Abstract
The ‘gender mathematics gap’ which persists in many countries means that women students may, on average, have less high school preparation in mathematics than men students entering engineering education. This in turn could impact their performance in first-year exams and thus reduce women’s participation in engineering programs. One factor that has been a focus of interest in addressing equity issues in education is time-limited exams, which have been found to give rise to unfairness with respect to underrepresented students. In mathematics, time pressure has been linked to increased student stress and to the use of less effective problem-solving strategies in assessment conditions.
Methods and Results
In collaboration with the Propaedeutic Centre and the Centre for Learning Sciences, we explored the impact of reducing time pressure in first-year mathematics courses (Linear Algebra and Analysis) for engineering students. Multiple studies were conducted between 2019 and 2023.
The results showed positive outcomes from the initiative. Notably, female students appeared to benefit most from the reduction in time pressure, especially those who had specialized in subjects other than Physics and applications of Mathematics during their high school studies.
Participants
- Alexandra Niculescu (Centre for Learning Sciences, EPFL)
- Simone Deparis (Mathematics Section and Propaedeutic Centre, EPFL)
- Cécile Hardebolle (Centre for Digital Education, EPFL)
- Himanshu Verma (Centre for Learning Sciences, EPFL)
- Roland Tormey (Teaching Support Centre, EPFL)
Dates
- Start date
- September 2019
- End date
- May 2025
Publications
- Tormey, R., Niculescu, A., Verma, H., Hardebolle, C., & Deparis, S. (2024).
Equity and examination time pressure in first year mathematics for engineers.
In J. Dehler Zufferey, G. Langie, R. Tormey, & B. V. Nagy (Eds.), Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering, SEFI 2024: Educating Responsible Engineers (pp. 927–936).
European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI).
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14254730