The results of the modified curriculum for the course "Introduction to Engineering" taught during the preparatory courses at the Universidad Politécnica del Golfo de México are presented. The modification was made to thematic content, the learning outcomes, the distribution of theoretical and practical hours (35% and 65% respectively) and the teaching strategy (using Krulik & Rudnick method and context problems), focusing on competency-based framework. Analysis of data indicates that various objectives were achieved with this reform, which the previous curriculum were not met, such as decreasing failure/dropout rate from 40% to 15%, greater involvement of students in lessons, development of logical-mathematical skills, problems solving through a systematic procedure skills, among other reasoning. This leads us to believe we have made a transition from a declarative knowledge to a functional one.
Results about a mathematical tool, called Generic Rectangle (GR), applied in a preparatory course in order to resolve algebraic problems such as multiplying binomials and factoring quadratics are shown. Such tool was used in the "introduction to engineering" subject at Universidad Politécnica del Golfo de Mexico (UPGM); up to 2014, this subject's failure rate was very high (near 60%) in which traditional teaching method was used. After some curricular changes, including GR tool adopted in class, several objectives such as failure rate decrease (60% to 15%), notably motivation and enhancement increase (Likert's test), and development of logic-mathematics reasoning, among others, could be reached. Results in 2015 indicates that 84% of population solved properly the final exam using GR; but regarding to those who worked with traditional method, just 25% of population obtained satisfactory results (2014); it means that GR is a better tool than traditional teaching method. Likert's test results indicate that students developed a strong positive attitude when they work with GR, however attitude of students who used traditional teaching method were strong negative.
Results of analysis carried out on data of Covid19, in Tabasco State, are presented, from March 2020 to February 2022. The procedure named 7 day´s moving average was applied to smooth the original graph and, in this way, analyze the data more easily. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) was applied to find the frequency that allows us to detect the period (in weeks) of generation of greater Covid19 infections. FFT allows us to determine that for a period of 14n weeks (n=1,3,5,7) there will be a new outbreak. The analysis of data reveals, during the first wave, the week with the highest number of infections was July 7-12 (2751 cases), that is in week 14 ( n=1). FFT indicates that the second wave of infection would be in week 42 with n=3, the maximum was obtained at week 40 (2122 cases). The next prediction (variant Delta) was for week 70 (n=5), where there would be a high number of cases (thrid wave); real data indicates that it was reached in week 73 (7,023 cases). The four-wave (Omicron) is predicted for week 98, however, it was reached in week 94 (12,834 cases). It should be noted that due to the high transmissibility of Omicron, the number of infection grew fast during January 2022, so in this case, the difference between the prediction and the reality, present a difference of four week, however, for week 94 number of cases remains very high (1265 cases). FFT has turned out to be an adequate tool to make predictions of four waves that have occurred in Tabasco.
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