Blended learning in first year engineering mathematics

There are many choices for learning mathematics for engineering students with courses available in face-to-face, blended and fully online modalities. Students are demanding more flexibility in their programs, however the temptation to misuse this flexibility to avoid mathematical studies until it is too late can be an unfortunate side effect. A key issue here is that students may not have the skills needed to effectively self-regulate their learning. Using the 3P model of student learning as a guide we explore what happens to student learning outcomes when the best available online and face-to-face teaching and learning for mathematics students are used to create a blended learning environment for first year engineers that encourages self-regulation of learning. Experiments included online quizzes for changing attitudes, refreshing assumed knowledge and teaching foundational concepts, archived online lecture options in addition to face-to-face lectures, the adoption of board tutorials supported by a problem-solving approach for more complex engineering modelling problems and scaffolded with online interactive problems. Shared websites for online and face-to-face cohorts allowed the amount of blending to be determined by the individual student. Learning outcomes for blended first year engineering mathematics courses can be improved by implementing online learning tools that automate key learning conversations and implement effective face-to-face learning activities such as board tutorials that support students to self-regulate their learning of mathematics.