Introducing the Improved Heaviside Approach to Partial Fraction Decomposition to Undergraduate Students: Results and Implications from a Pilot Study

Autor/in	Man, Yiu-Kwong
Titel	Introducing the Improved Heaviside Approach to Partial Fraction Decomposition to Undergraduate Students: Results and Implications from a Pilot Study
Quelle	In: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 43 (2012) 7, S.911-922 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0020-739X
DOI	10.1080/0020739X.2012.662292
Schlagwörter	Tests; Algebra; Equations (Mathematics); Foreign Countries; Undergraduate Students; Mathematics Education; Mathematics Instruction; Pilot Projects; Higher Education; Calculus; Feedback (Response); Questionnaires; Interviews; Control Groups; Experimental Groups; Mathematics Teachers; Scores; Hong Kong + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Examination; Prüfung; Examen; Equations; Mathematics; Gleichungslehre; Ausland; Mathematische Bildung; Mathematics lessons; Mathematikunterricht; Pilot project; Modellversuch; Pilotprojekt; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Analysis; Differenzialrechnung; Infinitesimalrechnung; Integralrechnung; Fragebogen; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Teacher; Teachers; Mathematik; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Hongkong
Abstract	Partial fraction decomposition is a useful technique often taught at senior secondary or undergraduate levels to handle integrations, inverse Laplace transforms or linear ordinary differential equations, etc. In recent years, an improved Heaviside's approach to partial fraction decomposition was introduced and developed by the author. An important feature of this approach is that there is no need to solve a system of linear equations or to use differentiations to find the unknown coefficients of the partial fractions. In order to study its potential application in mathematics education at the undergraduate level, a pilot study of tryout at the Hong Kong Institute of Education has been conducted. The data are collected via quizzes, questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. In this article, the results and implications will be discussed. In general, according to the responses and feedbacks from the instructors and students concerned, the improved Heaviside approach is suitable to be introduced at the undergraduate level, as an alternative to the method of undetermined coefficients described in common undergraduate mathematics textbooks. (Contains 15 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10