This open access book provides a comprehensive overview of the core subjects comprising mathematical curricula for engineering studies in five European countries and identifies differences between two strong traditions of teaching mathematics to engineers. The collective work of experts from a dozen universities critically examines various aspects of higher mathematical education. The two EU Tempus-IV projects – MetaMath and MathGeAr – investigate the current methodologies of mathematics education for technical and engineering disciplines. The projects aim to improve the existing mathematics curricula in Russian, Georgian and Armenian universities by introducing modern technology-enhanced learning (TEL) methods and tools, as well as by shifting the focus of engineering mathematics education from a purely theoretical tradition to a more applied paradigm. MetaMath and MathGeAr have brought together mathematics educators, TEL specialists and experts in education quality assurance form 21 organizations across six countries. The results of a comprehensive comparative analysis of the entire spectrum of mathematics courses in the EU, Russia, Georgia and Armenia has been conducted, have allowed the consortium to pinpoint and introduce several modifications to their curricula while preserving the generally strong state of university mathematics education in these countriesThe book presents the methodology, procedure and results of this analysis. This book is a valuable resource for teachers, especially those teaching mathematics, and curriculum planners for engineers, as well as for a general audience interested in scientific and technical higher education.

It argues that the main purpose of educational research is to improve student learning, and that international comparative studies are no exception.

This book presents computer programming as a key method for solving mathematical problems. There are two versions of the book, one for MATLAB and one for Python. The book was inspired by the Springer book TCSE 6: A Primer on Scientific Programming with Python (by Langtangen), but the style is more accessible and concise, in keeping with the needs of engineering students.

This book examines the current thinking on five critical social and political areas in mathematics education. It focuses on material conditions in teaching and learning, and details features of social life and their influence on mathematics teaching, learning and achievement. Following an introduction, the first section addresses equitable access and participation in quality mathematics education. It explores this issue in different contexts and from different ideological perspectives. The second section traces the emergence and development of the notion of activism in mathematics education in theory, in the literature, in research and in practice. The third section then moves on to explore current research on the political forces at work in identity, subjectivity and (dis)ability within mathematics education, showing how emphasis on language and discourse provides information for this research, and how new directions are being pursued to address the diverse material conditions that shape learning experiences in mathematics education. Economic factors behind mathematics achievement form the topic of section four, which examines the political dimensions of mathematics education through the influence of national and global economic structures. The final section addresses distribution of power and cultural regimes of truth, based on the premise that although often deemed apolitical, mathematics and mathematics education are highly political institutions in our society. The book concludes with a summary and recommendations for the future.