scholarly journals Undergraduate Mathematics Students Appropriating Programming as a Tool for Modelling, Simulation, and Visualization: A Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Buteau ◽  
Eric Muller ◽  
Neil Marshall ◽  
Ana Isabel Sacristán ◽  
Joyce Mgombelo
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Students ◽  
Undergraduate Mathematics ◽  
Modelling Simulation

scholarly journals Programming in Groups: developing industry-facing software development skills in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Matthew M. Jones ◽  
Alison Megeney
Keyword(s):  
Software Design ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Object Oriented Programming ◽  
Version Control ◽  
Natural Setting ◽  
Mathematics Students ◽  
Undergraduate Mathematics ◽  
Student Work ◽  
Group Members

Programming is increasingly becoming an expected graduate skill for mathematics students. We argue in this article that programming should be given the same priority as any other graduate skill. Given the practical and philosophical constraints placed on undergraduate mathematics curricula, however, we acknowledge the difficulty in introducing, in a meaningful way, many of the core ideas of programming. We therefore present a case study of a second year course on an undergraduate mathematics programme that introduces Object Oriented Programming and aspects of software design, as well as key practical skill such as version control. We will argue that group assessment in this context is a more natural setting for students to be working and reflects more closely the experience of programming in industry; furthermore, it serves as a convenient platform to introduce students to aspects of software design and practical programming considerations. We will present an example of the type of assessment that can be used and how Version Control Systems like Git can be used to give students a more realistic experience of programming with the advantage of allowing tutors and other group members to track student work.

scholarly journals Impact of Mathematics Anxiety on Undergraduate Mathematics Students in a Gulf Country

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maitham AlMuharraqi ◽  
George Toworfe
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Mathematics Anxiety ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Mathematics Students ◽  
Undergraduate Mathematics ◽  
Mathematics Assessments ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Mars Model ◽  
Gulf Country

Mathematics anxiety has been established to negatively influence students’ learning experiences in Mathematics. There is, however, no data available on this condition in undergraduate students in any of the Gulf countries in the region. This study therefore seeks to bridge the knowledge gap about how Mathematics anxiety influences learners in undergraduate Mathematics programmed in a GCC country. Researchers constructed a measurement scale comprising two sections: where the first section addresses Mathematics anxiety among undergraduate leaners in the course of studying mathematics and the second section relates to the levels of anxiety exhibited by learners when taking assessments. The scale was modified from the original Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) model. The data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics and onesample t-test at 95% level of confidence. The results suggest that most learners exhibit high to extreme levels of anxiety while taking Mathematics assessments, whereas they showed moderate to low levels of Mathematics anxiety while studying Mathematics, although some of the learners did exhibit extreme anxiety levels while studying the subject.

scholarly journals Piloting a problem solving module for undergraduate mathematics students

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
David McConnell
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Mathematical Work ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Mathematics Students ◽  
Undergraduate Mathematics ◽  
Students First ◽  
Academic Year

We report on a new problem solving module for second-year undergraduate mathematics students first piloted during the 2016-17 academic year at Cardiff University.  This module was introduced in response to the concern that for many students, traditional teaching and assessment practices do not offer sufficient opportunities for developing problem-solving and mathematical thinking skills, and more generally, to address the recognised need to incorporate transferrable skills into our undergraduate programmes.  We discuss the pedagogic and practical considerations involved in the design and delivery of this module, and in particular, the question of how to construct open-ended problems and assessment activities that promote mathematical thinking, and reward genuinely original and independent mathematical work.  

Neurosurgery planning based on automated image recognition and optimal path design

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 708-721
Author(s):  
Annika Hackenberg ◽  
Karl Worthmann ◽  
Torben Pätz ◽  
Dörthe Keiner ◽  
Joachim Oertel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Path ◽  
Planning Problem ◽  
Simulation And Optimization ◽  
Ellipsoidal Approximations ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Path Planning Problem ◽  
Automated Image Recognition ◽  
Modelling Simulation

Abstract Stereotactic neurosurgery requires a careful planning of cannulae paths to spare eloquent areas of the brain that, if damaged, will result in loss of essential neurological function such as sensory processing, linguistic ability, vision, or motor function. We present an approach based on modelling, simulation, and optimization to set up a computational assistant tool. Thereby, we focus on the modeling of the brain topology, where we construct ellipsoidal approximations of voxel clouds based on processed MRI data. The outcome is integrated in a path-planning problem either via constraints or by penalization terms in the objective function. The surgical planning problem with obstacle avoidance is solved for different types of stereotactic cannulae using numerical simulations. We illustrate our method with a case study using real MRI data.

scholarly journals Maths Sparks engagement programme: investigating the impact on under-privileged pupils’ attitudes towards mathematics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain ◽  
Anthony Cronin ◽  
Mark Prendergast
Keyword(s):  
Social Research ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Mathematics Students ◽  
Undergraduate Mathematics ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Attitudes Towards Mathematics ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In this paper we explore the attitudes of under-privileged secondary school pupils in Ireland towards mathematics and investigate the impact of attending a 4-week engagement programme on these attitudes. The pupils involved in this research attended schools recognized by the Department of Education & Skills as socio-economically deprived. Pupils attending these schools, known as Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), are 40% less likely than their counterparts in non-DEIS schools to pursue mathematics at a higher level in state examinations (Smyth, E., Mccoy, S. & Kingston, G., 2015, Learning From the Evaluation of DEIS. Dublin: Economic and Social Research Institute). However, little research has reported on these pupils’ experiences of and attitudes towards mathematics at senior secondary level. An engagement programme entitled ‘Maths Sparks’ was purposefully designed for secondary pupils from DEIS schools, with the aim of positively influencing their attitudes towards and confidence in mathematics. The programme consisted of weekly out-of-school workshops exploring extra-curricular mathematics topics, designed and delivered by undergraduate mathematics students. Questionnaires were utilized to evaluate pupils’ attitudes towards mathematics before and after their participation in the programme. Despite its relatively short time frame, qualitative and quantitative analysis suggests an increase in participating pupils’ attitudes towards, enjoyment of and self-confidence in mathematics due to their participation in the programme. Findings also suggest that while these pupils liked the subject of mathematics, their experience of learning the subject in school was not always positive and was sometimes hindered by the absence of higher-level mathematics as an option in school. The high-stakes examination content and teachers’ beliefs in the ability of their students also sometimes negatively impacted learners’ intentions to pursue mathematics at a higher level. Findings suggest that longitudinal mathematics engagement programmes, which focus on problem solving, involve extra-curricular mathematical concepts and are presented by undergraduate mathematics students, may provide a valuable way of positively impacting pupils’ intentions to pursue the subject.

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