Mathematics in Undergraduate Study Programs: Challenges for Research and for the Dialogue between Mathematics and Didactics of Mathematics

Abstract

The topic of undergraduate mathematics is of considerable concern for mathematicians in universities, but also for those teaching mathematics as part of undergraduate studies other than mathematics, for employers seeking to employ a mathematically skilled workforce, and for teacher education. Different countries have made and continue to make massive efforts to improve the quality of mathematics education across all age ranges, with most of the research undertaken particularly at the school level. A growing number of mathematicians and mathematics educators now see the need for undertaking interdisciplinary research and collaborative reflections around issues at the tertiary level. The conference aimed to share research results and experiences as a background to establishing a scientific community of mathematicians and mathematics educators whose concern is the theoretical reflection, the research-based empirical investigation, and the exchange of best-practice examples of mathematics education at the tertiary level. The focus of the conference was mathematics education for mathematics, engineering and economy majors and for future mathematics teachers.