Authors : N. Lohgheswary, A. Preethy and R.U. Gobithaasanc
Abstract: Mathematics and Engineering are the key elements in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics education. Thus, a strong foundation in Engineering Mathematics will ensure a good understanding of Engineering concepts. Yet, some student still find Engineering Mathematics as a challenging subject. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the challenging Engineering Mathematics topics from exam questions. The final exam questions from Engineering Mathematics I and II, subjects from a private university in Malaysia was analyzed for this study. Exam results were analyzed in Rasch Model. Differentiation using first principle, differentiating functions, finding minimum value, solving system of linear equations using inverse matrix, finding unit vector and finding the root of complex numbers are the challenging topics in Engineering Mathematics I. Integration of exponential function, integration by substitution, first order differential equation, using Laplace transform to solve first order differential equation, sketch graph and Fourier series are the challenging topics in Engineering Mathematics II. Thus, the lecturer who will be teaching in the upcoming semester can emphasize more on these challenging topics. Identifying challenging topics in Engineering Mathematics will prevent the students from failing the other engineering subjects in the subsequent years.
N. Lohgheswary, A. Preethy and R.U. Gobithaasanc, 2019. Identify Challenging Engineering Mathematics Topics from Exam Questions. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 14: 7535-7544.