Assessment and learning styles in engineering mathematics education

At Aalto University School of Science, mathematics teaching has been actively developed since the early 2000s. In this research, the factors that impact first year engineering students' learning outcomes were studied. The factors studied were basic skills in mathematics, computer aided assessment and learning styles. Automatic assessment system STACK has been used in basic courses of mathematics since 2006. The impacts of automatic assessment to students' learning results were discovered. According to the results, the use of the system has increased the flexibility in mathematics teaching. It also makes it possible to increase the significance of exercises to the course grade. A Basic Skills Test of mathematics was also implemented by STACK system. The test was based on the similar test developed at Tampere University of Technology. It included 16 questions about upper secondary school advanced mathematics topics. Since 2008, all new engineering students at Aalto University have taken the test at the beginning of their studies. According to the results of the test, students have difficulties for example with understanding the concepts of logarithm. In the autumns of 2009 and 2010, all new engineering students also had a possibility to answer a questionnaire which was based on Felder and Soloman's Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire. According to the answers, most of the engineering students at Aalto University are visual and sensing learners. In sequential/global and active/reflective dimensions results were more balanced. The results of this study are going to be considered when developing the engineering mathematics teaching. Some improvements, for example the use of activating teaching methods, have already been done