Thirty-Second International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Mathematics is a universal language and it plays a fundamental role in the world of computer science and computer information systems. The previous study examined the relationship between freshmen CIS students’ proficiency in basic college mathematics and their ability to learn programming skills. In recent years, the Department of Computer Information Systems (CIS) professors at Buffalo State noticed that many CIS undergraduate students are deficient in the basic math skills which affect their learning outcomes of the learning programming languages. Since the fall 2022 semester, a new pilot course—called ‘CIS 189—Math Concepts & Skills for CIS Professionals’—was introduced to help freshman CIS students learn and apply important mathematical concepts that they might encounter in their future CIS careers. This case study discusses some of the pedagogies that the professors are attempting to help increase the students’ learning interest in mathematics and therefore to enhance their learning outcomes in mathematics. In this study, two approaches are reported among many other classroom applications: One of them is the constructivist learning approach and the other is the technology-assisted learning using ALEKS platform. The students in the course CIS 189 came from different countries and their education backgrounds in mathematics varied and their mathematics levels are different. The pedagogies are designed to meet students’ different learning needs and styles in mathematics.