High School Students’ Perspectives on Mathematical Modeling in the Engineering Design Process (RTP)
Abstract
Mathematical modeling skills are essential for engineers to solve real-world problems. While there is a growing emphasis on pre-college engineering education, it remains unclear how pre-college students utilize and perceive mathematical modeling within the engineering design process. Engineering for US All (e4usa) is dedicated to crafting engineering courses for high school students with the goal of enhancing their understanding and skills in the field. In an early unit, e4usa introduced a mathematical modeling lesson based on MATLAB to assist students in simulating impurity removal by water filters. This paper explored the impact of MATLAB activities on students’ perspectives on modeling, offering insights for improving future engineering education programs.
This study is part of a broader research project about mathematical modeling in e4usa. The research team conducted surveys, classroom observations, and focus group interviews involving students and teachers participating during the 2022-2023 academic year. In this paper, we present our findings from student focus group data from two schools in different states. We aimed to summarize the emerging themes that described the impact of our intervention. Additionally, we coded the data based on the concepts of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) to understand the learning process.
As a result, we found the benefits of mathematical modeling with MATLAB in helping them make scientifically informed engineering design decisions by allowing the testing of different materials and providing precise simulating results. However, challenges arose regarding the gap between simulation and prototype building. From the perspective of CLT, MATLAB helped reduce intrinsic load by minimizing prior knowledge requirements. Yet it was still crucial for managing multi-layered intrinsic loads and effectively dealing with extraneous loads. With the global advancement of technology and engineering, strengthening mathematical modeling skills for pre-college students has become increasingly important. This paper will contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding how 21st-century students perceive mathematical modeling and provide insights for developing engineering courses.
