Members: Adeniran Adeboye, Stephen Greenfield, Jean Larson, Ashley Reiter (Reporter), Dorothy Wallace (Discussion Leader)

Questions for Day 1

• • What projects have you been involved with regarding the education of nonmajors? (Consider individual courses, such as calculus for scientists, engineers, and general education courses; and consider larger projects, such as interdisciplinary projects with other departments.)

• • What worked and what didn't?

Questions for Day 2

• • What mathematics should the average student know? (Algebra? Basic Probability? Geometry?)

• • What is the appropriate balance of drill and conceptual understanding for the average student? (Algebraic skills, ability to analyze data in a graphical or numerical form, applications of mathematics, etc.)

• • What strategies do you recommend to teach students the knowledge and skills they need?

Much of the discussion of undergraduate mathematics focuses quite naturally on the needs of mathematics majors. However, non-math majors make up the overwhelming majority of the undergraduate students taught by departments of mathematics at U.S. colleges and universities. We should think of these students when we analyze our curriculum and our course offerings. The purpose of this report is to initiate a discussion centered on those students whose need for mathematics is directly related to their study in some other subject or in order to satisfy a degree requirement.

Summary of discussion. We think that students interested in physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, and biochemistry need skill in mathematical modeling and the ability to use mathematical techniques outside of mathematics classes. A more recent development is that psychology, economics, earth sciences, nursing, business, and other majors who are not from a core science are also required to learn some mathematics.