematics laboratory for classroom instruction and student projects within the University's Department of Mathematics. Applications of mathematics, visualization of data and functions, and exploration of models and simulations area being investigated in the facility. The University is providing a dedicated and remodelled classroom for this laboratory. This facility is vital to the Department's planned calculus and undergraduate mathematics reform and to the design of computer-aided courses and instruction. The institution is currently planning for a complete restructure of the present Calculus courses as well as significant changes in Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Applied Mathematical Modelling, Numerical Analysis, Probability, and Statistics instruction. All of the Calculus classes are being held in the laboratory on a daily to weekly basis, enabling students to experiment with mathematical ideas, concepts, and realistic applications as they evolve from the lectures. Traditional lectures are being supplemented and often replaced as students now use the computer and powerful symbolic, numeric, and graphic software packages to illustrate key ideas. The interactive nature between written lecture and computer-aided instruction is a crucial aspect of this approach.
