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Redesign of Calculus Curriculum in Engineering

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Conference

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Columbus, Ohio

Publication Date

June 24, 2017

Start Date

June 24, 2017

End Date

June 28, 2017

Conference Session

Mathematics Division Technical Session 2

Tagged Division

Mathematics

Page Count

10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--28783

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/28783

Download Count

710

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Paper Authors

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Hui Ma University of Virginia

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Hui Ma received her Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2012. Her current research focuses on the Errors-In-Variables (EIV) model and fitting geometric curves and surfaces to observed data points. Before joining the University of Virginia (UVA), she worked as an assistant professor at Black Hills State University for two years. In her current role as an APMA faculty member at UVA, she teaches applied math courses to engineering students. Her goals in teaching are to help students develop the confidence in their own ability to do mathematics and to make mathematics a joyful and successful experience.

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Gianluca Guadagni University of Virginia

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PhD in Mathematics University of Virginia

Lecturer, Applied Mathematics, Department of Engineering and Society, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Virginia.

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Stacie N. Pisano University of Virginia, School of Engineering and Applied Science

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After receiving a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stacie Pisano worked as an Electrical Engineer and Technical Manager at AT&T and Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories for 16 years, designing and developing telecommunications equipment for the business market. After moving to Charlottesville, VA, she had the opportunity to teach Multivariable Calculus for UVA SEAS, and she was hooked. She has been teaching Applied Math from that point on and enjoying every minute.

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Bernard Fulgham University of Virginia

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Bernard Fulgham received his PhD in Mathematics in 2002, writing his thesis in the field of non-associative algebras with advisor Kevin McCrimmon. He began teaching Applied Mathematics at the University of Virginia in August 2004 and became a full-time Lecturer in 2006.

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Monika Abramenko University of Virginia

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I studied math in Frankfurt and finished with the German "Diplom" in Mathematics in 1993. For several years I worked at a bank in Germany. In 2001 I came to the US with my family and started teaching financial math at the Math Department at the University of Virginia. After a couple of years I became a lecturer in the Engineering Department where I am teaching now full time.

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Diana D Morris University of Virginia

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I am a lecturer at the University of Virginia, and enjoy teaching a variety of math courses to undergraduates.

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Abstract

An increasing number of first year students are bypassing the calculus curriculum by obtaining calculus credit in high school before entering engineering schools. Yet, the performance of students in their first year engineering math courses is uneven due to many reasons. There are some common gaps that need to be addressed, even for students with the strongest math background who have successfully completed single variable calculus II in high school. In addition, engineering applications are usually lacking in pre-college calculus courses and students are not always exposed to active-learning instructional strategies in those courses. In an attempt to better equip these more advanced students with the tools they need in future engineering courses and to improve learning outcomes, a new engineering math sequence was developed and implemented with an active-learning structure[5]. In the new sequence, students take two semesters of calculus. The sequence will include a complete course in multivariable calculus, and the content will be enhanced: (1) to address common gaps in calculus I and II skills, (2) to cover some of the selected topics more thoroughly than in a single-semester multivariable calculus course, and (3) to explore additional challenging topics and projects with specific engineering applications that are not appropriate for a class with less advanced students [1] [2] [4]. In this paper, we present the main features of the redesign, and the preliminary data and results collected. Moreover, we investigate the impact of the redesign on students' learning and provide a general discussion of possible changes and improvements [3]. This is the first step of a three-year project that will redesign calculus sequences for engineering students of all levels at our institution.

Ma, H., & Guadagni, G., & Pisano, S. N., & Fulgham, B., & Abramenko, M., & Morris, D. D. (2017, June), Redesign of Calculus Curriculum in Engineering Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28783

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