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The Usefulness of Mathematics as Seen by Engineering Seniors

By

Elton Graves

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Abstract During the academic years of 2001-2003 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology participated in a NSF sponsored project to determine The Impact of Calculus Reform on Long-term Student Performance. One component of this project was a questionnaire which asked senior engineers about their view on mathematics. A second component of the study was a series of interviews held with graduating seniors. We obtained their responses to their calculus and engineering education. This report will focus on the responses made by senior engineering students concerning the usefulness of mathematics. All responses are from students who attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Both questionnaire and interview responses will be presented in this the paper.

Section I Survey Data

Background In the spring of 2002 senior engineering students, who took calculus I in the fall of 1998, were asked to complete the forty-nine question survey. The invitation was e-mailed to the students. To complete the survey students logged on to a website at Duke University. 134 (107 male and 27 female) Rose-Hulman seniors were asked to participate in the survey. A total of 54 students (38 men and 16 women) responded. While a greater percentage of women responded to the questionnaire than were in our original sample this does not seem to significantly influence our results. In no question was there a significant difference between the responses of the male students and the female students.

The first four responses were background questions. The remaining 45 questions (5-49) were used to measure the each student’s attitude towards mathematics. There were six major categories of questions:

b = Beliefs about Mathematics m = Effective Motivation in Mathematics t = Using Technology to Learn Mathematics o = Learning with Others

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Graves, E. (2005, June), The Usefulness Of Mathematics As Seen By Engineering Seniors Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14349