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Students' perceptions on teaching and learning of integral calculus through e-

Integral Map

Conference Paper · November 2017

DOI: 10.1109/ICONDA.2017.8270390

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 Students’ Perceptions on Teaching and Learning of
Integral Calculus through e-Integral Map
Howe Eng Tang Nor Hazizah Julaihi Li Li Voon Kelvin Goh
Faculty of Computer and Faculty of Computer and Faculty of Computer and Faculty of Computer and
Mathematical Science Mathematical Science Mathematical Science Mathematical Science
Universiti Teknologi MARA Universiti Teknologi MARA Universiti Teknologi MARA Universiti Teknologi MARA
96400 Mukah, Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, 94300 Kota Samarahan,
Malaysia Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
lily@[Link] norhazizah@[Link] llvoon@[Link] kelvin@[Link]

mapping techniques as a novel way of teaching and learning

Integral Calculus for university students. The first evaluation
Abstract— Non-linear learning technique called as mind on the effectiveness of mapping techniques showed positive
mapping has recently emerged in higher education. With the help effects on students’ understanding on calculus [2]. These
of information computer and technology, this study proposes the promising results led to the use of technology for online
use of mind mapping technique in the development of e-Integral
learning, and so various aspects and components of the
Map to assist students to think critically and link information in
Integral Map were refined and revised to develop the
the teaching and learning of integration. This study aims to
evaluate the students’ perceptions on e-Integral Map web-based
electronic version of Integral Map.
instruction by using a survey, to the selected Diploma of The system development of e-Integral Map was fully
Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering respondents supported by Sarawak Information System Sdn Bhd (SAINS).
from UiTM Sarawak Campus. All respondents had used The current e-Integral Map version 1.0 has been completed
e-Integral Map in their study and had applied it through Integral and can be accessed via intranet by activated users in
Calculus courses. All the respondents completed the online Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak campuses at the
survey form and submitted their feedback online. From the
following address: [Link]
survey results, it was shown that all three aspects in web-based
contents: the content, the instructional and the technical of
e-Integral Map, were satisfactory. Majority of the respondents III. THEORETICAL REVIEW
were positive on the use of e-Integral Map in assisting them to The e-Integral Map software is based on the psychology
learn and solve Integral Calculus problems. In addition, the
theory of meaningful learning by David Ausubel [3,4]. In this
findings showed that the students’ first experience on learning
technology and information era where students are exposed to
Integral Calculus with this technique provides the reason for
such technique to be used in other topics of calculus education.
electronic gadgets and the internet, the traditional method of
textbook learning is no longer attracting the young techno-
minds. Textbook learning tends to produce rote learning,
Keywords— e-Integral Map; Integral Calculus; integration which is learning by repeating until remember, with minimal
techniques; survey design; teaching and learning or no assimilation of new knowledge, uncreative and boring.
Further, meaningful learning creates opportunity for creation
I. INTRODUCTION of new knowledge and ideas, in addition to what a learner has
already known hence, adding cognitive values to the learner.
As in recent years, several teaching and learning strategies Therefore, e-Integral Map system aims to complement and
had begun to develop at university level with the help of enhance students’ structural knowledge in the subject matter,
information computer and technology. One of the strategies targeting meaningful learning.
that has recently emerged in higher education is the mind
mapping learning technique [1]. In this paper, a system was To support meaningful learning in the context mentioned
developed and supported by Sarawak Information System Sdn above, the content of e-Integral Map is designed to be
Bhd (SAINS) which consists of ideas on mind mapping for conceptually sound with understandable language and relevant
techniques used in integration. It is believed that this may be a examples. Concept mapping is used to achieve the goal of
beneficial strategy to assist students to critically think and link structured organized learning and long-term memory learning
information for the development of best strategies to solve [5,6]. There are three important features for concept maps,
problems related with integration in Calculus topics. namely, hierarchical structure, cross-links and specific
examples [6]. Drawings of concept maps produce visual
effects that help learners remember ideas and facts better,
especially when other elements, such as icons, graphs, colors
II. THE PROJECT “E-INTEGRAL MAP” and sounds are included.
The contents and components of e-Integral Map were The conceptual framework of mathematical competencies
adequately authored with an initial aim of introducing from the Danish KOM Project outlines eight competencies to

978-1-5386-0765-7/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE

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reform mathematics education from school to university, concepts and propositions into meaningful ‘wholes’. The
namely, thinking mathematically, posing and solving blending of hierarchical and layered methods as the two
mathematical problems, modeling mathematically, reasoning unique formats provides users with the opportunity to make
mathematically, representing mathematical entities, handling decisions in problem solving as they are led to experience
mathematical symbols and formalisms, communicating in, varying levels of difficulty in content. Visual effects were also
with, and about mathematics, as well as using aids and tools utilized to enhance learning and understanding. Besides
[7]. To achieve all these competency attributes is a daunting providing a rich learning experience and reinforcement, it is
task, but nevertheless a good model. Hence two competencies able to cater to different levels of ability for different users,
are employed in the development of e-Integral Map, namely, which eventually encourages independence in learning. The
thinking mathematically and solving mathematical problems. design and inspiration of e-Integral Map were based on the
Abilities to ask questions, scope a concept, discern conditional idea of concept maps, which was first developed by Novak in
statements and solve problems in several methods are the 1980s.
important attributes to these two competencies that were
modeled after in developing the system. Figure 1 shows the main page for the e-Integral system.
The information on the page, such as Introduction,
IV. METHODOLOGY Achievement and About Project, can be viewed by the public.
Through the main page, new users can register their account
Below we aim at providing detailed description and while activated users can login to the system.
analysis of this study. This study employed a survey design in
which randomly selected samples of engineering respondents
were asked to respond to the online survey form. In this study,
a quantitative strategy of online survey form was used to
obtain the data. The online survey form gave key information
about the overall views of the respondents concerning the
usage of e-Integral Map.
Simple random sampling technique was used to select the
students for this study. Selections of respondents were based
on random number table. The final respondents yielded 45
students. The online survey form had been answered by 45
students from both Diploma of Chemical Engineering and
Electrical Engineering students in a public university in
Sarawak, Malaysia. All respondents had used e-Integral Map
in their study and had applied it through few Integral Calculus
courses. The respondents in our study were given twenty
minutes to answer the online survey form with regard to their
feedback on the usage of e-Integral Map. All the respondents
completed the online survey form and submitted their
feedback online.
Fig. 1. The main page of the e-Integral Map
The online survey form was taken and adapted from [8].
The online survey form is divided into four sections. Section Table I shows an overview of content provided in the
A requires the demographic profiles of the respondents. The e-Integral Map. The system consists of 10 main menus, such
demographic profiles also enlist the respondents’ gender, age, as Home, Resources, Bridging, e-Integral Map, Tutorial,
race, the parts enrolled, programmes of studies, the course Feedback & Questionnaire, Help, Demo, My Profile and
codes taken, their groups and CGPA (cumulative grade point About e-Integral. Users can freely explore the e-Integral Map
average). On the other hand, Section B seeks to obtain the as it provides a user-friendly environment.
respondents’ evaluation on the use of e-Integral Map. Section
B is further divided into content, instructional and technical The main map of the e-Integral Map is known as the
aspects. Section C asks the respondents to give their feedback Bridging Map. This map is extremely useful to users in
on the strengths, weaknesses of e-Integral Map, and also other exploring the integration problems. It assists users to identify
comments in order to obtain the respondents’ opinions on the the most suitable map(s) for the relevant integration
e-Integral Map. Section D requires the respondents to tick on techniques, and hence helps in disseminating the bridging
their recommendation for e-Integral Map. conceptual knowledge for the procedural learning (Figure 2).
There are three categories for the Bridging Map, namely, Type
V. E-INTEGRAL MAP 1, Type 2 and Type 3. Bridging Map Type 1 caters for
³ p( x) dx , Bridging Map Type 2 caters for ³ p( x) q( x) dx and
q( x)
e-Integral Map is an electronic learning tool that allows
learners to acquire, through interactive means, knowledge on p ( x)
Integral Calculus. e-Integral Map is critically constructed in Bridging Map Type 3 caters for ³ q( x) dx. Through the
such a way that allows learners to learn integration techniques
from a ‘big picture’ through the connection of concepts, sub- Bridging Map, users can choose to explore any of the maps

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suggested by the system. The specific map of u-Substitution is
shown in Figure 3.

TABLE I. THE CONTENTS OF E-INTEGRAL MAP

Icon Description
Home Consists of latest announcements

Resources Consists of the following icons:

Calculus Atlas A list of the main topics in Calculus.
Prior Knowledge Some notes on Prior Knowledge.
Future Knowledge Some notes on Future Knowledge.
List of Formulas A list of relevant Integral Formulas.
Map Guide Guidelines in using each map.
Bridging Consists of 3 types of Integral Form

Consists of the following sets of e-Integral

Map:
Standard Integral
Fig. 2. The Bridging Map
u-Substitution

e-Integral Map Integration by Parts

Trigonometric Susbstitution
Partial Fractions
Product of Two Trigonometric Functions
Rational Function of sin x and cos x
Tutorial Consists of a few sets of Reinforcement
Exercises
Feedback & A platform for users to give some feedback
Questionnaire and comments
Help Consists of the following icons:
FAQ Some posts on Frequently Asked Questions.
Glossary A list of all important Mathematics terms used
in the maps.
Demo A video that briefly explains how to use the
system.
My Profile Shows personal details of users

About e-Integral Consists of the following icons:

Introduction A brief introduction to e-Integral Map.
Achievement A list of related research, awards, publications
and conferences.
About Project Shows information on the project.
Contact Us Shows email address of Contact Person.

Fig. 3. The key layer in u-Substitution Map

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 As for the accessibility of e-Integral Map, the development
of e-Integral Map was fully supported by Sarawak Information
System Sdn Bhd (SAINS). e-Integral Map version 1.0 has
been completed and can be accessed via intranet by activated
users in UiTM Sarawak Campus 1, Campus 2 and Mukah
Campus at the following address:
[Link]

Fig. 5. Other resources in the e-Integral Map

VI. STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON E-INTEGRAL MAP

Fig. 4. The sub-layer in u-Substitution Map This section reports the findings on overall perceived
views from the respondents after using the e-Integral Map.
The u-Substitution map has 2 layers (refer Figure 4). If More precisely, it discusses the respondents’ views on the
users need more information on the example of integral, system and the survey findings associated with the strengths
explanations on the process or the solution to the given and weaknesses of the e-Integral Map.
examples, they can just click on the ‘show button’ appeared
on the right. A questionnaire (refer to Appendix) was answered by 45
students from both Diploma of Chemical Engineering (EH110)
The e-Integral Map also consists of some notes on Prior and Electrical Engineering (EE111) to gather their opinions on
Knowledge that is useful for specific reference when using the the usage of e-Integral Map. Table II shows the respondents’
maps; at the same time, more potential ideas for Future profiles according to program of study and gender. The total
Learning can be explored together with Calculus Atlas, List of respondents consisted of 20 female and 25 male students. Out
Formulas and Map Guide (refer Figure 5). of these female students, 3 were selected from EE111 and 17

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from EH110. Meanwhile, 9 male respondents were selected Table VII shows the descriptive statistics on the above 23
from EE111 and remaining 16 from EH110. items by sub-sections. The mode value of 4 for all the sub-
sections indicated that the respondents were predominantly
satisfied with the content, intructional, as well as the technical
TABLE II. RESPONDENTS’ PROFILE BASED ON PROGRAM OF STUDY
AND GENDER
aspect of e-Integral Map. The overall mean of 3.89 from a
likert scale of 5 showed that all three aspects were
Program EE111 EH110 Total satisfactory.
Female 3 17 20
Gender
Male 9 16 25 TABLE VII. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS ON THE 23 ITEMS BY
SUB-SECTIONS
Total 12 33 45
Sub-Section Mode Mean Median
Majority of the respondents’ age ranged from 18 to 20 Content 4 3.90 .53
years old (Table III) and their CGPA scores ranged from 1.99 Instructional 4 3.89 .44
to 3.70 with the average CGPA of 2.77 (refer Table IV).
Technical 4 3.90 .43

TABLE III. RESPONDENTS’ PROFILE BASED ON AGE AND GENDER

Further analysis on the open-ended questions indicated that
Age 18 19 20 21 23 Total the respondents claimed that e-Integral Map was easy to
Female 7 9 4 0 0 20 understand, good, helpful/useful and easy to use (refer Figure
Gender 6).
Male 3 8 12 1 1 25

Total 10 17 16 1 1 45

TABLE IV. RESPONDENTS’ PROFILE BASED ON CURRENT SEMESTER

AND CGPA
Number of respondent

Below 2- 2.50- 3- 3.50-

Current CGPA Total
2 2.49 2.99 3.49 4
Part 3 0 9 15 12 3 39
Current
Part 4 1 1 1 0 0 3
Semester
Part 6 0 3 0 0 0 3

Total 1 13 16 12 3 45

Reliability Statistics as stated in Table V show that

Cronbach’s Alpha value was 0.92, which suggests very good Fig. 6. The strengths of e-Integral Map
internal consistency reliability for the scales in the
questionnaire. There were a total of 23 items in this However, the respondents also commented that e-Integral
questionnaire, in which 6 items evaluated the content aspect, Map was a little confusing and the examples given were not
10 items evaluated the instructional aspect, and 7 items sufficient. This was in line with [9] view that confusion was
evaluated the technical aspect (refer Table VI). one of the constraints for both mind and concept mappings.
Intranet access was also claimed as one of the weaknesses as
TABLE V. RELIABILITY STATISTICS FOR THE SCALES IN THE the respondents couldn’t access the e-Integral Map offline and
QUESTIONNAIRE it was only accessible via intranet by activated users within
UiTM Sarawak campuses.
Cronbach’s Cronbach’s Alpha based N of
Alpha on Standardized Items Items
Nevertheless, majority of the respondents actually
.917 .920 23 provided positive feedback on their usage of e-Integral Map.
Below are a few examples of encouraging comments made by
TABLE VI. THE NUMBER OF ITEMS FOR EACH SUB-SECTION IN THE the respondents on the sentiment “useful, helpful and easy to
QUESTIONNAIRE understand”:
Sub-Section Item “It is very easy to use and very convenient for students
Content 1,2,3,4,5,6 when they are doing their exercises.”
Instructional 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 “It show us more detailed formula, and the formula which
Technical 17,18,19,20,21,22,23 are shown, are better.”
“It really helps students to find suitable techniques to use.”

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 TABLE VIII. RESPONDENTS’ RECOMMENDATIONS ON respondents would highly recommend e-Integral Map. This
E-INTEGRAL MAP clearly showed that majority of the respondents were positive
Comment Female Male Percentag on the use of e-Integral Map in assisting them to learn and
e (%) solve Integral Calculus problems. These findings showed that
I highly recommend this e-Integral 12 13 55.56 the students’ first experience on learning Integral Calculus with
Map. a new technique provides the reason for such methodology to
I would use and recommend this e- 5 10 33.33 be used in other topics of calculus education. Nevertheless, one
Integral Map with little or no
important limitation of this project must be considered; that is
change.
I would use and recommend this e- 3 the capacity of system server to accommodate the users in
2 11.11
Integral Map only if certain changes three campuses since network speed can affect students’
were made. motivation to engage in online e-learning. For future research
I would not use and recommend this 0 0 0 work, studies looking into the influence of e-Integral Map in
e-Integral Map. students’ achievements or students’ attitudes towards visual
learning technique and its influence on mathematics education
Table VIII shows the respondents’ recommendations on e- classrooms can be scrutinized.
Integral Map. The results indicated that 55.56% of the
respondents would highly recommend e-Integral Map, 33.33% REFERENCES
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whilst 11.11% would recommend the maps only if certain learning.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. Vol. 206, pp.215-
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clearly showed that the respondents were very positive on the of mapping techniques in Integral Calculus.” Asian Journal of
use of e-Integral Map in assisting them to learn and solve University Education, vol. 9, no.1, pp.23-56. 2013.
Integral Calculus problems. [3] D. P. Ausubel, The psychology of meaningful verbal learning. New York:
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[4] D. P. Ausubel, J. D. Novak, and H. Hanesian. Educational psychology: A
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[5] J. D..Novak, “Concept maps and vee diagrams: Two metacognitive tools
This study reports the contents and components of e- for science and mathematics education,” Instructional Science, vol.19,
Integral Map, an electronic learning tool in assisting students pp.29-52. 1990.
to acquire knowledge on Integral Calculus. In addition, this [6] J. D. Novak, and A. J. Cañas, “The theory underlying concept maps and
study explores the overall views of the students concerning the how to construct and use them,” Technical Report IHMC CmapTools,
usage of e-Integral Map. The e-Integral Map system consists Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, 2008.
[7] M. Niss, Mathematical competencies and the learning of mathematics.
of 10 main menus, such as Home, Resources, Bridging, e- 2003.
Integral Map, Tutorial, Feedback & Questionnaire, Help, [Link]
Demo, My Profile and About e-Integral. The students can competencies_and_the_Learning_of_Mathematics.pdf.
freely explore the e-Integral Map as it provides a user-friendly [8] MicroSIFT, Evaluator’s guide for microcomputer-based instructional
environment to them. packages. Oregon: International Council for Computers in Education,
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A questionnaire was answered by 45 students; 25 males [9] A. Brinkmann, “Graphical knowledge display – Mind-mapping and
and 20 females, from both Diploma of Chemical Engineering concept mapping as efficient tools in mathematics education,”
Mathematics Education Review, vol. 16, pp.35-48. 2003.
(EH110) and Electrical Engineering (EE111) to gather their
opinions on the usage of e-Integral Map. Reliability Analysis
showed that Cronbach’s Alpha value was 0.92, which suggests APPENDIX
very good internal consistency reliability for the scales in the
questionnaire. With regard to the students’ opinions on the
usage of e-Integral Map, the overall mean of 3.89 from a likert
scale of 5 showed that all three aspects, i.e. the content, the
instructional and the technical of e-Integral Map, were
satisfactory. Majority of the students also claimed that e-
Integral Map was easy to understand, good, helpful/useful and
easy to use. The students in this study were exposed the first
time to content materials in the format of concept mapping,
and one cannot expect them to be familiar to the instructional
materials presented in this technical way.
With regard to the respondents’ recommendations on e-
Integral Map, the result indicated that 55.56% of the

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