There has been a lot of discussion about "college-level" mathematics.
The most common area in which there are courses which are questionably
college-level is the curriculum for two-year degrees which are not
mathematically intensive: service areas, business areas, in particular.
All that I read and can find out from employers is that these graduates
need more mathematics-but not the mathematics that has been commonly
required. College algebra is _not_ the course for these students, nor is
intermediate algebra or any hybrid algebra. These students need a course
which provides them with the tools to make decisions in the workplace
and in life.
North Carolina has added a course to its library for these curricula. It
is called Mathematical Models. It is an integrated course which is built
on technology and framed with applications. The major topics are:
mathematical models (formulas), modeling (teamwork), statistics,
linear equations (lines of best fit), linear programming and probability.
The students I have taught this year in this course are very receptive
to the content and feel like it is a beneficial course. They enjoy the
challenge of new material an using technology to solve problems.
Rob Kimball