Title: Revitalizing Entry Level Mathematics
Speaker: Benny D Evans, Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma State University has for the past three years been offering three alternatives for students who traditionally take college algebra. The alternatives include traditional college algebra and two new courses designed and implemented at OSU with the aid of the National Science Foundation. One of these courses, Mathematical Functions and Their Uses, now serves over a third of the traditional college algebra audience. It involves a totally new approach to entry level mathematics using graphing calculators to replace much of the traditional symbol manipulation that is such a large part of college algebra. The course emphasizes a qualitative study of rates of change using real data from real applications of mathematics. The course is successful and has found a permanent niche in our entry level program.