Improving Student Knowledge Transfer between Mathematics and Engineering Courses through Structured Cross-disciplinary Collaboration: A SUMMIT-P Initiative

Student learning across STEM disciplines has been shown to increase with greater integration of applications in mathematics courses. One challenge of this effort is that identical constructs are often presented differently in the partner disciplines than in the mathematics courses. This leads to student confusion and an inability to transfer critical knowledge in their disciplinary courses, even for students who have mastered the mathematical paradigms. An interdisciplinary team at VCU consisting of mathematics and engineering faculty has worked to improve the knowledge transfer required for the integration of applications in the Differential Equations curriculum. This work is part of the multi-institutional SUMMIT-P initiative which aims to transform first- and second-year mathematics through collaboration with partner disciplines. The collaborative efforts have uncovered a variety of differently presented but identical constructs in categories ranging from notation up through higher-level interpretation. We provide some specific examples and analyses of these constructs and the implications for knowledge transfer and pedagogical concerns. Conversations around mathematics and disciplinary imperatives served to create a holistic view of the role mathematics and partner discipline professors have in improving learning outcomes