Engaging with real-world phenomena through Matlab programming projects

Abstract

This presentation aims to report a pedagogical experience carried out in a course unit of a graduate programme in Computer Engineering at the University of Minho. The course unit, Numerical Methods and NonLinear Optimization (NMNO), integrates the first semester of the third year. The experience took place in 2021-2022 with 146 students, and it was supported by Centre IDEA-UMinho within the project 2Be-Learning. The classes were taught face-to-face (theoretical lectures and lab practice) and several strategies were implemented to support learning: ARS, padlet, videos, storytelling, and projects. Assessment was diversified and distributed over time to foster ongoing study and progress. It included two face-to-face written tests, four online multiple choice mini-tests (one per month, lasting about 10 minutes, based on extensive question banks), and one Matlab project. The focus of the presentation is on the impact of Matlab projects in the learning process. The projects were carried out by teams of 4 students. Each team could choose one of five proposed topics. The main challenge was to search for and select a real-world phenomenon where the chosen topic could be applied and solve a problem that should have an adequate level of complexity. The experience was evaluated on the basis of the quality of projects, students’ grades and their perceptions collected in a survey at the end of the course unit. Results show that students developed their creativity through building bridges with other scientific areas and solving problems in innovative ways. Projects promoted their involvement in learning, autonomy, cooperation and the personal construction of knowledge, which are essential competences for lifelong learning. Overall, it can be considered that engaging with real-world phenomena creates conditions for students to connect course-based learning with authentic situations, analyse and solve problems from a multidisciplinary perspective, mediated by digital technologies, and become pro-active learners.