Building a Mathematical Foundation for Engineers

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School of Mathematics - Dr Andreea Nicoara (nicoaraa@tcd.ie) and Ryan McGowan

The Challenge

Mathematics is a rite of passage for engineering students. Those with non-traditional backgrounds and learning needs tend to struggle the most. The content area we created demystifies how the knowledge will be applied thus improving student experience in the Engineering Programmes at Trinity.

Aim

To make first year students aware of how the mathematics they are learning in a first-year module will be applied in their subsequent engineering studies so that they retain the material better and can more easily transfer that knowledge.

Approach

A recent mathematics graduate was supervised to create a content area on the Blackboard site of the “Engineering Mathematics I” (module code MAU11E01). The content area details which modules in the engineering curriculum use the mathematics taught in the module via a flow chart. For each unit in the module, there is a folder outlining various applications of the concepts to engineering, examples of problems with solutions from homework sets, and final exams of the modules that apply this knowledge.

Accompanying Materials