Mathematics in PBL engineering undergraduate education : challenges and vision for the future

A recent CQUniversity funded project entitled “Mathematics in engineering programs: enhancing student learning using PBL methods”, generated by the authors, attempted to determine the extent to which project based learning methods are employed to deliver mathematics content in engineering programs. The project also conducted indepth interviews with three representatives from higher education, professional and research organizations, to gauge the degree to which project based learning methods might enhance learning outcomes in engineering mathematics “Engineering students are application-oriented and so would benefit by having mathematics presented in context”. This statement was made by a leading engineering educator in discussions during this project. This paper will outline the results of a survey of 35 universities in Australia and New Zealand as part of the project, as well as an outline of some of the progress already made. Questions posed to the three representatives included: Will PBL mathematics contribute to a better mathematically educated engineer who will be more competent inthe process of mathematical modelling? Is this a realistic vision for the engineer of the future?