Demonstrating the relevance of mathematics to first year students in engineering courses: what are the critical elements for a successful project?

First year engineering students often feel disappointed with the first year mathematics content as they expect to learn entirely about engineering design from the beginning of their studies. Moreover, mathematics is usually taught out of context, as emphasis is on learning the mathematical basics including logical thinking and reasoning skills. Since they did not sign up for a mathematics degree, students often fail to see the connections between the underlying mathematics and science units, and the skills they need to develop by graduation from an engineering degree. This lack of awareness of the relevance of mathematics content taught early in the degree may lead to students' disengagement with their mathematical studies.