Abstract

There has been an increasing level of interest in the use of Computer Algebra Systems in the teaching of undergraduate mathematics courses. To a large extent the spread of use of CAS as teaching aids is based on the assumption that they generate an adequate learning environment in which students could examine their own constructions and understandings about mathematical concepts they have been exposed to during lectures and tutorials. While such a view concerning the role of CAS in students' understanding of higher mathematics is gaining currency within the mathematics education community, there exists little empirical data to support this position.

The present study was undertaken with the aim of generating data relevant to the above issue by analysing undergraduate students' understandings of concepts and procedures in the area of linear algebra. Analyses of the quality of knowledge activated and used by a group of students while they attempted to solve a series of problems with the help of MAPLE suggest that a) students understandings lack depth in representation and b) students, in the main, do not fully exploit the MAPLE environment in order to develop higher levels of understandings or display their current understandings in more ways than one. Implications of this study for the independent use of MAPLE by students as a learning tool and further research are discussed.