Calculus I Using Peer Instructors and Clickers

Calculus I at SDSU is taught in large, 125-175 student lecture sections with smaller break-out sessions once per week. The current D/F/W rate has averaged around 30%, which we find to be unacceptable. The reasons for this rate are numerous, and differ from those that cause students difficulties in other classes such as Calculus II. In general, research has shown that these students are encountering new ideas that require conceptual understanding and visualization skills, which demand new types of studying methods and content presentation. We are trying four specific interventions: Peer tutors, Client-discipline Projects, interactive technology, and Weekly analytics reports.