Presented by the School of Mathematics & Science Foundations in the UNT College of Science, the Best Practices in STEM Teaching Seminar Series invites leading experts in STEM education to share their knowledge with the UNT community throughout the spring semester. Faculty who teach introductory-level courses are encouraged to attend and learn about evidence-based strategies to improve learning.

At our April 24 series installment, DeWitt Wallace Professor Emeritus Dr. David Bressoud will present his talk, "A Vision For Calculus." Far too many students emerge from calculus with little sense of why it is considered foundational to modern science. The problem is that students experience it as a collection of arcane procedures to be mastered, a repertoire of toy problems to which appropriate procedures are applied. They are assessed on how quickly they can identify the problem type and accurately execute the procedures. An alternative approach is to build an understanding of functions as establishing a relationship between variables that vary in tandem, of integration as embodying accumulation when the ratio of accumulation varies as a function of time or distance, and differentiation as the ratio of rates of change of linked variables. In other words, the goal is to approach calculus as a way to model dynamic situations.

This talk will present concrete examples that are being implemented at a variety of universities. It also serves as an invitation for faculty across STEM disciplines to consider how foundational ideas are presented in their own courses. The perspective offered here centers on connecting concepts to meaning and use, and may prompt reflection on how similar connections are made within different disciplines.