Abstract:

This paper presents the students' perception about using Wolfram Mathematica software to assist teaching a calculus course in the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering undergraduate programs at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The main motivation for this study was to measure student’s difficulties in accepting a change in a teaching methodology that has been taught traditionally for many years. In addition to the usual difficulties of accessing digital materials when using technology in the classroom, professors faced several challenges. First, they had to respect students' freedom to accept or reject the use of an additional tool for which they had not received prior formal instruction; but also, the students' reluctance to accept the results provided by the software without performing the intermediate steps manually. To address the difficulty of accessing digital materials, the instructors shared lessons and exercises via the Wolfram cloud, allowing students to work from their mobile devices in the classroom. In particular, we used the Clark and Kapadia’s notebooks included in their book “Introduction to Calculus”. It should be noted that Students registered at UNAM have access to a campus-wide license. To measure the overall acceptance of the methodology they were using, the authors apply a fifty-question survey to the students. This survey was based on a 5-point Likert scale and included three open-ended questions about their perceptions of the software's use and what possibilities they see for improving the learning experience. The survey was administered after the course was graded and was completed anonymously. To analyze the results of the Likert scale questions, a descriptive analysis, correlations (Spearman's test), and group comparisons (Mann-Whitney U test) were performed. The results show a generally positive trend toward the acceptance of using Mathematica, particularly regarding its perceived usefulness and its ability to facilitate problem-solving. However, two critical barriers were identified: the perceived difficulty in learning to use the software and the lack of formal instruction on its use, before the course.

The analysis of the open-ended questions, carried out following the phases proposed by Braun and Clarke, corroborated the findings of the closed-ended questions:
1. The suggestion of prior technological literacy;
2. The use of Mathematica as a tool for verification and support to the learning process; and
3. Potential difficulties in accessing and using the software.

The authors find the results of the experience motivating and believe it is feasible to teach calculus using Wolfram Mathematica, supported by Wolfram Alpha to perform calculations step by step, after providing a brief introductory course on how to use this tool.

Keywords:

Wolfram Mathematica, Calculus, Chemistry, Wolfram Cloud, Survey.