Professors of Mathematics meet at SEFI seminar in Coimbra

26-29 June 2018 – ISEC – Institute of Engineering in Coimbra, Portugal. About 70 participants from 15 European countries participated at the bi-annual 19th SEFI-MWG European Seminar on Mathematics in Engineering Education organised for maths teachers at the technical universities and colleges in Europe.

The main topics of the seminar were the following:
• Putting the concept of mathematical competencies into practice
• Issues with, and good practice in, motivating students
• Assessing mathematical competencies and understanding.

The programme of the seminar was composed from keynote plenary lectures by invited speakers:
Edwige Godlewski – UPMC Paris, France
Jaime Carvalho e Silva – University of Coimbra, Portugal
Morten Brekke – Agder University, Norway

and about 40 short applied presentations and posters by mathematics educators.

Some of the most challenging parts of the programme were organised and spontaneous discussions among participants about the most challenging issues – mathematical competencies, how to teach engineering students so that they will develop them and how to assess them. Participants shared their good experience and practise, came to many new ideas and found colleagues to plan new projects and future cooperation.

This regular event organized under the umbrella of SEFI was again a very successful meeting of focused experts. We would like to thank the local organizers from ISEC, who also prepared a very interesting social programme – visit to the Science Museum and historical buildings of Coimbra University, which is one of the oldest universities in Europe.

Proceedings of the 19^th SEFI MWG Seminar will be available at the working group webpage.

Daniela Velichová, SEFI MWG chair