A truly
committed instructor understands and embodies the classic saying: “Deeds, not
words!” Several inspiring examples of that old chestnut are evident in the work
of Dr. Kevin Ferland, professor in the Department of Mathematical and Digital
Sciences. Kevin saw his first book, Discrete
Mathematics: An Introduction to Proofs and Combinatorics, published in
2009. He began teaching the subject some ten years earlier, whereupon he
discovered that he was unable to find a suitable text, i.e., one that in his words, “both covered the topics we needed and
did so with sufficient support for students that may struggle with the ideas.”
Consequently, Kevin decided to create a book that would offer both theory and
practice and at the same time, would engage his students, rather than
intimidate them. In his words:
“In
2001, I started writing the first edition of this book with a central focus
upon providing quality and well-explained examples that are then well supported
by many exercises that are tied directly to those examples.”
Eight
years later, the aforementioned first edition of Kevin’s discrete mathematics
text was born. Even so, he immediately began making substantial notes in his
copy of the first edition, which were based largely upon student feedback each
semester; it was these notes that formed the foundation for most if not all of
the modifications which became the basis for the updated second edition, Discrete Mathematics and Applications.
He suggested that
“Ever
since the first edition came out in 2009, I have paid close attention to the
efficacy of my approach. By improving and adding examples and exercises, I have
subsequently made significant improvements that I know will benefit students
even more in this second edition. What I have learned from using my textbook
for eight years and receiving feedback, has been invaluable to me and I expect
that users of this new edition will appreciate it as well.”
Happily, the
new edition of Kevin’s book has been published recently by the prestigious Taylor
& Francis publishing group. For additional substantive information about Discrete Mathematics and Applications,
please refer to the following link:
--- Michael Stephans
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