Dr. Hannsgen was one of the first
participants in the Faculty Development Institute program. He attended the
pilot 1993 summer workshop and since then has made the computer software,
Mathematica, a part of his teaching curriculum.
The biggest project is my involvement with the various courses in the freshman-sophomore calculus sequence for science and engineering students. We will soon be offering Mathematica computer lab experience to all students in this sequence, and I have participated in writing lab project modules for Math 1206 in particular. These electronic files contain examples, explanations and problem sets that complement the regular course work. On my own I have developed similar materials for Math 2214 and 4245, which are differential equations courses.I have found that computer-enhanced teaching gives the students a visual understanding of the subject matter that is an improvement in calculus and is beyond comparison in differential equations. This new dimension also makes the interactive classroom format almost unavoidable and encourages a great deal more student initiative in learning. For these reasons, I have a much better idea of how students learn these subjects, and I have been changing my approach to even traditional topics and ordinary lectures.
For additional information:
hannsgen@calvin.math.vt.edu