Jo Crandall’s Three Minute Thesis
The Right Tool for the Job
Engineering and mathematics educators agree that there is a need to shape differential equations (DE) curricula to reflect the mathematical practices of the disciplines whose students take the course. Despite goals of reform efforts such as inquiry-based instruction, mathematical modeling, and computational tool inclusion to make DE knowledge and methods more transferable to applications, evidence has not been provided that students successfully access DE knowledge in engineering settings. This study will investigate the effects of analytic and numerical emphases in DE instruction which set the stage for effective use of computational tools and may lay at the heart of engineering students’ ability to recognize the mathematical principles they learned previously when they encounter them in engineering settings.
About Jo
Jo is a student in the Math and Science Education program on the Pullman campus. She has a background in applied mathematics, which fuels her curiosity about the experiences of those who use math and computing to tackle real-world problems.
