9455960 Clemens The University of Utah proposes to explore a model for undergraduate mathematics education which brings teacher/researchers into partnerships with teams of "users" of mathematics, both within and outside the university, with the goal of increasing mathematical power and an understanding of the relevance of mathematics of students in a wide spectrum of disciplines and professional careers. Building on modern research on student learning, opportunities created by our university's reform of its liberal education curriculum, and a new determination to reach out to other disciplines, the university proposes to create nine cross-disciplinary teams. Each will be charged with developing and team teaching an undergraduate mathematics course, or modifying an existing course by the creation of modules or special units. These courses would develop a mathematical theme through problems from the discipline of the "outside" members of the team, from the other sciences, engineering, economics or business. Curricula and teaching styles in these courses will be influenced by exposure of the teams to "hands-on" experiences, the use of small group work, and problem oriented learning.
