Case Study: California State University San Bernardino improves STEM students’ understanding with Maple from Maplesoft

California State University Professor Relies on Maple’s Visualization Tools to Improve STEM Students’ Understanding of Math

California State University San Bernardino professor Rolland Trapp needed a strong visualization tool to help STEM students better engage with and understand complex mathematical concepts. He turned to Maplesoft’s Maple software, especially its visualization capabilities, to make abstract ideas in multivariable calculus, geometry, and other upper-division math courses more concrete and approachable.

Using Maple, Trapp created interactive lessons and a multivariable calculus textbook with MathApps that let students explore formulas, change parameters, and see how concepts behave in real time. Maplesoft’s solution increased student engagement and generated positive feedback, with Trapp noting that a few minutes interacting with Maple’s 3-D graphs could be worth far more than extended lecture, helping students better grasp difficult 2-D to 3-D transitions and other core concepts.

California State University San Bernadino

Rolland Trapp

Professor