Longe Range Computing Plan
A. The Department needs to recognize that the way mathematics is done has changed and that this should be reflected in the way that we teach. Namely, computers have become an integral part of how mathematics is done, both symbolically and numerically. [It is for the good of our students.]
- Beginning in the Fall of 1996, all sections of MAT 161, 162 and 261 will be scheduled in a computer lab for at least two days a week. Excepted are distance learning sections of calculus that will use technology on a different schedule.
- Beginning in the Fall of 1996 every section of MAT 335 and 361 will be scheduled in a computer lab for some time each week.
B. he Department should implement a set of minimal expectations in the curriculum. In particular, this should be done for the calculus sequence taken by our majors, linear algebra and differential equations.
Classroom technology use should convey to students that computers and graphing calculators can help them to:
- perform numerical and symbolic computations,
- visualize graphs and other concepts,
- simplify tedious calculations,
- experiment with, make conjectures about, and discover mathematical relationships,
- study non-trivial examples and realistic applications, and
- present their work in polished form.
These features should be reinforced throughout the mathematics curriculum and across mathematical disciplines. Toward that end, minimal expectations have been established for computer use in some core courses: the calculus sequence, linear algebra and differential equations.
SPECIFIC MINIMAL EXPECTATIONS FOR COMPUTER USE
Calculus I
- Graphing and Graphical Analysis
- Newton's Method
- Riemann Sums
- Linear and Quadratic Approximations
Calculus II
- Function Approximation
- Convergence
- Parametric Equations
- Polar Equations
Calculus III
- Visualization of Vector Fields
- Graphing Surfaces
- Computation of Vector Quantities
- Evaluation of Nontrivial Multiple Integrals
Linear Algebra
- Matrix Manipulation, Diagonalization, Iterative Techniques, Linear Transformations, Applications
Differential Equations
- Euler Method, Direction Fields, Numerical and Graphical Solution, Solution Verification, Parametric Behavior.
C. The Department should implement an optimal plan to bring all faculty members to an appropriate level of expertise in the use of technology in the classroom, including the use of software, hardware and teaching methodology.
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