Ten years of mathematics reform at the Lebanese American University

Abstract

Ten years ago, few faculty members at the Department of Mathematics of the Lebanese American University (LAU) began implementing some level of reform in the teaching of mathematics, particularly the teaching of calculus and of differential equations. The importance of visualizing mathematical concepts and the abundance of specialized dynamical software were the main driving force behind the reform attempts. Since the reform movement was initiated, I have conducted various studies focusing mainly on students’ acceptance of a qualitative approach for the learning of differential equations and also some key concepts in calculus. This paper summarizes the findings that have been collected throughout the 10 years and proposes means for improving student learning outcomes based on the LAU experience.