Purpose: The purpose of the study is to determine when students deepen their conceptual understanding of mathematical modeling during a one-semester course in biomedical engineering that uses the constructivist problem-based learning (PBL) framework. The study hypothesizes that concept maps, as a form of assessment, would show increased complexity…

The student experience with mathematical modelling has the potential to differ in nature to the experience of a typical mathematics student. The research reported in this paper forms part of a broader study looking into tertiary learning experiences for mathematical modelling. This paper reports on: What are the student experiences when learning…

Transfer functions are convenient representations to analyse cause-and-effect relationships of linear time-invariant dynamic systems. Traditionally, transfer functions are introduced using the Laplace transform. In this paper, we argue that the Laplace transform method is not a necessary prerequisite to understanding the topic 'transfer…

In this article, we examine how a sequence of modeling activities supported the development of students' interpretations and reasoning about phenomena with negative average rates of change in different physical phenomena. Research has shown that creating and interpreting models of changing physical phenomena is difficult, even for university level…

Systems dynamics and automatic control is classified as one of the toughest courses in the college of engineering at Qassim University according to the statistical analysis of the final grades. This motivated us to think about a new approach to teach this course by extending the design term project to include experimental part beside the…

Many engineering subjects rely on the interpretation of symbolic, numeric and graphic representations. Engineering students have challenges pertaining to their mathematical understanding of their actions with a computer algebra system (CAS). We investigated how a mathematical modelling task could mediate varied levels of mathematical…

It is well known that mechanical engineering students often find mechanics a difficult area to grasp. This article describes a system of equations describing the motion of a balanced and an unbalanced roller constrained by a pivot arm. A wide range of dynamics can be simulated with the model. The equations of motion are embedded in a graphical…

This monograph provides in-depth mathematical logic as the foundational rationale for the novel and innovative online instructional methodology called the 4A Metric Algorithm. The 4A Metric has been designed to address and meet the meta-competency-based education challenges faced by 21st century students who must now adapt to and learn in a…

This small-scale design study describes disciplinary learning in mathematical modeling and science from an authentic engineeringthemed module. Current research in tissue engineering served as source material for the module, including science content for readings and a mathematical modeling activity in which students work in small teams to design a…

In this article we present a didactic proposal for teaching linear algebra based on two compatible theoretical models: emergent models and mathematical modelling. This proposal begins with a problematic situation related to the creation and use of secure passwords, which leads students toward the construction of the concepts of spanning set and…

Authenticity is a term commonly used in reference to pedagogical and curricular qualities of mathematics teaching and learning, but its use lacks a coherent framework. The work of researchers in engineering education provides such a framework. Authentic qualities of mathematics teaching and learning are fit within a model described by Strobel,…

Background: Since students' success in their first-semester college mathematics course is a key factor in their success in engineering, many summer bridge programs for underrepresented students focus on their preparation in mathematics. However, research on the design and efficacy of such programs is limited. We examine the design and…

Policymakers and education scholars recommend incorporating mathematical modeling into mathematics education. Limited implementation of modeling instruction in schools, however, has constrained research on how students learn to model, leaving unresolved debates about whether modeling should be reified and explicitly taught as a competence, whether…

One of the most important issues in the reorganisation of engineering education is to consider new pedagogical techniques to help students develop skills and an adaptive expertise. This expertise consists of being able to recognise the nature of a problem intuitively, and also recognising recurring patterns in different types of problems. In the…

Functions provide powerful tools for describing change, but research has shown that students find difficulty in using functions to create and interpret models of changing phenomena. In this study, we drew on a models and modeling perspective to design an instructional approach to develop students' abilities to describe and interpret rates of…