For many of you, your learning experiences have been traditional ones. Your teacher lectured during class meetings, you took notes on the lecture, and you practiced and completed your assignments after and outside of class. You may have had to attend special office hours in order for your questions to be answered. You may have even had a large, expensive textbook containing a lot of material that the teacher did not cover.

The Alfred University Calculus Initiative (AUCI) is a multi-faceted project that combines a new curriculum with classroom transformation, video lessons and examples, online homework, and web-based implementation. The goal of the AUCI is to increase your understanding and success in calculus while maintaining the level of rigor and breadth required for post-calculus courses. This project is being informed by current research and trends in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, which include engaging you with visual and online technology, creating an active learning environment, and incorporating meaningful applications.

This course is based on the flipped learning model. Loosely speaking, flipped learning is the process by which the transmission of information occurs before the class meeting, while class time is spent working problem sets in a collaborative and supportive atmosphere. According to Bergmann and Sams, two pioneers of the method, "one of the greatest benefits of flipping is that the overall interaction increases: Teacher-to-student, and student-to-student. Because the role of the teacher has changed from presenter of content to learning coach," the teacher can spend quality time answering questions and helping individual students.

Reference
Bergmann, Jonathan, and Aaron Sams. "Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day." Eugene, Oregon: ISTE, 2012.