This study focuses on the mathematics department at a South African university and in particular on teaching of calculus to first year engineering students. The paper reports on a cause-effect analysis, often used for business improvement. The cause-effect analysis indicates that there are many factors that impact on secondary school teaching of…

The purpose of this case study is to explore the integration of technology into teaching at a mathematics department at a large South African University. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from staff teaching undergraduate mathematics. The study shows that many staff members feel that chalkboards are still more suitable than…

The study in this paper reports on whether an online homework system in combination with a flipped classroom has a positive effect on success rates of first year statistics students. Departing from a traditional teaching model (Baseline), the technology-based intervention strategies implemented were firstly the Aplia™ interactive online homework…

This paper presents an enrichment case study to showcase a possible avenue for attending to the needs of academically strong mathematics students. We report on a group of university students who were presented with the opportunity of exploring a specific first year mathematics topic deeper, using an inquiry-based learning approach as part of an…

The study aims to identify areas of difficulty in learning about volumes of solids of revolution (VSOR) at a Further Education and Training college in South Africa. Students' competency is evaluated along five skill factors which refer to knowledge skills required to succeed in performing tasks relating to applications of the definite integral, in…

In keeping with the national mandate of increasing graduates in the sciences in South Africa, a concerted effort in improving the first year experience becomes imperative. First year mathematics courses commonly provide the base knowledge necessary for progression in different degree programmes at university. Success in mathematics courses…

We have been investigating university student conceptions of mathematics over a number of years, with the goal of enhancing student learning and professional development. We developed an open-ended survey of three questions, on "What is mathematics" and two questions about the role of mathematics in the students' future. This…

This article is a follow-up of a study conducted in 2000 by the same authors on trends in numbers of mathematics majors at South African universities. Data from 12 universities for the 2000-2007 period is investigated. The previously observed trend of general and dramatic decrease in numbers of mathematics majors appears to have been reversed and…

Students in undergraduate chemistry courses find, as a rule, topics with a strong mathematical basis difficult to master. In this study we investigate whether such mathematically related problems are due to deficiencies in their mathematics foundation or due to the complexity introduced by transfer of mathematics to a new scientific domain. In the…

In this paper, we report on an international study of undergraduate mathematics students; conceptions of mathematics. Almost 1,200 students in five countries completed a short survey including three open-ended questions asking about their views of mathematics and its role in their future studies and planned professions. Responses were analysed…

Internet education in mathematics is developing as a new mode of teaching with its own characteristics and possibilities, different from the traditional way of teaching. In a study presented in two parts, we attempt to capture the world of Internet teaching of undergraduate mathematics. In the first part of the study (Engelbrecht, J. and Harding,…

Online assessment in mathematics is becoming more prominent as mathematics and the internet become more compatible. This paper is based on a case study of a web-based calculus course in which a combination of paper and online assessment is used for assessing various activities. The paper first investigates what student assessment preferences are…

The world wide web is becoming wider at an increasing rate. It is virtually impossible to take any kind of accurate snapshot of the state of its development. Undergraduate mathematics courses presented on the internet are relative newcomers to the race but nevertheless seem to be increasing in numbers also at a phenomenal rate. Internet education…

Understanding abstract concepts and ideas in mathematics, if instruction takes place in the first language of the student, is difficult. Yet worldwide students often have to master mathematics via a second or third language. The majority of students in South Africa--a country with eleven official languages--has to face this difficulty. In a…