Enhancing Calculus Learning Engineering Students Through Problem-Based Learning

Calculus is most important subject for science and engineering students but phenomenally it is abstract, difficult and highly boring. Underpinning with in constructivism theories, problem-based learning (PBL) is one of student centred and active learning strategies or approach which can be used to improve students’ interests and often lead to deep level understand hence acquiring the learning outcomes of a course This approach can be used to improve students’ participation, interests and performance in learning of calculus. This study is designed to investigate student’s perception about PBL approach in calculus; student’s engagement during the acquisition of understanding of calculus and; student’s performance as a result of PBL learning experience. A group of 48 Foundation Year engineering students was randomly selected to undergo the PBL approach in Basic Calculus course. A rubric-scoring assessment was used to evaluate students engagement level, a questionnaire with open ended question was used to assess students’ perception of PBL learning, and a post-test to measure students’ performance after undergoing PBL approach. This pedagogical approach has made the teaching and learning of calculus more interesting and effective. PBL in calculus offer the advantages as it promotes collaborative and distributed learning; development of learners' critical thinking, evaluative and judgment/ decision making skills and enables new and inexperienced learners to access and learn from captured solutions of expert problem solvers. It is also able to develop the potential of individuals to be more creative, critical in their thinking and effective in problem solving. Key-Words: Problem Based Learning, Calculus, Engagement in learning, Mathematics Education, Performance, Engineering Education