Sometimes we have small group projects in the classroom and we ve also experimented with group projects outside of class. We give students a relevant project a real-world type issue. It can allow them to see what the engineering world might do with such a project, for example. In addition, we encourage writing in the classroom. That s part of a university-wide goal.
Many students think of mathematics as only computation.
We ask them to describe in writing what they are doing with their project. I tell students to th ink of me as their employer they have to explain their project to me in writing. That gets them to understand the concept. Many students can compute something, but they can t quite tell you clearly why they re doing it. Students using calculators will also encounter problems they didn t have before.