Driven by the desire to address wicked problems and contribute to societal transitions, positive societal impact is on the agenda of higher education institutions. This article explores how the repositioning of education can take shape by redefining wicked problems as matters of concern. Problems presuppose solutions; concerns reflect ambiguities,…

Background/purpose: This study aims to analyze students' ability to solve differential calculus problems in relation to their prior mathematical knowledge (PMK). Materials/methods: A qualitative research design method was employed. Participants in this study were 103 third-semester students at the university enrolled in the Differential Calculus…

Background: Undergraduate students consistently struggle with mastering concepts related to thermodynamics. Prior work has shown that haptic technology and intensive hands-on workshops help improve learning outcomes relative to traditional lecture-based thermodynamics instruction. The current study takes a more feasible approach to improving…

Research into mathematics education at university level includes a wide range of theoretical approaches. This poses considerable challenges to researchers in terms of understanding and harmonizing the compatibility and commensurability of those approaches. The research community has already problematised and studied these challenges using…

Background: College students often do not retain what they learn in Statistics in order to apply it in Experimental Psychology. Self-explanation, that is, elaborating on what one is trying to learn by asking questions, making inferences, etc., improves learning and may improve retention. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine…

Four variations of the Koch curve are presented. In each case, the similarity dimension, area bounded by the fractal and its initiator, and volume of revolution about the initiator are calculated. A range of classroom exercises are proved to allow students to investigate the fractals further.

The increasingly neoliberal course of Higher Education is linked to rises in student anxiety around assessment and increased fear of the consequences of failure. Making mistakes is an inevitable part of any learning process (and of life generally) and managing failure in a productive and positive way is crucial for success and wellbeing beyond…

A pedagogical dilemma occurs when an in-class event or external factor challenges a teacher's principles or instructional practices and compels the teacher to resolve the dilemma. This article focuses on how resolving dilemmas can enhance the conceptual understanding of both student teachers and their supervisors. The supervisory setting this…

Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) learning is increasingly valued for its role in promoting higher-order thinking of learners. Despite the widespread application of role scripts in CPS, little is known about the mechanisms by which roles influence learners' cognition and the impact of goal orientation on roles. In this study, we designed role…

While helping proofread a book during my doctoral studies, I came across a chapter that included (among other things) a discussion of a set of problems and tasks involving the building of towers using only two (or three) colours of cubes (Maher & Ahluwali, 2014). Later that year, as I started my tenure track position at the University of…

Service design is an inclusive and powerful process that works in any industry that produces services. The field of nursing is no exception. Transferring service design knowledge from experts in institutions to the students in different specialties and fields of study is important to spread its use. This case study follows the implementation of…

The most common challenges students face in solving first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) can be overcome by identifying the types of errors, understanding the factors that cause difficulties, and finding appropriate solutions. Therefore, this research aimed to adopt a descriptive qualitative approach, including nine sixth-semester…

Strategies are proposed that promote use of an Integrated Applied Mathematics (IAM) approach to enhance teaching of advanced problem-solving and analysis skills. Three scenarios of 1-dimensional transport processes are presented that support using Error Function analyses when considering short time/small penetration depths in finite geometries.…

When students use metacognition, they can more effectively problem solve on their own and in groups. Most metacognition studies have focused on individual learners while a few studies have begun to explore the metacognition learners use in social settings. Little is known about the comparison between how an individual student may use metacognition…

Future needs and challenges, especially in complex real-world problem-solving, require education to equip individuals with quality skills. Inquiry-based learning that integrates socio-scientific issues (SSI) can significantly develop students' problem-solving skills. This study aims to test the effects of the Socio-Scientific Real-world Inquiry…