Perspectives for mathematics education in higher education from research on modeling in differential equations teaching.

Abstract

The present article introduces perspectives for investigating Mathematics Education in Higher Education based on qualitative research that analyzed the potential contributions of Mathematical Modeling assignments about population growth for Differential Equations learning. Participants were students in the Mathematics Degree program at a private university in the interior of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, enrolled in a Differential Equations course taught remotely because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Based on the results, the Modeling assignments contributed to re- signifying concepts and applications of Ordinary Differential Equations

and developing a critical perspective among future Mathematics teachers, mainly about issues such as citizenship, social inequality, and the social role of Mathematics itself. We aimed at seeking future perspectives for investigations about Mathematics Education in Higher Education based on the aforementioned contributions.