Search results for "Teaching and learning of specific topics in university mathematics"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Delineating Aspects of Understanding Eigentheory through Assessment Development
2018
International audience; In this report, we share insights we have gained from developing an assessment for documenting students' understanding of eigentheory. We explain the literature and theory that influenced the assessment's development and share question examples. We frame our results in terms of three eigentheory settings (Ax = λx, (A - λI)x = 0, and eigenspaces) and four interpretations (numeric, algebraic, geometric, and verbal). Results from our analysis include students' reasoning being influenced by setting, insights into students' struggle with understanding eigenspaces, and the importance of making connections between and across various interpretations.
Predictors of performance in engineering mathematics
2018
International audience; Mathematics in university courses was identified as a main obstacle for engineering students in the beginning of their study. Since difficulties with mathematics could lead to a dropout, our research aims to analyse students' profiles referring to individual characteristics that allow identifying possible risks for students' achievement or success in the first year of study. As a first step to identify possibly risky profiles, we started to find possible predictors of students' performance. For this, we give a short overview of the research state and our derived research interest. We discuss theoretical constructs that are possibly crucial characteristics of students…
“Making connections” in the mathematics courses for engineers: the example of online resources for trigonometry
2018
International audience; This paper concerns the teaching of mathematics for future engineers, focusing on the theme of trigonometry. We claim that the use of trigonometry in engineering courses requires different kinds of connections: connecting different domains, different concepts, frames and registers. We use here the concept of connectivity, developed in the frame of e-textbooks analysis, to analyse online courses for future engineers in France. We evidence that these courses propose some connections; but their connectivity is not developed enough to meet the requirements of engineering courses.
Cross-linking maths: Using keynotes to structure a curriculum for future teachers
2018
International audience; The paper gives an outline of a concept for university maths teacher education, that is based on three keynotes, which are central scientific notions, history and language. Amongst other benefits, the keynotes serve as cross-links between the different courses the students go through in their studies.
Seminar groups as part of first-semester mathematics teaching: What did the students learn?
2018
International audience; In this study, the learning encouraged by teaching activities in a small-group setting was investigated through the analysis of students' responses to survey and interview questions. The results indicate that the students perceived an increased ability to communicate mathematics in written form, but to a lesser extent developed their ability to discuss mathematics and build conceptual understanding.
Learning complex analysis in different branches – Project Spotlight-Y for future teachers
2018
International audience; At the University of Bremen in teaching complex analysis, we split the last part of the lecture into two branches according to profession: While future mathematicians deepen their understanding in a branch for them, future teachers take a branch of the lecture where they prepare a task with dynamical geometry software for pupils which is based on phenomena of complex analysis. Here, we describe the design of the course, some general aims and first results obtained from the branch for future teachers.