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Title:
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BASIC MATHEMATICAL MODELLING COMPETENCIES
FOR NON-STEM HIGHER EDUCATION |
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Author(s):
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Marina Marchisio, Fabio Roman and Matteo Sacchet |
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ISBN:
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978-989-8704-29-0 |
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Editors:
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Miguel Baptista Nunes and Pedro Isaias |
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Year:
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2021 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Higher Education, Mathematical Modelling, Mathematics Education, Modelling Mistakes, Modelling Process, STEM
Education |
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Type:
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Full |
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First Page:
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54 |
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Last Page:
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61 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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The role of mathematical modelling pertains several disciplines, both STEM and non-STEM, and various fields:
education, academy, work, everyday and social life. Despite its importance, it is not uncommon to see university students
facing difficulties with the use of Mathematics to create models, even when mathematical entities that play a role in
facing a problem belong to the study programs of secondary schools, and should thus be familiar also to students without
a specific background in Mathematics. Difficulties can arise in various phases of modelling: in the comprehension of the
problem, in the translation into mathematical formulas, in the resolution process or even in the interpretation of the
results. In this paper, we give an analysis of an online test taken by 75 non-STEM students. The 10 questions of the test
focused on specific items in mathematical modelling. During the test, students had to write down the reason why they
chose a specific answer. The test allowed us to find and categorize the common errors students make and the phase in
which it happens, suggesting actions in order to prevent them. Results show percentages of errors and discuss students'
arguments. |
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