Topic:                                                        Maximum Volume Project

Gary Adams in collaboration with Temenoujka Fuller

2008

 

Rationale: Students have a project to design and construct an open top rectangular box from a piece of paper. The box should hold maximum volume possible. Justification for the project must include a full-page graph of the volume function. The graph should be supported with various coordinates that may be selected.

 

Goals and Objective: In the third part of the workshop, tutors support students only in the Learning Center. The workshop is developed for intermediate algebra. The problem is a loop to calculus. Using Excel students can justify their solution. In the learning center students will get help with Excel and with design and construction of the box.

 

Implementation:  Students present the box, technical report, and presentation in classroom.

 

Results and Future Goals: We would like this project or similar to be used in more classes.

 

Collaborations, Experiences, Climate, and Culture: The collaboration between the Learning Center at CAC, and Professor Adams classes continue in math 122. This time students work with Excel, PowerPoint, and real materials. The results are the best in many ways: highest level of independence, the integration of different strategies for solving problems, the authenticity of the project is higher than the first two project.