Abstract
The article describes the development and evaluation of a web-based pre-course in mathematics, delivered to four cohorts of engineering students at a German university. Based on demographic, personal, and learning-related data relationships between students’ preconditions, their learning gains in the pre-course, and study success in the degree programme were analysed. The results support the existing literature in that domain-related prior knowledge and secondary school achievement play a dominant role regarding study success in engineering. The analyses also showed that the influence of cognitive predictors could only be compensated for by a strong learner engagement. At-risk students with high pre-course learning gains showed significantly better first-year performance. The number of self-tests a student attempted was positively related to pre-course learning gains and even to first-year performance, suggesting that this variable is a good indicator of student engagement.
Publication Date
2018-04-18
Publication Title
European Journal of Engineering Education
Volume
43
Issue
6
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
911
Last Page
926
Recommended Citation
Derr, K., Hübl, R., & Ahmed, M. (2018) 'Prior knowledge in mathematics and study success in engineering: informational value of learner data collected from a web-based pre-course', European Journal of Engineering Education, 43(6), pp. 911-926. Taylor & Francis: Available at: 10.1080/03043797.2018.1462765
