Teaching and learning of mathematics for computer science using documents with a computable format (CDFs): a teaching perception at the National University of Costa Rica Enseñanza y aprendizaje de la matemática para informática empleando documentos con un formato computable (CDFs): una percepción docente en la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

Abstract

Basic mathematics understood as a compendium of contents developed in secondary education, constitutes an area of relevance in the training of any future engineer. This is since it provides a necessary cognitive scaffolding as an instrumental means in subjects related to engineering and particularly, informatics and computer science. In the context of the Information Systems Engineering degree at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), the academic performance shown by the student population at this level reveals important conceptual and algorithmic deficiencies. Against this background, the authors of this work designed one hundred and thirty applications for the study of: formal logic, set theory, function theory, induction and progression topics, and number theory. It has been started from the premise of considering mathematical visualization as a means that facilitates the transition from an intuitive perception to analysis, in addition to promoting conceptual understanding and the construction of conjectures. The main objective of this study was to measure on a group of teachers of the School of Mathematics of the UNA, their reactions of meaning and rescue their open opinions regarding the advantages, disadvantages and real opportunities of use on the designed CDF applications, as a didactic resource specifically in the MAT030 Mathematics for Informatics chair that is part of the curriculum of the Information Systems Engineering career of this institution of higher education. The applications are programmed in the year 2019 in the Wolfram language and are published in a free-use format called CDF (Computable Document Format). The results obtained with a qualitative and quantitative approach have focused on rescuing the strengths, weaknesses and recommendations on the CDFs created for the MAT030 chair.