2. What is?
• The largest network of higher
engineering education institutions (HEIs)
and educators in Europe.
• Through its membership composed of
HEIs, academic staff, students, related
associations and companies, SEFI
connects over 1 million students and
1580000 academic staff members in 48
countries.
3. The goals
• The main purpose of SEFI document is to
provide orientation for those who set up
concrete mathematics curricula for their
specific engineering programme, and for
lecturers who think about learning and
assessment arrangements for achieving
the intended level of competence
acquisition.
4. Mathematical Thinking
“... Mathematical thinking consists of a lot
more than knowing facts, theorems,
techniques, etc. ... I would characterize the
mathematics a person understands by
describing what that person can do
mathematically, rather than by na inventory
of what the person ‘Knows’.” (Schoenfeld
1994)
5. Mathematical Competence
“The ability to understand, judge, do, and use
mathematics in a variety of intra- and extra-
mathematical contexts and situations in
which mathematics plays or could play a
role” (Niss 2003a, p.6/7). Mathematics
in
Engineering
Contexts
Thinking
mathematically
Reasoning
mathematically
Posing and
solving
mathematical
problems
Modelling
mathematically
Representing
mathematical
entities
Handling
mathematical
symbols and
formalism
Comunicating
in, with, and
about
mathematics
Making use of
aids and tools
6. Content-related competencies, Knowledge, and skills
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Core
Zero
• Quantity
• Measuring
• Space and shape
• Functional dependency
• Relations between functions
• Data and chance
• Algorithms
• Modelling
8. Integrating the mathematics curriculum into the
engineering study course
• What to do?
• When to do it?
• Where to do it?
9. Assessment
• What will the students learn?
• What will the students do to learn?
• How can the sudents’ knowledge be
evaluated?
10. Conclusion
The main purpose of this document is to
provide orientation for those who set up
concrete mathematics curricula for their
specific engineering programme, and for
lectures who think about learning and
assessment arrangements for achieving the
intended level of competence acquisition.
Peter Nuesch, one oth the co-authors and former SEFI president, wrote: “It is hoped that our Core Curriculum answers only the one very essential question: what should be the content of mathematics courses for engineers?”
Then, what is the SEFI? And what is the content of this framework?
Was created in 1973 to contribute to the development of higher engineering education (HEE) in Europe, to reinforce the position of the engineering professionals in society, to promote information abaout HEE and improve communication between teachers, researchers and students, to reinforce the university-business cooperation and to encourage the European dimension in HEE.
