Abstract:

Learning is an active process that requires student participation, commitment and involvement. Remote learning, in particular remote learning of mathematics in higher education that occurred as a result of the COVID19 pandemic has been a measure of readjustment of procedures in order to adapt to the situation we are currently experiencing. Remote learning courses have gained popularity over the past few years due to their flexibility and convenience. The use of technology in these courses is another influence, particularly for the younger generation of students who like to learn interactively in a virtual environment. However, depending on the subject and the type of students, face-to-face learning may be preferred over remote learning. All of us are challenged with trying to implement effective teaching in this remote learning environment, and assessment is certainly part of that. The assessment has change, new technologies are evolving daily to assist teachers with this task. Students are subject to remote assessments with different practices than they did in classrooms.

The aim of this study is to analyse the perceptions of engineering students about face-to-face versus remote learning in a mathematics discipline. A questionnaire was made to a group of students who, in the first semester, took face-to-face classes on Calculus 1 unit, but did not obtain approval and in the second semester they returned to attend the course unit but now with remote classes. These students are an interesting group to evaluate, because they attended both types of learning in the same Calculus 1 course unit. It is intended to analyse the type of student (visual, auditory or kinesthetic) and their opinion about what they feel, advantages and disadvantages of remote learning as well as their opinion about classes and assessment in this learning type. The results of this research allowed us to analyse how engineering students deal with the transition to emergency distance learning, in addition to highlighting the advantages and challenges identified by them. It is hoped to be able to contribute with some interesting and important ideas on the best way to proceed with this form of teaching.

Keywords:

Remote learning, face-to-face learning, COVID19, mathematics, engineering.