Why Collaborative Calculus?

Online education has been growing in popularity and in market share for years,
however it always had certain drawbacks when compared to traditional building based education.

The need for some improved visual tools and social learning within mathematical education has been around since the advent of distance learning. The Covid-19 pandemic has only accelerated this need.

What The Research Says About Collaborative Calculus?

According to the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) by the OECD, the US ranks 31st in Mathematics out of 35 OECD countries. A more suitable curriculum for Calculus (the mathematical study of continuous change) is fundamental to improving STEM engagement in the US.  

The 345pi.com project will focus on developing a consumer-friendly mobile app to improve consumer calculus education and encourage interest in STEM careers.

 Studies by Professor Uri Treisman (“Studying Students Studying Calculus: A Look at the Lives of Minority Mathematics Students in College” The College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 23, No. 5 (Nov., 1992), pp. 362-372.) have shown the efficacy of group based calculus studies in improving graduation rates generally, but especially among women and minorities. 

57% of past and current online students report that interactions with classmates are very important to their academic success.
— Andrew J. Magda

See The Research

Boaler, Jo. Limitless Minds: the New Science That Unlocks the Mind and Potential. New York, NY: HarperOne, 2019.

Christensen, Clayton M., Michael B. Horn, and Curtis W. Johnson. Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.

Dweck, Carol. Mindset. London: Robinson, 2017.

Friedman, Thomas L. Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations. Penguin Books, 2017.

Itō, Mizuko, Crystle Martin, Rachel Cody Pfister, Matthew H. Rafalow, Katie Salen, and Amanda Wortman. Affinity Online: How Connection and Shared Interest Fuel Learning. New York: New York University Press, 2019.

Who Studies Calculus and Why” Duke University Mathematics Department (2009) Accessed December 2, 2020. https://services.math.duke.edu/~das/essays/renewal/students.html

Magda, A. J., & Aslanian, C. B. (2018). Online college students 2018: Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc. http://www.learninghouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/OCS-2018-Report-FINALpostprintedits.pdf

“The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Education Questions”  National 

Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a part of the U.S. Department of Education. Accessed June 1, 2020. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372.

Treisman, Uri. “Studying Students Studying Calculus: A Look at the Lives of Minority Mathematics Students in College,” College Mathematics Journal 23/5 (1992): 362-72 (368)

Settles, B. & Meeder, B. (2016) “A Trainable Spaced Repetition Model for Language Learning”  Proceedings of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers)