STATISTICS COLLOQUIUM
T.S.G. Peiris
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Mathematics
University of Moratuwa
Sri Lanka
Impact of Mathematics (Level 1 and Level 2) on the Performance of Engineering Undergraduates in Level 2: A Case Study
Abstract
Mathematics plays a major role to develop the analytical thinking of students in a wide range of disciplines, especially in engineering sciences and consequently it helps to improve the performance of engineering students at each level during the undergraduate period. Though few such studies had been conducted, the concept covariate under multivariate environment has not been considered in past studies. This study therefore focus to study (i) the effect of mathematics in Level 1 and Level 2 simultaneously and (ii) effect of mathematics in Level 1 and Level 2 separately by using unadjusted and adjusted Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) and to develop an index to compare the impact of mathematics on student’s performance among different engineering disciplines. The study was conducted using raw marks of 1256 engineering students from seven different disciplines at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka for two academic years 2010 and 2011. A theoretical model underlying relationship between two measurements, mathematics performance and engineering performance was developed based on literature review. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on Partial Least Squares technique was used to validate the conceptual model. The first canonical variate of engineering was found to be the best proxy indicator for the engineering performance. The impact of mathematics in semester 2 is significantly higher compared with the impact of mathematics in semester 1 on engineering performance in Level 2. The mathematics in Level 1 and Level 2 jointly influenced on the engineering performance in Level 2 irrespective of the engineering disciplines and the level of impact of mathematics varies among engineering disciplines. The individual effect of mathematics in Level 2 is significantly higher compared to the individual effect of mathematics in Level 1 on engineering performance in Level 2. The mathematics in Level 1 is still important in affecting students’ engineering performance in Level 2 as there is a significant effect indirectly. The results obtained in this study can be utilized in curriculum development in mathematics modules. This is joint work with K.A.D.S.A. Nanayakkara.
DATE: Wednesday, October 31, 2018
TIME: 4:00 pm
PLACE: Philip E. Austin Bldg., Rm. 108
Coffee will be served at 3:30 pm in the Noether Lounge (AUST 326)
For more information, contact: Tracy Burke at tracy.burke@uconn.edu