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Designing Instruction to Promote a Riemann Sum-Based Understanding of the Definite Integral

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Conference

2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Location

Morgantown, West Virginia

Publication Date

March 24, 2023

Start Date

March 24, 2023

End Date

March 25, 2023

Page Count

10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44935

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/44935

Download Count

129

Paper Authors

biography

Caleb D Holloway West Virginia University Institute of Technology

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I am an assistant professor of mathematics at West Virginia University Institute of Technology. My formal education is in functional analysis, but for the last several years I have been working in the field of math education. My current interests are students' conceptual development of calculus and precalculus concepts, and the use of open educational resources in math education.

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Abstract

A robust understanding of the definite integral concept is essential to a variety of applications in STEM fields. However, research has shown that successful students regularly emerge from calculus unsure or even unaware of the underlying structure of the definite integral. Investigations into student learning of the limit and definite integral have revealed potentially powerful ways of teaching these concepts. In this paper I describe how I structured a first-semester calculus course around these novel teaching techniques. I then discuss my experience teaching one section of this course and provide some preliminary findings. Finally, I preview my plans to investigate how this teaching approach has affected students’ understanding of the definite integral through surveys and follow-up interviews.

Holloway, C. D. (2023, March), Designing Instruction to Promote a Riemann Sum-Based Understanding of the Definite Integral Paper presented at 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--44935

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