A Spreadsheet Learning
Environment (SLE)
For Business Math
The Oswego Symposium on Learning
and Teaching: A Celebration of
Meaningful Learning
Jack Narayan
Bob Schell
SUNY Oswego
Our Challenge
• Many College Students lack Quantitative
Literacy (QL)
• Dealing with Math Anxious Students
• Satisfying Client departments
Math 208 Topics
• This is required course developed
jointly by the School of Business and
the Math Department.
• Differential Calculus
• Matrix Algebra and Linear
Programming
• Mathematics of Finance
Math 208 Students
• Many students put off taking this course
until their junior and senior year
• Weak in algebra and computational skills
• Don’t like to write
• Don’t read the textbook
• Low attendance
• Students want good grades
Course Objectives include:
• Cognitive gains and problems solving skills
• Gains in self-efficacy
• High levels of student engagement
• Participation in collaborative learning
• Write Math Explanations in Text Boxes in Excel
Questions to Guide the
Development of the SLE
• How can we teach this course to be meaningful
to the students?
• How to get around the poor algebraic skills?
• Can we get students to use the mathematics in
other out of class situations?
• Can technology be used effectively?
Strategies
• Just in time Algebra. Students forget
• Focus on realistic problems
• Appropriate use of technology
• Interpret the mathematical results and
communicate the ideas to others
• Work in pairs or small groups.
Student Engagement
• Require students to have a laptop
• Learn Excel. Use it as an educational
Microworld to do mathematics.
• Write up explanations in a text box
• Use class management software
WebAssign
Excel Assignment on WebAssign
Professor’s Tasks
• Submit HW electronically every week
• Grade electronic submissions manually
or by WebAssign
• Return grades next class period
• Offer extra credit
• Make attendance 10 % of the grade
WebAssign
•Readily available
•Easy to use
•Increases efficiency
•Maintains contact
with individual
students
Excel Assignment on WebAssign
Alternative Approach
• Does the data in this table reflect
linear (quadratic, polynomial,
exponential, logarithmic) growth?
• How would you model this data?
Write a paragraph describing the
process.
• Can you use your model to predict
future values?
Students learn:
• To enter functions in a spread sheet
• About domain (input) and range (output)
• Compute “output values” for various
“input values”
• To use goal seek to find “input values”
corresponding to “output values”
• To plot graphs of functions
Students learn about :
• Max (Min) of f(x), intervals on which f(x)
is increasing (decreasing), concavity,
point of inflection;
• Absolute Max (Min)
• Fitting functions to real data
• Predictions
Excel helps with Problematic
Topics
• Profit = Revenue – Cost.
• Factoring and expanding Algebraic
expressions
• Difference Quotient
• Arithmetic Calculations
Class at work
What do they learn?
• They achieve course objectives as measured
with traditional examinations.
• They increase their mathematical self-efficacy.
• The are collaborative learners.
• The are engaged in the classroom learning
experience.
The Plan
Self-efficacy
• More than 75% of students said that they
had gained quite a bit or very much from
their experience:
– Q1g Increasing my ability to code information
into a spreadsheet.
– Q1i Increasing my ability to use a laptop
computer.
– Q1h Increasing my ability to interpret graphical
information.
– Q1c Increasing my ability to understand the
ideas of business mathematics.
Engagement
• More than 50% of students said that they
had engaged in these activities “often” or
“very often”:
– Q2f Received prompt feedback from you
instructor on your academic performance,
written or oral.
– Q2d Worked with other students on
assignments outside of class.
– Q2c Worked harder than you though you could
to meet the instructor's expectations.
– Q2g Discussed ideas from your assignments or
class outside of class (students, faculty,
coworkers, others).
Collaborative learning
• More that 75% of students “agreed” or “strongly
agreed”:
– Q3b Using spreadsheets made it easier to
understand the ideas of business mathematics.
– Q3g I felt comfortable contacting the instructor in this
course whenever I wished to so.
– Q3e I would recommend this course, taught with
spreadsheets, to other students.
– Q3a This was an interesting math course.
Collaborative learning
• More that 75% of students “agreed” or
“strongly agreed”:
– Q3f The use of WebAssign facilitated my
communication with the professor and
increased my efficiency.
– Q3h I felt that what I learned in this course was
a partnership with the instructor.
– Q3i I worked cooperatively with the other
members of my group so that all of us stood a
chance of getting a good grade in this course.
Students’ Comments
• I feel that I can add value to any situation that
may call on my mathematical skills as a result
of this new approach to calculus for business.
• I have procrastinated taking this class, for fear
of the ability to learn practical skills and the
ability to learn and apply my experience.
• I am more confident in my skills as a
business professional.
Conclusion
Many Students are better at applying
College Algebra after this class
Most of them learn enough about Excel
to do the mathematics they need in
their areas of concentration.
They saw value in what they did and
worked hard in the course