The False Promises of Application-Driven Learning: Mathematical Thinking in Today’s Rapidly Evolving Technology Landscape

Undergraduate curricula in informatics programs typically include several courses in mathematics. In my time teaching mathematics in IST, I have noticed continual and increasing calls from colleagues and administrators to prove to students the relevance of these courses through application-driven lesson plans and preferential treatment of topics with well-understood connection to today’s technologies. This chapter offers a counterpoint to these calls. I suggest that the treatment of foundational mathematical concepts as a means to well-defined and highly circumscribed ends perpetuates math anxiety and undermines flexibility of mathematical reasoning critical to highly dynamic IST careers. The examples I provide center around a course on discrete mathematics. However, the message is general.