A standard element of the undergraduate ordinary differential equations course is the topic of separable equations. For instructors of those courses, we present here a series of novel modeling scenarios that prove to be a compelling motivation for the utility of differential equations. Furthermore, the growing complexity of the models leads to the…

A productive understanding of rate of change concept is essential for constructing a robust understanding of derivatives. There is substantial evidence in the research that students enter and leave their Calculus courses with naive understandings of rate of change. Implementing a short unit on "what is rate of change" can address these…

We describe the components and implementation of an activity for multivariable calculus featuring applications to the field of chemistry. This activity focuses on the isobaric thermal expansion coefficient found using partial differentiation of the volume of an ideal gas with respect to temperature as pressure is held constant. Broader goals of…

We discuss student conceptions of improper integrals and infinity in the context of a second-semester calculus course (in a three-course sequence). Our observations stem from a sequence of activities used in an online course over a three-day period. Throughout the enactment of these activities, students are challenged to develop conceptions of…

In this reflection of teaching, we describe a series of activities that introduce the Taylor series through dynamic visual representations with explicit connections to students' prior learning. Over the past several decades, educators have noted that curricular materials tend to present the Taylor series in a way that students often interpret as…

We offer an analysis of calculus assessment items that highlights ways to evaluate students' application of important meanings and support their engagement in generative ways of reasoning. Our central aim is to identify characteristics of items that require students to apply their understanding of key ideas. We coordinate this analysis of…

The manuscript describes a community-based mathematical modeling task that was implemented in a Calculus I classroom to engage students in mathematical modeling. Twenty-five undergraduate students engaged in this activity. These students selected a context that they found interesting, posed questions, developed constraints, came up with solution…

In this paper we introduce the reader to a foundational topic of differential geometry: the curvature of a curve. To make this topic engaging to a wide audience of readers, we develop this intuitive introduction employing only basic geometry without calculus and derivatives. It is hoped that this introduction will encourage many more to both…

The complexity in understanding the [epsilon-delta] definition has motivated research into the teaching and learning of the topic. In this paper I share my design of an instructional analogy called the Pancake Story and four different questions to explore the logical relationship between [epsilon] and [delta] that structures the definition. I…

Answering a call by the "Common Vision" for instructional material to "establish stronger connections with other disciplines" and "work with professional-level technology tools," the present article shows how various aspects of fitting circles to data fit in existing courses from basic calculus to advanced calculus.

This paper offers instructional interventions designed to support undergraduate math students' understanding of two forms of representations of Calculus concepts, mathematical language and graphs. We first discuss issues in students' understanding of mathematical language and graphs related to Calculus concepts. Then, we describe tasks, which are…

We present adaptable activities for models of drug movement in the human body -- pharmacokinetics -- that motivate the learning of ordinary differential equations with an interdisciplinary topic. Specifically, we model aspirin, caffeine, and digoxin. We discuss the pedagogy of guiding students to understand, develop, and analyze models,…

This paper gives a blueprint for reacting to the various issues that an instructor will face in their day-to-day life as the manager of a Mastery-Based Testing (MBT) classroom. For example, I created a rubric to compare traditional testing with MBT, adapted my office hours to accommodate more retake opportunities, and required effort between…

The first day of many mathematics classes is filled with the formalities of the syllabus and a lecture introduction to the course content. Here, an alternative is presented where modeling is placed as the centerpiece to orient students to the work of differential equations; namely, to capture as beautifully and compactly as possible through the…

This paper investigates the advantages of using a two-step homework system. First, technology is used to collect and grade traditional homework. Then, students are expected to present and explain problems from their assignments in class. Several versions of implementation are discussed for different course levels and sizes. Through these methods,…