There is a growing concern that the linear algebra curriculum at many schools does not adequately address the needs of the students it attempts to serve. In recent years, demand for linear algebra training has risen in client disciplines such as engineering, computer science, operations research, economics, and statis? tics. At the same time, hardware and software improvements in computer science have raised the power of linear algebra to solve problems that are orders of magnitude greater than dreamed possible a few decades ago. Yet in many courses, the importance of linear algebra in applied fields is not communicated to students, and the influence of the computer is not felt in the classroom, in the selection of topics covered or in the mode of presentation. Furthermore, an overemphasis on abstraction may overwhelm beginning students to the point where they leave the course with little understanding or mastery of the basic concepts they may need in later courses and their careers.