Abstract:

The scientific and mathematical skills of engineering students are vitally significant for academic success in any educational setting. The development of requisite skills through meaningful pedagogic instruction ought to be informed by a clear understanding of the complexities associated with various learning areas. In addition, meaningful curriculum reform requires coherent overhaul of existing curriculum programs in order to ensure pedagogic innovation responsive to the critical needs of students. In response to this key imperative, South African undergraduate engineering students' understanding of complex numbers was analysed with a view to identify areas of difficulty requiring remedial intervention. The study revealed that complex numbers posed enormous challenges to students as they struggled with key areas such as rectangular, polar and exponential form of a complex number, the solution of complex equations as well as applications of complex numbers. Implications for meaningful development of mathematical skills are discussed.

Keywords:

Complex numbers, mathematical skills, remedial interventions.