Research supports the effectiveness of matching instructional methods with student learning preferences (Dunn et al., 1995; Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005). Several challenges exist, however, for mathematics departments to design classroom learning experiences that allow students to learn mathematics and learn how to study math through their…

The article provides a vision of how Beyond Crossroads can serve as a departmental guide to inducing systemic change at a two-year college. Curricular change does not mean just changing the content taught, it also means changing the way it is taught, the way learning may be assessed, and the ways in which faculty and administrators may evaluate…

This article is written from the perspective of a department chair who recognizes that there are often significant barriers within the department to changing the curriculum. This article makes the case that changes are needed and suggests actions that can be the catalyst for change.

All advocates of curriculum reform talk about an increased emphasis on conceptual understanding in mathematics. In this article, the authors use many examples to address the following issues: What does conceptual understanding mean, especially in introductory courses such as college algebra, precalculus, or calculus? How do we recognize its…

How did it happen that both full-time and adjunct faculty at Scottsdale Community College embrace a standards-based curriculum from beginning algebra through differential equations? Simply put, it didn't just happen. Not only did it take well over a decade, but it was also the result of a sequence of initiatives, decisions, discussions, targeted…

This article traces some of the events leading up to the call for reform, differing aspects of the suggested reform, steps taken, and possible future directions for the reform of calculus instruction. (CW)

The Commentary salutes AMATYC for its significant contributions to standards-based education in mathematics and discusses possible audiences for Beyond Crossroads, in addition to the primary audience of faculty members and departments in two-year institutions. Because Beyond Crossroads focuses on lower division college mathematics, it helps…

Discussed are a review of related literature, a review of other programs, a survey to determine the actual learning environment of the other programs, a review of student demographics, the group decision process (a Delphi exercise), and the evaluation of the program components. (CW)

Indicates that utilizing calculators to introduce algebraic concepts in a prealgebra course provides students with a solid foundation for the study of college mathematics. Pedagogical criteria emphasized the difference between exact and approximate results, appropriate use of the calculator in problem solving, the role of estimation in…

Designed as an avenue of communication for mathematics educators concerned with the views, ideas, and experiences of two-year college students and teachers, this journal contains articles on mathematics exposition and education and regular features presenting book and software reviews, classroom activities, instructor experiences, and math…

The main purpose of this special issue is to suggest strategies for meeting the mathematical needs of two-year college students in the decade of the 1990s. Since the 20 contributors were free to write about topics that they considered to be appropriate to the intellectual and personal development of all students their papers represent a broad…

Designed as an avenue of communication for mathematics educators concerned with the views, ideas, and experiences of two-year college students and teachers, this journal contains articles on mathematics exposition and education, and regular features presenting book and software reviews and math problems. In addition to regular features such as…