How to motivate Agricultural Engineering students towards the mathematical modeling of professional problems?

Abstract

Mathematical modeling of problems plays an important role in the training of engineers; This creates in students the capabilities and skills necessary to solve possible practical problems. The objective of this work is to propose a didactic methodology to motivate engineering students towards mathematical modeling, via differential equations, of professional problems. Taking into account the possibilities offered by work practice in the observation of parameter variation phenomena linked to their profession, teaching resources were used such as the design of a worksheet with the objective of determining a professional problem and the holding of workshops for the mathematical modeling of the determined professional problem. The proposed methodology also allowed us to reduce the gap between basic mathematical skills and mathematical modeling skills, via differential equations