PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 1)
2013
Denver, Colorado
Computational Thinking in Linear Algebra
Page: 1-54
In this work, we examine students' ways of thinking when presented with a novel linear algebra problem. We have hypothesized that in order to succeed in linear algebra, students must employ and coordinate three modes of thinking, which we call computational, abstract, and geometric. This study examines the solution strategies that undergraduate honors linear algebra students employ to solve the problem, emphasizing the variety of productive and reflective ways in which the computational mode of thinking is used.