Prior knowledge in mathematics and study success in engineering: informational value of learner data collected from a web-based pre-course

ABSTRACT

The article describes the development and evaluation of a web-based pre-course in mathematics, delivered to four cohorts of engineering students at a German university. Based on demographic, personal, and learning-related data relationships between students’ preconditions, their learning gains in the pre-course, and study success in the degree programme were analysed. The results support the existing literature in that domain-related prior knowledge and secondary school achievement play a dominant role regarding study success in engineering. The analyses also showed that the influence of cognitive predictors could only be compensated for by a strong learner engagement. At-risk students with high pre-course learning gains showed significantly better first-year performance. The number of self-tests a student attempted was positively related to pre-course learning gains and even to first-year performance, suggesting that this variable is a good indicator of student engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Entry test
• formative evaluation
• mathematics education
• pre-course
• web-based learning

Acknowledgements

Responsibility for the content published in this article, including any opinions expressed therein, rests exclusively with the authors. Test items and learning material are licenced under the creative commons attribution 3.0 unported and can be provided via www.optes.de.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Katja Derr worked in the field of e-learning design and development before completing a degree in education at Freiburg University of Education. Since 2007, she has been involved in mathematics e-learning projects in tertiary education, since 2012 she is a research staff member in the joint project optes.

Reinhold Hübl received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Regensburg in 1987. After working in mathematical research and software development for several years, he joined the staff of DHBW Mannheim in 2009 where he teaches mathematics and acts as scientific coordinator of the centre of basic knowledge in mathematics and sciences.

Mohammed Zaki Ahmed received his PhD in electrical engineering from Plymouth University in 2003. He works in signal processing research and manages the MEng and BEng programmes in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Plymouth University.

Additional information

Funding

Support for this publication was provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the context of the Federal ‘Quality pact for teaching’ (ref. number 01PL17012A).