More than half of the students concentrating in mathematics at the college are in one of three teacher-preparation programs. It is critical that the Mathematics Department curriculum prepare these students for the classrooms they will enter, in terms of both mathematics content and pedagogy. There are many areas of mathematics that are taught more effectively through technology-assisted approaches. Statistics especially is an area in which computers, coupled with teaching strategies that allow students to construct their own knowledge through hands-on, exploratory activities, can greatly enhance student learning. This project funds a 20-station computer laboratory that provides at least eight faculty members with a means to use newly developed laboratory experiences in introductory statistics courses. An estimated 400-450 undergraduate students can benefit each year. First and foremost, the new laboratory provides a technology-rich environment in which faculty can teach using a pedagogy that both enhances the learning of all students and models instructional methods important to those students preparing to be teachers. It also provides an alternative approach--individualized and interactive--which helps reduce withdrawal and failure rates in the introductory statistics course for the many full-time students majoring in social sciences, home economics, or food and nutrition. In addition, it can be of benefit to other part-time students pursuing undergraduate degree programs in the Continuing Education Division, as well as to majors taking the mathematical statistics sequence. Finally, it can improve the preparation of all these students for workplace applications.
