Spreadsheets in Liberal Arts Mathematics Gisela Ahlbrandt Eastern Michigan University
Advantages over a graphing calculator Cheaper, lab use is free Spreadsheets are used in the “real” world, Output is nicer and can be printed, More intuitive More powerful, easy change of parameters
Disadvantage wrt a graphing calculator Not available in regular classroom, Takes more time to learn, Has so many features that it can feel overwhelming for a student More work for the instructor to learn
The Course: Mth110 Terminal Math course, 3 credit hours, Satisfies the general education requirement to prepare students to read the news paper, quantitative reasoning, elementary probability and statistics. Text: For All Practical Purposes, COMAP
The Students Have usually no math requirement in their program of studies, should have one year of Algebra. Large variations in background. Many did not like math in school and resent that they have to take a course at all, many have never learnt basic concepts, many lack number sense. Definitely a challenge to teach.
Excel Unit Comprises about 20% of the course 5 lab meetings and discussions in class before and after the labs Lab projects, term papers.
Organization Prepare the labs in the regular class room, do some hand computations, Buddy-Pairs to spread computer expertise Detailed lab instructions, I go through the lab and help students individually.
Levels of Use 1. Students use prepared worksheets 2. Students set up worksheet with detailed instructions 3. Students develop their own worksheet to solve a problem 4. Students write a term paper/report: set up a worksheet to solve a problem, create tables and graphs from computations, import the results into a text document.
Problems Computer lab hard-ware problems Software problems: compatibility, no money for latest versions, Mac versus PC, missing macros No knowledgeable lab assistants
Examples of Projects Credit Card Finance Charges Million Dollar Prize Minimum Wage over Time