Development of Problem Solving Skills with Maple in Higher Education

Problem solving is the ability to understand the environment, identify complex problems, and review related information to develop, evaluate strategies and implement solutions to build the desired outcome. Mathematics boosts problem solving skills and, in Higher Education, all scientific degree programs deliver at least one module in Mathematics that should develop students’ problem solving skills. Mathematics Modules of the Biotechnology Bachelor Degree and of the Strategic Science Bachelor and Master Degrees at the University of Turin use innovative digital technologies, like the Advanced Computing Environment Maple, and methodologies to facilitate the learning of Mathematics and the development of problem solving skills. At the beginning of the courses, students must learn how to use Maple through dedicated lab sessions to solve contextualized problems related to their future careers. Moreover, for the final examination, students must study, present and discuss a science-based problem solved with Maple. In this paper, we investigated how the use of Maple enabled students to develop problem solving skills. We examined 110 students’ submissions through a rubric that analyzes different dimensions: comprehension, resolution strategy identified, solution process, representation, argument, use of Maple. Dimensions are correlated with module attendance, involvement, exam marks. A qualitative analysis was also performed. The research shows that the adopted approach is useful and effective: students’ scores are high and submissions indicate the presence of problem solving skills. Problem solving labs with Maple should be introduced, in connection with other disciplines, to facilitate analysis of data, visualization, communication, and deep understanding of concepts.