A Collaborative Model for Calculus Reform—A Preliminary Report

For the past two decades, both pros and cons of calculus reform have been discussed. A question often asked is, “Has the calculus reform project improved students’ understanding of mathematics?” The advocates of the reform movement claim that reform-based calculus may help students gain an intuitive understanding of mathematical propositions and have a better grasp of the real-world applications. Nonetheless, many still question its effect and argue that calculus reform purges calculus of its mathematical rigor and poorly prepares students for advanced mathematical training. East Asian students often rank in the top 10 of TIMSS and PISA. However, out-performing others in an international comparison may not guarantee their success in the learning of calculus. Taiwanese college students usually have a high failure rate in calculus. The National Science Council of Taiwan therefore initiated several projects in 2008 for improving students’ learning in calculus. This paper provides a preliminary report on one of the projects, PLEASE, and discusses how it was planned to respond to the tenets of calculus reform movement