A Laboratory Course in Mathematics for Liberal Arts Students

Holly Hirst

Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
USA

ABSTRACT

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at Appalachian State University offers a laboratory-based liberal arts course entitled Math 1010 - 'Introduction to Mathematics.' This course is designed to meet the core mathematics requirement for non-science and non-business majors by introducing them to applications encountered in realistic decision making. Emphasis is placed on showing students how to apply previously learned mathematical skills and how to communicate their results in writing. The four modules covered in one semester are: right triangle measurement, management sciences - resource allocation, personal finance, and statistics. As our ideas for labs and class projects took shape, it was clear that no existing textbook was appropriate. We have developed a class workbook and a detailed, comprehensive teacher's guide to be published in the next year. We will be displaying a draft of the work book, lab/project ideas, and actual student work during this poster session.

This project was funded in part by the ILI Program of the National Science Foundation.

Keyword(s): finite mathematics