Mike Weimerskirch

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Pre-Calculus Hybrid Resources

Note to instructors:

The Hybrid Pre-Calculus course (MATH 1151) is designed with two objectives in mind: Developing mechanical skills (routine learning) and developing higher-order thinking skills (problem solving).

At the left are links to a series of videos designed to comprise the text for a Pre-Calculus course. Unlike most videos which are lectures based on a written text, these videos are designed to be the text, and as this project grows, the videos will be supported with written materials. For the time being, I supplement these videos with two open source written texts (linked to below), and an automated homework system that allows students to practice their routine skills.

Stitz/Zeager Chapters 1-9
Stitz/Zeager Chapters 10-11
Lippman/Rasmussen

It is important to know that the video text is not designed to be the entirety of a Pre-Calculus course, it only addresses the first objective, developing mechanical skills. Students can learn procedures like how to convert from degrees to radians without much interaction with instructors. They can watch videos or read texts to get the basic information, and then practice their skills with the aid of computer generated practice exercises with instant feedback. Skills in mathematical modeling, mathematical communication, decision-making, abstraction and generalization are also important for success in Calculus. We spend most of our class time developing these skills, and some of the materials we use can be found under the In-Class Activities at the lower left.

The videos are available publicly on YouTube, and we encourage others to use these videos to supplement their teaching in whatever ways seem fit. I welcome feedback as to how these videos can be improved. If you have any comments or questions, please contact me at weim0024@umn.edu

Note to students:

How to watch the video lectures:

The advantage of having a prerecorded video is that you can pause whenever you want to. The videos were recorded with this in mind. Do not expect that you can watch a five minute video in five minutes. The more likely timing is that I say a sentence related to an equation, you pause and think about what I said, how it relates to the picture, how it relates to the equation, and work out the next step before restarting the video. Mathematics is a very precise language, and the intent of the videos is to get you thinking deeply and actively about the content.


Last Modified Tuesday April 30, 2019
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.