Abstract:

The project described here aimed to help students in the Agricultural Faculty face the mathematics exam, which is one of the main obstacles in STEM degrees, often slowing down careers and extending graduation time. According to students, one of the most insidious aspects is the number of formulas and procedures required to solve the exercises offered in the course, which is “almost impossible to know by heart”. In a basic mathematics course such as the one in which we are teaching, mnemonic notions are limited and related only to the fundamentals of higher mathematics (asymptotic expansions, rules of integration and derivation, etc.); nevertheless, students have always perceived these notions as the fundamental obstacle between them and passing the exam. The “Re-Formulation” project tried to work on these aspects, allowing students to create a formula sheet they could use freely during exams, as long as they were discussed and approved by the lecturer during the semester.

To help them understand how to structure a formula sheet that not only contained the knowledge given in the course, but was functional to their process of acquiring skills, we arranged a series of meetings aimed at assessment and understanding of their learning style, both class and one-on-one discussion with the teacher, and approval of the form in its various stages of construction. These meetings for metacognitive work and reflection were outside the curricular hours of the course, optional, non-binding for the approval of the formula sheet, and managed by a dedicated tutor (the third author).

The approval of formula sheets occurred through a special stamp with the words “Approved”, providing both official validation and motivational reinforcement: this not only ensures the authenticity of the approval process but also adds a positive motivational element for students, who know with certainty that their work has been “certified” and their effort rewarded.

Through an anonymous questionnaire delivered at the end of the course but before the exam, students expressed the usefulness of the formula sheet not only from a practical point of view: they testified to a decrease in pre-exam anxiety and an increased feeling of competence. From an emotional perspective, the project has promoted self-regulation of the emotional sphere and increased their perceived competence.

A total of 180 students participated in the project, of whom 111 passed the written part of the test two months after the end of the course, corresponding to 95% of the total number of positive evaluations. Some students, interviewed after the examination session, stated how, during the test, the formula sheet was used much less than expected, because the revision of the teaching material and the reflection on it necessary for the construction of the instrument had led them to study almost involuntarily, gaining, for example, a better understanding of some topics. After all, in the formula sheets, only essential information had to be written, or at most a short explanation to “bring back to memory” some procedure.

In conclusion, the “Re-Formulation” project contributes to improving learning for STEM students facing a mathematics course. The creation of customized formula sheets not only fosters empowerment in the learning process - which is fundamental for a university student - but also seems to help initiate reflection and self-regulation processes in the emotional sphere.

Keywords:

Mathematics, undergraduate education, formula sheet.