UIC ASCEND
Math Workshops
June 25, 2007 - July 26, 2007
Schedule
The workshop meets from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday-Thursday, from June 25 through July 26, 2007, except for July 4.
Location
The workshops meet in Lecture Centers A4, A6, and A7
and, periodically, in the computer classrooms SES 205B and 205C on the
campus of the
Staff
The ASCEND Math Staff includes Jeremy Teitelbaum, Florencio Diaz, Kari Dueball, and the people who do the real work, our ASCEND TA Team:
- Richard Jordan
- Luissette Hernandez-Gonzalez
- Mechie Nkengla
- Marcy Robertson.
Required Materials
- Hungerford, Contemporary Precalculus, A Graphing Approach (Thompson/Brooks Cole).
- Martin-Gay, Intermediate Algebra, 4ed. (Pearson/Prentice Hall)
- Gleason, et. al. Calculus (Pearson/Prentice Hall)
DO NOT purchase a text before the workshop begins; textbook selection will be made after a preliminary assessment during the first week of the workshop.
Workshop Outline
The workshop will be a mix of different activities:
- Self guided work using the ALEKS computer system (3 hours/week)
The ALEKS system is an interactive computer system that assesses a student's knowledge of topics in mathematics and then poses new problems to advance the students learning. The program constantly measures the student's progress and adapts its problems to its measure of the students understanding. The ASCEND workshops will use ALEKS as one tool to enable students to work at their own pace and at an appropriate level.
- Guided problem sessions (4 hours/week)
The second element of the ASCEND workshops will be two two-hour-long problem sessions per week. These problem sessions will be devoted to group work in solving challenging problems. The group leaders will select appropriate problems and guide the groups in attacking them.
3. Group Project work (3 hours/week)
The workshop participants will be divided into groups of six students. Each group will be assigned a problem in mathematical modeling and will be expected to develop a presentation on their topic. This work will be presented in a "Math Fair" at the end of the workshops.
4. Mini-lectures (2 hours/week)
Two hours per week will be reserved for mini-lectures on relevant mathematical topics.
Syllabus (tentative)
The following mathematical topics will be discussed in the course, depending on student interest and level of preparation:
- Linear Equations and Models
- Exponential and Logarithmic functions and models
- Time value of money
- Velocity and Acceleration
- Trigonometry
- The Binomial Theorem
- Conic Sections
ASCEND participants will be divided into four groups of twelve students: Teams Gauss, Noether, Hopper, and Artin.
Weekly Schedule (Team Gauss)
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
|
9 a.m. |
Computer Lab |
Group Project |
Mini-lecture with Noether |
Problem Session |
|
10 a.m. |
Problem Session |
Computer Lab |
Group Project |
Problem Session |
|
11 a.m. |
Problem Session |
Group Project |
Computer Lab |
Mini-lecture with Noether |
Weekly Schedule (Team Noether)
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
|
9 a.m. |
Group Project |
Problem Session |
Mini-lecture with Noether |
Computer Lab |
|
10 a.m. |
Computer Lab |
Problem Session |
Problem Session |
Group Project |
|
11 a.m. |
Group Project |
Computer Lab |
Problem Session |
Mini-lecture with Noether |
Weekly Schedule (Team Artin)
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
|
9 a.m. |
Mini-lecture with Hopper |
Problem Session |
Computer Lab |
Group Project |
|
10 a.m. |
Group Project |
Problem Session |
Problem Session |
Computer Lab |
|
11 a.m. |
Computer Lab |
Mini-lecture with Hopper |
Problem Session |
Group Project |
Weekly Schedule (Team Hopper)
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
|
9 a.m. |
Mini-lecture with Artin |
Computer Lab |
Group Project |
Problem Session |
|
10 a.m. |
Problem Session |
Group Project |
Computer Lab |
Problem Session |
|
11 a.m. |
Problem Session |
Mini-lecture with Artin |
Group Project |
Computer Lab |
Computer Lab
Scheduling for ASCEND Program.
|
|
Monday SES 205B/C |
Tuesday SES 205B/C |
Wednesday SES 205B/C |
Thursday SES 205B/C |
|
9 a.m. |
Group A |
Group D |
Group C |
Group B |
|
10 a.m. |
Group B |
Group A |
Group D |
Group C |
|
11 a.m. |
Group C |
Group B |
Group A |
Group D |