The File Structure of the Connected Curriculum Project

All the files and directories of the Connected Curriculum Project are contained in one large directory that may have different names on different computers. For purposes of discussion this directory will be called CCPDIR here. The entry point into CCP is the file home.htm in this directory. This directory contains several files that apply to the whole project and it contains several subdirectories whose files are used by the whole project -- for example, one such subdirectory contains a number of commonly used gif files and another of these subdirectories contains help material for CAS systems, calculators, and the TI-CBL.

The basic content unit of CCP is the Klein. This unit is similar in scope to a course or a sequence of courses -- for example, Calculus I and II. We use the word "Klein" rather than "course" for two reasons.

• A traditional course with a traditional textbook in a traditional classroom is contained within the four walls of the classroom and the covers of the textbook. CCP Kleins are "contained" in Klein bottles and the inside is not separated from the outside. The Klein bottle is a good metaphor for the "division" of the material in CCP into units. Yes, we do need to organize material into subunits but that division is only an organizational necessity -- the content itself is highly linked and interconnected.

• The word "course" is related to the French word "courir" -- to run. This meaning still survives in English -- we have race "courses." Too often traditional courses are "race courses" with students running as fast as possible to get around the syllabus, leaping over each hurdle and barely grazing each topic. CCP emphasizes depth and understanding rather than coverage. We believe that it is more important to develop a sophisticated understanding of relatively few topics together with the ability to learn outside of the classroom than to cover a long list of topics superficially.

Within each Klein, material is organized into "chapters" but, as with the division of CCP into Kleins, the division of Kleins into chapters is a matter of organizational convenience that is somewhat opposed to philosophy. Material within Kleins is highly linked with many links among chapters as well as among Kleins. Each Klein is contained in a subdirectory within the CCPDIR directory. Each chapter is contained within its own subdirectory in its Klein directory. For example, within the modeling directory there is a chapter directory discrete for a chapter on Discrete Dynamical Systems. Within each chapter directory there is a subdirectory for each section. For example within the discrete directory there is a subdirectory reverse for a section on Reverse Enginering. Each section directory contains all the files including html files, gif files, and CAS files that are used specifically for its topic.

CCPDIR 
   Klein -- for example  modeling 
      Chapter -- for example,  discrete 
         Section -- for example,  reverse 

To help users navigate within CCP each HTML file at the topic level includes a navigational frame with buttons that mirror the file structure and organization of CCP. We would be glad to provide templates and gifs (image files) for all this.

Each HTML file should end with a copyright notice that provides for email back to the author. For the present time each author should copyright his or her own material as shown in the HTML source code below.

This source code produces the copyright notice and hot link to email shown at the bottom of this page.