The aim of this work was to identify and characterize the levels of development of derivative schema. In order to do so, a questionnaire to 103 university students with previous instruction in Differential Calculus was applied. The questionnaire was composed of three tasks. For the identification of the levels of development of schema and their subsequent characterization, we consider the framework proposed by the APOS theory. In particular, this framework was operationalized through the establishment of 27 variables that allowed for the breakdown of the resolution protocols from the questionnaire into discrete elements. In this way, we obtained a vector associated with each of these variables. The identification of students assigned to each level of development of schema was carried out by a cluster analysis. Subsequently, we performed a statistical analysis of frequencies and implicative, with the 27 variables, which allowed to characterize the levels of development identified.

The modern dynamic world requires that basic science courses for engineering, including linear algebra, emphasise the development of mathematical abilities primarily associated with modelling and interpreting, which are not exclusively calculus abilities. Considering this, an instructional design was created based on mathematical modelling and emerging heuristic models for the construction of specific linear algebra concepts: span and spanning set. This was applied to first year engineering students. Results suggest that this type of instructional design contributes to the construction of these mathematical concepts and can also improve first year engineering students' understanding of key linear algebra concepts and enhance the development of higher order skills.

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