Efficiency of blended learning of calculus content during the Covid19 crisis

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present the analysis of the students’ achievements in learning calculus in a dynamic software environment during the Covid19 crisis. Two groups of students, the experimental and the control one, were monitored. Blended learning was applied to the students in the experimental group, with the help of Microsoft Teams and dynamic software GeoGebra, in autumn 2020. All students in the control group learned in the classroom without using GeoGebra in 2019. The comparison between these two groups of first-year students, regarding their calculus test results, is described in this paper. It is interesting that the results of the experimental group were significantly better than the results of students in the control group, despite the fact that the students from the experimental group learned during the Covid19 crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Area
• calculus
• constructivism
• definite integral
• mathematics

Acknowledgments

The authors express their gratitude to the referees, whose valuable remarks and comments immensely helped in creating the final version of the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Slađana Mitrović

Slađana Mitrović is a PhD student at Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad. She is a senior teaching assistant at University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Education, Bijeljina. Her research primarily includes teaching methodology and mathematics education.

Radoslav Božić

Radoslav Božić is a mathematics teacher at Gymnasium “Svetozar Marković”, Novi Sad and research associate at Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad.

Đurđica Takači

Đurđica Takači is a Professor at Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad. Her research includes mathematics education.