The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of students of college of Science of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Calculus I course, and examine the predictive validity of student's high school performance and gender for Calculus I success. The data for the study was extracted from students' database maintained by the Deanship of Admission and Registration office of SQU. The study considered a sample of 615 students who took Calculus I course during 2014 spring semester. Both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used for data analysis. Predictive validity of selected factors were analyzed using Hierarchical regression analysis. The analysis revealed that female students entered in SQU with a higher average high school scores than male students, and many boys with lesser high school scores than girls were succeeded in getting admission at SQU. The results indicate that female students outperformed male students in both high school and college Calculus course. About 30% of the students obtained grades lower than C in Calculus I, of which 20% failed in the course. The proportion of students with F grade was found to be significantly higher among male students compared to female students (28% vs. 7%). The analysis revealed that gender, high school math score and overall high school score are significant predictors of subsequent performance in Calculus course at college level. Thus differences among gender and high school performance should be taken into consideration during the admission process to allow for more equal opportunities to all applicants and have fairer admission decisions.

Consider the discrete equation y n+1 + y n−1 = a n + b n y n + c n y 2where the right side is of degree two in y n and where the coefficients a n , b n and c n are rational functions of n with rational coefficients. Suppose that there is a solution such that for all sufficiently large n, y n ∈ Q and the height of y n dominates the height of the coefficient functions a n , b n and c n . We show that if the logarithmic height of y n grows no faster than a power of n then either the equation is a well known discrete Painlevé equation dP II or its autonomous version or y n is also an admissible solution of a discrete Riccati equation. This provides further evidence that slow height growth is a good detector of integrability.

Blended Learning showed in the last two decades to be one of the effective ways in education and training. We illustrate our initiative experience with blended learning in the course Calculus I. The main goals we want to achieve are improving students understanding of the course concepts, increasing the level of uniformity in this multi-sections course and enhancing students blended learning experience online and offline. Consequently, this affects positively students' academic performance. We describe and discuss the results that we achieved and the challenges we encountered in view of the initiative aims and goals. The blended learning delivery methods were through Learning Management System (LMS) as the online medium and through new offline activities inside and outside the classroom. The LMS we used is Moodle. We designed the resources and activities to cater for the learners different needs. The offline activities were chosen and designed to strengthen the weakness in students study skills based in our experience.

No abstract

A mathematical model with environmental transmission has been proposed and analyzed to investigate its role in the transmission dynamics of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Two expressions for the basic reproduction number R0 have been analytically derived using the next generation matrix method. The two expressions composed of a combination of two terms related to human to human and environment to human transmissions. The value of R0 has been calculated using estimated parameters corresponding to two datasets. Sensitivity analysis of the reproduction number to the corresponding model parameters has been carried out. Existence and stability analysis of disease free and endemic equilibrium points have been presented in relation with the obtained expressions of R0. Numerical simulations to demonstrate the effect of some model parameters related to environmental transmission on the disease transmission dynamics have been carried out and the results have been demonstrated graphically.