Assessment, development and consolidation of advanced skills in engineering mathematics

In the Dublin Institute of Technology there are two routes to obtaining an Honours Degree in Engineering. The first is direct entry onto a four year Honours degree. To qualify for this route students must have achieved a grade of 55% or higher in Higher Level Mathematics at second level. For many students who do not have this level of mathematics they may enter a three year ordinary degree and then have the option of transferring into year 3 of the Honours degree. Many of our students struggle with this transition, in particular with the level of Maths. In a survey of almost 300 Engineering students, it was shown that a large percentage struggled with key skills in maths and tended to avoid questions on differentiation and integration. Here, we have developed an Advanced Mathematics Diagnostic exercise for students entering into 3rd year of the Honours degree. In addition, we have set up an online test that encourages students to revise (or perhaps learn for the first time) many of the key skills required for later years of an Honours Engineering degree