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ThinkSharp for: Higher Education

Why ThinkSharp's 3 credit course?

This course will help prepare students for the workplace by developing strategies for problem solving and critical thinking through an experiential case based learning approach. Students will use collaborative learning and interactive technology to help solve problems from over 15 open-ended real workplace challenges taken from the fields of allied health, medicine, transportation, retail, and more. They will learn how and when to employ the most valuable quantitative methods needed in the workplace. The following highlights a brief summary of student activities over the 15-week course:
Weeks 1 - 3: Solving Problems in Medicine (Allied Health) [-]
  1. Introduction to Problem Solving in the Workplace
  2. View Part 1 of Problem of Life and Death CD
  3. Use medical data to determine a subset of severely ill infants
  4. Submit your method of analysis
  5. View Part 2 of Problem of Life and Death CD
  6. Use techniques to analyze medical data
  7. Submit analytical diagrams and box plot
  8. Complete online assessment
  9. View Part 3 of Problem of Life and Death CD
  10. Investigate methods to analyze two medical measure
  11. Submit sample scattergram
  12. Complete online assessment
  13. View Part 4 of Problem of Life and Death CD
  14. Small group discussion on ethics and medical testing
  15. Submit testing plan
  16. Complete Air Tragedy:Surviving the Crash online case study
  17. Explore methods used for analyzing data from trauma scenes
  18. Complete AZT: The Wonder Drug online case study
  19. Review ethical dilemmas facing medical researchers
  20. Exam assessing understanding of data analysis techniques
Weeks 4 - 8: Solving Problems in Manufacturing and Human Resources [-]
  1. View Part 1 of Mine Your Business CD
  2. Review aggregates and constraints in manufacturing of hot mix asphalt
  3. Small group discussion on a feasible mix of aggregates
  4. Use EXCEL spreadsheet to create a feasible mix
  5. Submit feasible mix of hot mix asphalt
  6. View Part 2 of Mine Your Business CD
  7. Review cost data for hot mix asphalt
  8. Submit cost of feasible mix of aggregates
  9. View Part 3 of Mine Your Business CD
  10. Use linear programming and LINDO software to find the least cost mix
  11. Submit linear programming solution
  12. View part 4 and 5 of Mine Your Business CD
  13. Complete Securing the Nation online case study
  14. Solve staffing problem
  15. Complete Bear Necessities online case study
  16. Solve manufacturing problem
  17. Exam assessing understanding of algebraic modeling and linear programming techniques
Weeks 9 - 12: Solving Problems in Transportation and Networks [-]
  1. View Part 1 of Seconds Count CD
  2. Use optimization techniques to solve a transportation problem
  3. Submit question route along with explanation of optimization method
  4. View Part 2 of Seconds Count CD
  5. Apply three new optimization methods to quickest route problem
  6. Submit a quicker route than previously found
  7. Complete greedy method assessment online
  8. View Part 3 of Seconds Count CD
  9. Improve upon previous optimization methods
  10. Apply new methods to a different quickest route problem
  11. Submit applications of improved optimization methods
  12. View Part 4 of Seconds Count CD
  13. Use Dijkstra's method to find the quickest route
  14. Submit quickest route
  15. Complete Dijkstra's method assessment online
  16. View Part 5 of Seconds Count CD
  17. Review applications of optimization techniques
  18. Complete Power online case study
  19. Apply optimization methods to solve network problems
  20. Complete Networking Your Health
  21. Apply optimization methods to solve more network problems
  22. Exam assessing understanding of optimization techniques
Weeks 13 - 15: Solving Problems in Emergency and Trauma Care [-]
  1. View Part 1 of Paramedics and Probability CD
  2. Use modeling to decide which trauma patients are transported first
  3. Submit model of train crash
  4. View Part 2 of Paramedics and Probability CD
  5. Use scores and indices to re-evaluate model
  6. Submit a revised version
  7. View Part 3 of Paramedics and Probability CD
  8. Estimate survival rates based on revised trauma scores
  9. View Part 4 of Paramedics and Probability CD
  10. Compute the mathematical relationship between RTS and probability of survival
  11. Explore concepts of double functioning labels, smoothing, and regression
  12. Submit strategy for evaluating effectiveness of treatment
  13. View Part 5 of Paramedics and Probability CD
  14. Simple and effective measures of hospital performance
  15. Complete Scoring for Life online case study
  16. Exam assessing understanding of probability, statistics, and graphic representation techniques
The course fits within a school's curriculum as a 3-credit, 100-level mathematics course that satisfies elective requirements in Business Administration and General Studies (as well as others). It fits perfectly as a liberal arts math class and as an alternative remedial math course.

Below is an excerpt from a recent email we received from a 4-year college depicting ThinkSharp's success:

“Tell Bill and the others at ThinkSharp that my MAT 110 is growing by leaps and bounds. Both of my sections of MAT 110 were overbooked, close to 35 - 40 students per section. I will be suggesting in the fall that 3-4 sections of the class be run with me training another faculty member to teach the class. Students are flocking to the course to fulfill their critical thinking requirement under the general education requirements. Many students do not want to take philosophy and so they are taking math to fulfill their critical thinking requirements. So glad that I took the time to submit the course for both mathematics and critical thinking under general education. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the course would catch on and boy is it catching on! (Liberal Arts students are loving the course!)”

Professor Barbara Hess, California University of Pennsylvania

3 Credit Course Quick facts
 
Classroom
Dual Education
Distance Learning
Delivery Method
        
Blended - Classroom and Online
 
 
ThinkSharp Online
  
 
What You Get
Multimedia case studies on video and CD
 
 
Online case studies, tutorials, and assessments
 
 
Individual student accounts
 
 
Teacher's guide outlining each course
 
 
Automated reports of students online activity
 
 
Courses customized to fit program needs
 
 
Configured for WebCT, SCORM, and Blackboard
Self - paced instruction
Correlated to NCTM and State standards