Which pathway towards mathematics’ assessment in engineering education?

Abstract

In Portuguese engineering education it is frequent to come across teachers expressing that the student-centered approach doesn’t work out after changing their assessment method to include more evaluation elements in one academic year in which the success rate remains the same. This paper intends to show how the implementation of a suitable assessment method, constructively aligned with the learning outcomes and the learning activities of the course unit, represents a step to foster the change from the teacher-centered approach to the student-centered approach, improving the students’ academic performance. This changeover is particularly relevant for teachers of cross-cutting scientific areas of technology or engineering degrees like mathematics who present passive resistance to this change.