Mathematical modelling in university education. An experiment at the University of Oldenburg
H‐E. Gross, Ulrich Knauer · International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology · 1982
After a theoretical discussion of the necessity and possibilities for mathematical modelling qualifications, an experiment to teach these qualifications is presented. The aim of the experiment was to confront graduate mathematics students with a realistic working situation which is similar to the expected professional praxis. The basic principles of the concept presented are: The starting point is a real problem which should be presented to the students by representatives of a company where the problem has come up. The problem should already be solved in practice to get criteria for the success of the mathematical model to be built by the students. The existing solution should be known neither to the teachers nor to the students. The paper describes and analyses conditions, determinants, and consequences of an experiment where mathematics students built a model for engine dispatching in a railway system of a steel company.