How to strengthen today’s math skills of tomorrow’s engineers. Practical experiences with agile approaches to innovative university math lectures

Abstract

How can math lectures within the life sciences curriculum take into account student heterogeneity in terms of prior mathematical knowledge and learn ing pace? And how can they do this while combining the achievement of learning goals with elements of agile working, such as self-organization in heterogeneous teams or promotion of creativity and motivation? At the start of our new “BSc In Life Sciences” curriculum, the focus was on two approaches to address stu dent heterogeneity – eduScrum as an undergraduate math learning framework and the qualification of highly motivated students as tutors. This paper reports on the motivation and development process to adapt teaching settings and presents first insights into the acceptance and impact of both approaches. In addition to achiev ing the learning objectives, both the eduScrum framework and the qualification of tutors promote skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, IT skills and critical thinking - requirements that tomorrows’ employees will encounter in their carriers in the twenty-first-century.