Calculus with Standards Based Grading and Active Learning Using Technology

At CSUDH, Calculus I is an entry level mathematics course for many STEM majors. Despite its importance in STEM students’ path toward graduation, pass rates in the course have typically been low, with only 60.9% of students earning a C or better in the 2015-2016 academic year. Many students lack both content pre-requisite skills and 21st century learning skills (critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating, and collaborating) required for success in the course and in their future STEM courses. Our redesign will use standards based grading, active learning with technology and the use of Peer Led Team Learning Leaders (PLTL) to help students identify and remediate skill gaps, offer students multiple ways to interact with content, and give them opportunities to develop communication and collaboration skills.