This project is reforming the mathematics program by dividing the curriculum of the second level developmental mathematics course into two courses. The decision to restructure the curriculum is based on an analysis of students' difficulties in successfully completing the extensive content to be covered in this course in a semester of only 12 weeks and the fact that the success rate in upper-level courses indicates that even students who pass may be in jeopardy in precalculus and calculus. In addition, in the present structure, students receive no college-level algebra instruction prior to precalculus. While the department has had significant success in infusing new teaching methodologies in precalculus and calculus resulting in significantly higher pass rates, hundreds of students never make it to these upper-level courses because of their poor preparation. The department is using this project to do a better job of preparing the vast majority of students who start out in developmental mathematics for upper-level precalculus and calculus courses. Central to this project is the transformation of sections of these developmental courses along with sections of precalculus and calculus into multimedia laboratory courses where students work individually and in small groups on state-of-the-art, interactive, CD-ROM-based instruction, supported with accompanying texts that contain exploratory environments, video clips, simulations, explanations, and exercises. Using this new technology, students work on modules at their own pace, taking proficiency exams when they are ready. The self-paced nature of the new CD-ROM technology makes better use of the additional time students have in this course.
