Secret Code: A STEAM Project to Teach Mathematics in Higher Education

STEAM teaching is based on experimentation and the insertion of new technologies, cultivating students' investigation, dialogue, and critical thinking. This methodology allows to respond to contemporary challenges, through the promotion of transdisciplinary, associated with the resolution of real problems. The skills linked to the integrated scientific approach: Science, Technology, Engineering, [Art] and Mathematics (STEAM), are very important in integrating more active learning with a better understanding of scientific content. This work describes and analyses the use of a pedagogical practice using the active STEAM methodology, in a classroom context, in which students are the protagonists of their own learning. In this learning process, students develop self-confidence, self-esteem, and autonomy to learn. In December 2023, 16 and 21 students from the degrees in Electromechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, respectively, for 4 hours, were invited to develop an activity entitled “Use matrices to encode and decode secret messages”, prepare a report and answer to two questionnaires (pre and post activity involvement). As a result of the analysis (direct observation and questionnaires application) it was found that learning mathematics, mediated by digital technologies, allows the development of content in an effective and agile way for students. The increase in problem-solving capacity was evident in all observations, followed by the interaction capacity that the use of active methodologies provides. The positive factors such as motivation, learning and development of soft and hard skills of the students involved allowed us to realize that an integrated or interdisciplinary curriculum, as a pedagogical strategy like this, prioritizes the quality of teaching.