Abstract
Trying to decide what is best suited for someone or something is an ever enduring task let alone trying to prepare students with the right engineering mind. So ‘how do you build an engineer?’ if that is the right word. What is the right ingredient? Mathematics has been said as the most important foundation in engineers’ life. Curriculum has been developed and reviewed over the years to meet this target. This work explores how much or lack of it has the curriculum prepares the future technologist to face the world of engineering technology as far as mathematics is concerned. Analysis of mathematics lectures, interviews of engineering technologist students and engineering technology subject lecturer is undertaken. Understand what each contributes help in understanding the picture that the current education is painting. Based on the theory of learning, APOS theory helps in explaining how students bridge their knowledge of mathematics when it comes to solving engineering technology problems. The question is, is it a bridge too far? 
Highlights
This research is conducted in the interest to explore the pedagogical strategy practices by the teacher in her effort to teach the topic of differential equation
Universities are, responsible for training and producing more graduates that will spearhead the drive towards a technology based economy and in order to train such students in engineering we will need to educate them in mathematics
As APOS Theory puts it, genetic decomposition is a theoretical analysis that proposes a set of mental construction that student might make in order to understand the mathematical concept being studied
Summary
This research is conducted in the interest to explore the pedagogical strategy practices by the teacher in her effort to teach the topic of differential equation. Tertiary education institutions have a vital role to play supporting knowledge-driven economic growth strategies and poverty reduction by training a qualified and adaptable labour force, generating new knowledge and building capacity to access existing stores of global knowledge and to adapt that knowledge to local use (World Bank, 1994, 2002) This change has resulted in a demand for a more technically trained work force. Universities are, responsible for training and producing more graduates that will spearhead the drive towards a technology based economy and in order to train such students in engineering we will need to educate them in mathematics Teaching mathematics to these engineering students poses difficult challenge with teachers expecting students to reach a high level of proficiency in mathematics as they progress to learning more demanding topics in engineering
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP)
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
