Sarah Glaz's Introductory College Algebra and Mathematical Modeling proposal for a new course designed to provide a thorough preparation for science courses for students whose high school algebra background is not very strong was one of the winners in the 2005 General Education Course Development Grant Competition, announced May 2005.

The new course will be set up to integrate a review of Intermediate Algebra into the teaching of Introductory College Algebra necessary for a thorough preparation for Q courses. In addition, the course will contain a mathematical modeling component composed of a number of lively and interdisciplinary projects, which will generate interest in the material and train students to handle the multi-step problems they will encounter later on in their Q courses. Upon successful completion, the proposed course will offer three Q credits that count towards graduation.

The new course is designed to provide a thorough preparation for science courses for students whose high school algebra background is not very strong. It will integrate a review of high school algebra into college algebra and mathematical modeling material, and as such it will teach, and reinforce, the algebra and mathematical modeling background and basic skills necessary for success in all beginning 100 level Q courses offered at UConn.

The course will be initially offered as a one-section (25 students) experimental course: Math 195Q (Special Topics): Introductory College Algebra and Mathematical Modeling, in the Fall 2005 semester. It is envisioned to become a multi-section permanent course, which will be offered every semester.