Teaching Mathematics and its Applications Advance Access originally published online on June 25, 2008
Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 2008 27(3):123-130; doi:10.1093/teamat/hrn007
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Increasing engineering students’ awareness to environment through innovative teaching of mathematical modelling
Address for correspondence: Dr Sergiy Klymchuk, School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006 Auckland 1142, New Zealand. Tel: +64 9 921 9999, ext. 8431; Fax: +64 9 921 9944; E-mail: sergiy.klymchuk{at}aut.ac.nz
Submitted May 2008; accepted June 2008
This article presents the results of two studies on using an innovative pedagogical strategy in teaching mathematical modelling and applications to engineering students. Both studies are dealing with introducing non-traditional contexts for engineering students in teaching/learning of mathematical modelling and applications: environment and ecology. The aims of using these contexts were: to introduce students to some of the techniques, methodologies and principles of mathematical modelling for ecological and environmental systems; to involve the students in solving real-life problems adjusted to their region emphasizing the aspects of both survival (short term) and sustainability (long term); to encourage students to pay attention to environmental issues. On one hand, the contexts are not directly related to engineering. On the other hand, the chances are that many graduates of engineering will deal with mathematical modelling of environmental systems in one way or another in their future work because nearly every engineering activity has an impact on the environment. The first study is a parallel study conducted in New Zealand and Germany simultaneously with first-year students studying engineering mathematics. The second study is a case study of the experimental course Mathematical Modelling of Survival and Sustainability taught to a mixture of year 2–5 engineering students in Germany by a visiting lecturer from New Zealand. The models used with the students from both studies had several special features. Analysis of students’ responses to questionnaires, their comments and attitudes towards the innovative approach in teaching are presented in the article.
Dr Sergiy Klymchuk is an Associate Professor of the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. He has 27 years experience teaching university mathematics in different countries. His PhD (1988) was in differential equations and recent research interests are in mathematics education. He has more than 130 publications including several books on popular mathematics and science that have been or are being published in 11 countries.
Dr Tatyana Zverkova is an Associate Professor of the Department of Computational Mathematics of the Institute of Mathematics, Economics and Mechanics at the Odessa National University, Ukraine. Her PhD was in the field of differential equations and her current research interests are in differential equations and effective teaching mathematical modelling to undergraduate students.
Professor Norbert Gruenwald is Vice-Chancellor of the Wismar University of Technology, Business and Design, Germany. His PhD was in the field of operations research. He is Chairman of the ‘problem setting team’ for the German Mathematics Olympiads and for many years he was involved in preparation of the German team for the International Mathematical Olympiads. His current major research interests are in mathematics and engineering education. He is a member of numerous German and international professional organisations.
Dr Gabriele Sauerbier is a Mathematics Lecturer of the Department for Mechanical Engineering/Process and Environmental Engineering at the Wismar University of Technology, Business and Design, Germany. Her PhD was in the field of LIE Algebras and Pro-p Groups. Her current research interests are in mathematics education in the field of engineering education. She is a member of the Gottlob-Frege-Centre, the UICEE-Satellite Centre for Engineering and Science.