Calculus:

Roles, Relevance &

Reform
TPSE
David Bressoud University of Chicago
St. Paul, MN Chicago, IL
September 20, 2015

PDF  file  of  these  slides  available  at    

www.macalester.edu/~bressoud/talks  
insights Insights  and  Recommenda0ons  
andrecommendations
maa
fromthe
from  the  MAA  Na0onal  Study  of  
college
nationalstudyof

College  Calculus  
calculus Pdf  available  at  maa.org/cspcc  
EDITORS DAVID BRESSOUD VILMA MESA CHRIS RASMUSSEN

Chapters describing best practices in

•  Placement
•  Student support
•  Pedagogy
•  Departmental dynamics
•  Preparation for teaching for graduate students
 Students  in  Calculus  I  at    
PhD  UniversiFes,  Fall  2010  

Growth in high
AP  exam  ≥  3  
26%  
No  calc  in  HS   school calculus
30%  
running close
AP  exam    
to 6% per year
<  3   Calc  in  HS,  
15%   no  AP  exam  
29%  

Source: MAA CSPCC

 AP  exam  ≥  3   34%   30%   18%   18%  

HS  calc/no  AP  exam   25%   34%   18%   23%  

AP  exam  <  3   13%   26%   30%   31%  

no  HS  calc   14%   26%   26%   34%  

0%   20%   40%   60%   80%   100%  

A   B   C   DFW  
Source: MAA CSPCC
 Career goals of students in mainstream* Calculus I
Mathematical Physical
sciences sciences
2% 4%
Undecided
Other 8%
5%

Business
Social sciences 7%
1% Engineering
Teaching 31%
5%

Bio sciences
(includes
pre-med)
30%

Computer &
IT
Geo sciences 5%
2%
Source:
*  “Mainstream”  implies  it  can  be  used  as  part  of  the  pre-­‐
MAA CSPCC
requisite  stream  for  more  advanced  mathemaVcs  courses.    
 Gender differences of career goals of
students in mainstream Calculus I
Career  Goals,  all  men   Career  Goals,  all  women  
undecided   math   math  
7%   phys  sci   phys  sci  
2%   1%  
other   5%   other   4%  
3%   5%   undecided  
9%  
eng  
social   comp  
business   14%  
1%   business   2%  
9%   7%  
social   geo  
teacher  
2%   3%  
4%   eng  
38%   teacher  
10%  
bio  
19%  
bio  
43%  
comp  
10%  
geo  
2%  

Source: MAA CSPCC

 Characteristics of Calculus I Students
at Research Universities

Average high school math GPA 3.77

SAT scores: 3rd Quartile 710

Median 670
1st Quartile 620

Took Precalculus in college 13%

Agree that to succeed in Calculus I,

49%
must have taken it before.
 Statistically significant drops in confidence,
enjoyment, and desire to continue
All Institutions Research Universities
Variable
Mean (SD) Effect Size Mean (SD) Effect Size

I am confident in my 4.89 (1.01) 4.93 (1.01)

mathematical abilities –0.46 –0.47
(1–6) 4.42 (1.18) 4.40 (1.19)

I enjoy doing 4.63 (1.27) 4.69 (1.24)

mathematics –0.27 –0.33
(1–6) 4.28 (1.37) 4.28 (1.35)

If I had a choice, I 2.93 (1.02) 2.97 (1.00)

would continue to take –0.09 –0.14
mathematics (1–4) 2.84 (1.08) 2.83 (1.07)

lowest = strongly disagree, highest = strongly agree

   Good  Teaching  
Interactive lecture: Lecture included many
exchanges between instructors and students. The
exchanges were quick, in the form of questions
with short answers, and involved more than a
handful of students.
Clear expectations: Teachers were very explicit
about their demands. The students said that their
exams and assignments were fair even though
they also reported sometimes not doing well on
them.
 
 “AmbiVous  Pedagogy”  
Use of group projects, the inclusion of unfamiliar
problems both in homework and on exams,
requirements for students to explain how they
arrived at their answers, and a decreased reliance on
lecture as the primary mode of instruction.
Large benefit in retention, especially for women.
Improved performance in subsequent courses,
especially for those with the weakest preparation.
Significant interaction with “good teaching,” which is
a pre-requisite for full benefits.

PDF  file  of  these  slides  available  at    

www.macalester.edu/~bressoud/talks