E-learning in secondary–tertiary transition in mathematics: for what purpose?

Mathematics is a challenging subject for many science freshmen, and failing mathematics exams is a major factor in university dropout rates. Many factors, including metacognitive, affective and linguistic ones, play a role in students’ difficulties in mathematics. Starting from this perspective, we conducted a theoretical exploration of the potential of online environments in helping students counteract the mathematical difficulties they face in the transition from secondary school to university. Although this secondary–tertiary transition and the use of technology are both widely researched issues in mathematics education, the potential of technology in helping students in the “rite of passage” to tertiary education has not yet been researched. This paper reports on the developed theoretical framework and on the preliminary findings from the implementation of an e-learning course that we designed with the aim of supporting students in the critical phase of transition from secondary school to university.