Research Areas

Students' understanding of evidence

Especially at the beginning of their studies, students read many proofs, e.g. in their lectures or in textbooks. Many students make little use of the potential that these proofs have for understanding maths. Possible reasons for this are that students do not know exactly what understanding a proof involves or that they lack possible strategies to fully understand a proof. One aim of this working group is therefore to analyse students' understanding of proofs in more detail and to develop possible measures to promote understanding of proofs.

Utility convictions regarding mathematical topics

"What will I need this for later?" is a question that is frequently asked by both pupils and students in relation to mathematical topics. Making it clear to learners what the specific mathematical content can be used for could increase their motivation to learn and possibly also their performance. The questions of how utility convictions can be expedited and what effects they can have are therefore addressed.

Teaching Innovations

University teaching has only been increasingly analysed empirically in recent decades. The increasing number of ideas that have emerged in recent years that could fundamentally change teaching at universities in the field of mathematics have not yet been sufficiently analysed for their effectiveness. The pandemic-related online events have also contributed to concepts such as flipped classrooms being tried out and further developed. Analysing the effectiveness of such concepts and developing them further is one of the aims of this working group.