ERIC Number: EJ1434618
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Aug
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-9359
EISSN: EISSN-1557-9638
Concept Maps Afford Connections From Mathematics and Physics to Electrical Engineering Courses
IEEE Transactions on Education, v67 n4 p519-525 2024
Contribution: Visual maps that illustrate how mathematics, physics, and electrical engineering classes are connected to each other during the first two years of the electrical engineering curriculum were developed. Key terminology and differences in presentation between fields are discussed. Background: Experience has shown that engineering students struggle when they need to use an approach from their mathematics or physics courses in their first- or second-year engineering courses. In particular, students have difficulty making connections between what they learned in mathematics and physics and how it applies to engineering problems. Improving students' ability to identify the connections between fields could increase student resilience in their engineering coursework. Research Questions: 1) Can visual representations of topic connections between fields across the entry-level engineering curriculum increase student's motivation for learning topics in physics and mathematics and improve their problem solving ability? 2) Are there language barriers or other differences between fields that hinder student learning? Methodology: A multidisciplinary team of faculty members from mathematics, physics, and electrical engineering developed visual representations of the links between the core electrical engineering, physics, and mathematics concepts required to solve problems that students will see in their early electrical engineering coursework. Inconsistencies in terminology or notation were explored and documented. Findings: The developed visual aids, coined systematic approach to problem solving (SAPS) maps, describe a mechanism for linking concepts and skills across the technical courses in the first two years of the electrical engineering curriculum.
Descriptors: Concept Mapping, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, Visual Aids, Student Motivation, Problem Solving, Language Usage, Barriers, Undergraduate Study
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Tel: 732-981-0060; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2578/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=13
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A