Precalculus Reform at the
University of Michigan

The purpose of this document is to describe the reformed precalculus program of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Michigan. This project uses a reformed precalculus text and emphasizes cooperative learning, gateway testing, and technology in the form of TI-82 calculators.

This document is based on a presentation made by Robert Megginson, who designed and implemented the UM precalculus reform project, to the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics on February 5, 1994. Due to the nature of the medium in which this document appears, and because the reader may be interested in scanning to find some particular feature of our program, this document will be in the form of an outline organized into three sections as follows.

• General information on precalculus at the University of Michigan
• Traditional UM precalculus; that is, the course prior to fall, 1993
• Reformed UM precalculus

General Information on Precalculus at the University of Michigan

• Essentially involves just one course. Basically, UM precalculus consists of only one four-semester-hour course, Mathematics 105, meeting four times per week (or five times per week in a few sections taught through the UM Comprehensive Studies Program).
  • There is one other low-enrollment summer course, Mathematics 103, taught along somewhat the same lines and intended to be a bridge course for students entering the university and needing extra preparation before taking other mathematics courses.
  • Besides Math 105 and 103, there are no other courses taught before calculus emphasizing algebra and trigonometry. For all practical purposes, Math 105 is the only UM course that is preparatory for calculus.
  • All comments here are about Math 105.
• Course Title: Data, Function, and Graphs.
• Purposes:
  • Prepare students to take calculus.
  • Provide a mathematics course for students not required to take one but wanting one, and not wanting calculus.
  • Terminal mathematics course for one major (kinesiology).
  • Satisfy a Quantitative Reasoning Requirement in the UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
• Enrollment: 700-800 students per year.
• Distribution of students by their reason for taking the course (fall, 1993):
  • 78%: Preparation for calculus.
  • 14%: General interest in mathematics.
  • 8%: Satisfy some requirement other than preparation for calculus.

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Go to Traditional UM Precalculus

Go to Reformed UM Precalculus

Last modified Wed 10 May 1995 12:37 EDT