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Evidence Is Mounting That Calculus Should Be Changed. Will Instructors Heed It?

ED Surge

Calculus is a critical on-ramp to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Good news: There's mounting evidence that changing calculus instruction works for the groups usually pushed out of STEM. That the traditional lecture method of teaching calculus isn’t as effective as active models.

Calculus 295
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Readers Respond: Does Fixing the Leaky STEM Pipeline Require Calculus To Adapt?

ED Surge

The need to strengthen the science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) careers pipeline has received renewed interest lately. A number of instructors say it’s partly reconsidering how calculus, a crucial step toward STEM careers and often a “weed out” course in higher ed, is taught. Here are some of the more thoughtful responses.

Calculus 260
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Colleges Can Make Calculus a Gateway — Not a Gatekeeper — to STEM Fields

ED Surge

But neither will happen unless we address the fundamental gatekeeper to all STEM fields: undergraduate calculus. But the pathway to careers in science and technology is anything but user-friendly, as revealed by the sheer number of college students opting to switch out of a STEM major after facing a college calculus class.

Calculus 354
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The Role of Mathematics in Education

Ask a Tech Teacher

Or perhaps, amidst a particularly challenging calculus problem, you’ve questioned how this abstract world of numbers and symbols could possibly influence your future career? College and Mathematics: Challenges The Complexity Cliff Remember the first time you looked at a calculus problem in college? Well, you’re not alone.

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The Math Revolution You Haven’t Heard About

ED Surge

Math professor Martin Weissman is rethinking how his university teaches calculus. This story also appeared in USA Today Falling off that path can lock students out of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. Some educators place a share of the blame on calculus courses, which can push out otherwise interested students.

Math 362
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UCLA Life Sciences Revamped How It Teaches Math. Is It an Example Others Should Follow?

ED Surge

It was from his dean, who said that the department had inspected their freshman calculus course, “Calculus for Life Sciences.” Although science, technology, engineering and math fields have seen some progress in recent years, STEM remains relatively non-diverse. Many leaders in the field want to change these statistics.

Calculus 311
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Tech Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10, 2024

Ask a Tech Teacher

There’s always been something mystically cerebral about people in technical professions like engineering, science, and mathematics. They talk animatedly about plate tectonics, debate the structure of atoms, even smile at the mention of calculus. It’s a bit different than a classroom teacher.