Calculus Excel at BYU: Increasing Student Potential for Success

Authors

Karla Jeanese Hendricks, Brigham Young University
Dr. Michael Dorff, Brigham Young University

Keywords

calculus excel, BYU, student potential, student success

College

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Department

Mathematics

Abstract

Success in calculus can have significant implications both within an intended field of study and throughout academic pursuits. Of the 34 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at BYU, 25 of them require calculus for graduation and 20 of them require it as a prerequisite for other courses. A study at Bryant University in Rhode Island examined mathematics SAT scores, verbal SAT scores, percentile rank in high school graduating class, percentage score on a college mathematics placement exam, and calculus grades of actuarial students; it was found that the calculus grades were the “single best predictor of a student’s postcalculus grade point average” (Smith & Schumacher, 2005).

Recommended Citation

Hendricks, Karla Jeanese and Dorff, Dr. Michael (2013) "Calculus Excel at BYU: Increasing Student Potential for Success," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 2697.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/2697