Classifying the engineering mathematics student: An investigation of trends in learning

Abstract

In order to advance our educational methods and ensure that our practices result in the attainment of learning outcomes, we rely heavily on teacher feedback through course assessments. These evaluations may enable us to pinpoint teaching techniques that assure a higher level of student conceptual understanding with improved performance. Unfortunately, however, given the nature of the course assessment, this input can be inherently biased and without a true scientific foundation. A number of researchers examining the educational challenges of the assessment process have come to this conclusion. As part of the assessment process for meeting student learning outcomes, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Military Academy performed a preliminary study in 2017 with its foundation course, Engineering Mathematics - the intent was to identify alternative measures of assessment for student performance. An investigation of trends was conducted to examine the varying degrees of student confidence in acquiring conceptual knowledge of vector calculus, the application of ordinary differential equations, and partial differential equations. A pre- and post-assessment given with graded events enabled the faculty to classify the students into one of several groups and make inferences as to their ability to achieve specific objectives. This ongoing work, which is to be expanded in scope for future terms, may provide insights for identifying trends in learning, specifically with regard to an engineering mathematics program.