This paper reports a study of 10 post-secondary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) instructors' beliefs about mathematical modelling and the role of mathematics in STEM coursework. The participants were selected from STEM disciplines that are atypical to the literature base (e.g. anthropology and geography), in order to extend…

A straightforward experimental set-up, requiring a two-liter bottle, a ruler and a stopwatch, is used to provide data appropriate for modelling with Torricelli's Law in the simplest case, and a more sophisticated differential equation when losses are taken into account and a pipe extension is considered. With only an exit hole included in the…

In the past, my mathematics students have frequently complained at any suggestion that they should communicate ideas through the medium of a written report. This article discusses student responses when they were asked to write a short report for the mayor of a (hypothetical) small town in response to the mayor's plan to eliminate a contagious…

Compulsory mathematics service units for the life sciences present unique challenges: even students who learn some specific skills maintain a negative attitude to mathematics and do not see the relevance of the unit towards their degree. The focus on authentic content and the presentation and teaching of global or qualitative methods before…

This article reports the attitudes of students towards mathematics after they had participated in an applied mathematical modelling project that was part of an Applied Mathematics course. The students were majoring in Earth Science at the National Taiwan Normal University. Twenty-six students took part in the project. It was the first time a…

This project aimed to quantitatively measure the ability of first year science students to transfer their mathematical skills and knowledge to a physical context. An instrument used in earlier studies to measure transfer of mathematical knowledge was modified for this project, and tested with 49 student volunteers. This paper presents the Transfer…