DIGITAL TEACHING ACTIVITIES FOR ENHANCING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS IN MATHEMATICS: AN NGT STUDY

Source abstract

Developing problem-solving skills among university students is a key objective of university mathematics education. With the widespread application of digital technology in higher education, digital teaching has become an important pathway to promote reform in university mathematics teaching. However, the application of digital technology in current university mathematics teaching still lacks systematic guidance for teaching activities, particularly in promoting students’ problem-solving skills, where a clear activity system has not yet been formed. Therefore, identifying and selecting digital teaching activities that can effectively enhance university students’ problem-solving skills is of great significance. This study aims to identify and select digital teaching activities suitable for university mathematics teaching that can promote students’ problem-solving skills. The study employed the Nominal Group Technique (NGT), reaching consensus through procedures such as independent expert reflection, group discussion, and scoring. The results show that 22 digital teaching activities were ultimately identified. These activities cover the entire process of university mathematics teaching, including three stages: pre-class preparation, in-class learning, and post-class consolidation. Pre-class activities focus on learning preparation and diagnosis; in-class activities emphasize knowledge construction, interactive communication, and problem exploration; and post-class activities focus on assignment evaluation, learning reflection, and personalized support. The identified digital teaching activities constitute a structured teaching activity system, providing operable guidance for university mathematics teachers to design and implement digital teaching practices aimed at improving students’ problem-solving skills.