Description
Every semester the enrollment for PreCalculus at San Diego State University increases due to lack of readiness for Calculus, along with the requirement of students taking a quantitative course their freshman year. Many instructors continue teaching Calculus the same way it was taught 100 years ago. Millennials, who grew up with computers and the Internet, make up the college population today. Since technology has changed their ability to focus and learn, teaching standards need to be adjusted to accommodate the new generation of students. In 2014, the Mathematics Department at San Diego State implemented a form of active learning in the classrooms. Active learning gets students involved in educational activities and thinking about the processes that come with the activities. For PreCalculus and Calculus, the students worked on mathematical activities applied to different fields, then analyzed their results. At the end of each semester, students are asked to fill out a survey of their experience in the course. This study will focus on parameters from the surveys pertaining to the promotion and enjoyment of active learning from the student’s perspective. The survey was given to PreCalclus students during the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters. A qualitative and quantitative analysis were implemented. These findings are important because they support the claim that favoring active learning instead of traditional lecturing has assisted in the success of the students’ mathematics education.
