Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Copenhagen offers a course titled "NNDK20003U De matematisk modellerende videnskaber" (The Mathematical Modelling Sciences). This course is part of the Bachelor's and Master's programs in STEM education.

Course Description

The course provides a theoretical and practical foundation for applying mathematics as a method of inquiry in natural science and technology. Students will gain concrete experience with mathematical modeling through the mathematization of phenomena in natural science and technology. Additionally, students will develop didactic tools to plan, implement, evaluate, and develop teaching sequences that involve mathematical modeling or models related to a STEM-related societal problem.

Learning Objectives

To achieve the competence goals, the student must:

• Acquire knowledge of how mathematical modeling in the research front is used to describe, understand, analyze, and predict STEM phenomena.
• Be able to navigate STEM didactic models and concepts for mathematical modeling and mathematical models in teaching.
• Be able to describe and reflect on STEM didactic approaches to incorporating authentic STEM-related societal problems into teaching.

Competences

Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• Investigate, contextualize, and communicate an authentic STEM-relevant societal problem using mathematical modeling models.
• Recognize, analyze, and evaluate the significance of a concrete (mathematical) model for decisions and insights related to STEM-relevant societal problems.
• Operationalize the dimensions of investigation, modeling, communication, and contextualization in the competence areas of primary school teaching based on relevant research.
• Plan, implement, evaluate, and develop investigative teaching sequences that involve mathematical modeling or mathematical models related to a STEM-relevant societal problem.

Skills

To achieve the competence goals, the student must:

• Be able to make a justified selection of an authentic STEM-related societal problem.
• Be able to design and implement a specific teaching sequence that aims to develop students' modeling, communication, and contextualization competencies.
• Be able to organize and manage work with mathematical modeling or mathematical models.
• Be able to apply didactic terminology correctly and use it to argue learning-theoretically for the content and placement of student activities in connection with teaching about mathematical modeling and mathematical models.

Teaching Materials

The literature used will be selected in connection with the planning of the course's teaching modules and will be specified in the course plan, which will be prepared and published on the course's website prior to each course offering. Students should expect a reading scope equivalent to approximately 1200 standard pages.

Teaching Form

The teaching takes the form of seven full plenum days (10-17), seven full group activity days (10-17), and intervening periods of independent work and group work. There will be ongoing guidance.

Examination

The examination is a 30-minute oral exam based on the submission of two project reports. The project reports should address the mathematization of a natural scientific or technological phenomenon and a teaching sequence designed by the student on model-eliciting activities in a STEM context.

Assessment Criteria

See the learning objectives.

Course Information

• Language: Danish
• Course code: NNDK20003U
• Points: 15 ECTS
• Level: Bachelor's and Master's
• Duration: 2 blocks
• Placement: Blocks 3 and 4
• Course capacity: 35

Study Board

The study board for Mathematics and Computer Science is responsible for the course.

Institute and Faculty

The course is offered by the Department of Science Education, which is part of the Faculty of Science.

Course Responsible

The course is taught by Britta Eyrich Jessen.