University electronics engineering students’ approaches of integrating mathematical ideas into the learning of physical electronics in basic electronics

Abstract

The limited knowledge of mathematical ideas and the high dropout rate of students in the schools of engineering throughout the country each year is alarming. One of the reasons attributed to this high failure rate is the students’ inability to integrate and apply the main mathematics constructs covered in the engineering courses. In this regard, this paper takes as its point of departure that the integration of mathematical concepts in engineering courses is unavoidable, particularly, in physical electronics. It gives credence to the objectives of engineering courses, that students should be able to interpret mathematics during design, apply appropriate technology to solve natural and man-made problems, evaluate engineering solutions, and appreciate a broad spectrum of knowledge. It thus argues for the use of a practical pedagogical multidisciplinary integrative model in the learning and teaching of engineering courses. The focus of the paper is on electronic engineering students’ knowledge of the mathematical ideas adopted and how the students blend and integrate advanced mathematics into their learning of physical electronics in a basic electronics course. The participants report that certain strategies are adopted when integrating mathematical concepts into the teaching and learning of physical electronics. These include Identification of the problem, selection of appropriate mathematical ideas, the analysis of the problem mathematics concepts, recognizing the degree of the mathematics concepts usage during integration, memorization method and the final result of interdisciplinary integration. This study was carried out using a qualitative approach of data collection in order to report a naturalistic view of the 15 electronics engineering students learning physical electronics as a course.