The Southeast Florida Engineering Education Consortium

Lower Division Mathematics


Link to C4 discussion on calculus and related topics
Recommended distribution of undergraduate mathematics topics

Jan. 22, 1999: C^4 meeting during the SFEEC meeting
In attendance: Claudius Carnegie (FIU),  Fred Lane (PBCC), Heinrich Niederhausen (FAU), Jose Lozano (MDCC), Maureen Cavallaro (PBCC), Martin Peres (BCC), Norma Agras(MDCC), Wally Gannott (BCC)
PBCC submitted their topic distribution list, and the overview has been updated. There was general agreement on the recommended topics distribution. The next step would be a conversion of the topics table into recommended basic course outlines, which could serve as guide lines for the different departments.
The "Technology in Classroom" movement brings with it the question about "Calculator on Tests". Nobody wants to go back to the slide ruler, but there is no general agreement on the level of technology our students should have available to solve test problems. Graphing calculators? Symbolic calculators with keyboards? Subnotebook computers? Notebook computers? Contributions to the discussion are welcome.

Nov.9, 1998: Update on recent C^4 activities
On November 5, Bill Kalies (FAU) and Heinrich Niederhausen (FAU) met with Alen Hamlin (PBCC) in Lake Worth to discuss the recommended distribution of topics between precalculus, calculus, and differential equations. There seems to be very good agreement between PBCC and the other participants.
Proposed agenda for further C^4 activities:
  1. Get feedback from FIU and BCC about the proposal.
  2. Talk to the State course content committee. Having one member of that committee in my department makes it easy to follow their activities. Proposed position of the C^4: The State committee should make suggestions about the content of the three calculus courses combined, keeping in mind that STATEWIDE the calculus courses are transferred together, not piecewise. Our C^4 committee addresses LOCAL needs (the "I-95 corridor"), recognizing that locally our students transfer (back and forth) whenever they feel like it.
  3. Can the proposed addition of vector arithmetic to trigonometry be realized? Physics and statics would like to see us teach cross (and dot) products early, and trigonometry seem to be the place. Are there traditional topics in trigonometry which can be de-emphasized, because students will use their calculator to find sin(Pi/24) ?
  4. The division of topics between differential equations I and II hasn't really been discussed yet. Because linear algebra is no longer a course in the engineering curriculum, we cannot make it a pre- or co-requisit. A differential equations course with mixed-in linear algebra is great, but we all have to do it the same way if we want students to be able to transfer from part I to part II.

Oct. 30: Calculus Content Coordination Committee meeting at FAU
Participants: Bill Kalies, Claudius Carnegie, Heinrich Niederhausen, Norma Agras
Summary by Norma Agras:
The Calculus Content Coordination Committee had a most productive meeting on Friday, October 30th, at FAU.  Using the
list of topics covered by the EIT (Engineering in Training) exam, the committee was able to agree on the appropriate course for the teaching of each individual topic.  This is an important step towards a more uniform curriculum in mathematics courses for any engineering program in southeast Florida.
October 12:
Summary of the C^4 meeting

The C^4 met at the FAU Tower Campus on Friday, October 9, 3pm.
Participants: Bill Kalies, Claudius Carnegie, Heinrich Niederhausen, Nancy Hyde, Norma Agras, Roger Messenger

The committee felt that the important item to consider was content--not credits. It agreed on the following agenda for further discussions:

  1. What is the "best" division of topics between Calculus I and II?

    2. It appeared, that the main issue is the timing of teaching integration. The participants observed that at their colleges
    differentiation and integration were introduced in Calculus I. This seems to be reasonable in view of Physics requirements. It looks likely that a general consensus can be achieved on this topic.
    Are there any other topics? Is there a model course outline for Calculus I that would allow
    to teach it concurrently with Physics I ?
  2. During the course of Calculus, students are supposed to learn Theory, Techniques, and Modeling. How much emphasis should be given on each of these components, especially for the engineering student? Should "mastering certain techniques" be replaced by "learn how to solve problems on the computer"?
The C^4 committee requests input about the above topics from all interested colleagues in South Florida. Please send your comments to Heinrich Niederhausen, <niederha@fau.edu>, fax: (561) 297 2436. I will post your responses on this web site.

October 9: The Calculus Content Coordination Committee (C^4) of the SFEEC will meet for the first time on Friday, October 9, 3pm, in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, in room 528 at the Tower Campus, 220 SE 2nd Ave.
Agenda: Calculus Content and Calculus Content Coordination.

On the April 3 meeting in Kendall it was decided to discuss the lower division mathematics topics list via a bulletin board.
 
 

Suggested Goals:

  1. Each mathematics department fills out the mathematics topics list as FAU has done already. FAU used the code letter A to mark off the list. Suggestion to math departments: Download a copy of the mathematics topics list. Select a code letter and fill out the table (you can leave the A's in there). Post your topics list on the web. Leave a message on the bulletin board telling us where your list is posted. I will collect all the information in one topics list.
  2. After we know where we disagree we should enter into a discussion with our engineering colleagues about the optimal course design. Will it be possible to reach a common Calculus I and II sequence so that students can transfer at will?