This article overviews difficulties and challenges faced by mathematics professors and students at the Riga Technical University due to the necessity of enforced and immediate transition from the classroom to distance learning. It also contains research focused on finding an optimal way of teaching mathematics when only distance education is available. The research is based on surveys completed by students and mathematics professors about the experience gained during the spring and autumn semesters of 2020. The methods found through the research can be applied in teaching related subjects such as natural sciences and engineering.

Abstract-The analysis of the scientific literature available on the types of general competences and their classification caused the authors to conclude that it is necessary to implement interdisciplinary approach in engineering education to develop competences necessary for engineers to make them competitive in the labour market. The attention should be paid to a professional foreign language, computer literacy and educational psychology recommendations. To improve professional foreign language skills, CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) method should be integrated in the study process of engineering education. In order to develop information literacy competence, it is important to create a single e-study environment. The academic staff, developing study subjects for engineering programmes, should focus on the study content and study methods. As regards the content, the compromise should be sought between fundamental acquisition of the knowledge of the subject matter, the know-how of the application of this knowledge as well as the use of brand new software in the calculations. The paper presents the examples of the application of the interdisciplinary approach in the universities, where the authors of the paper are affiliated: the LUA (Latvia University of Agriculture) and the RTU (Riga Technical University), respectively.

No abstract

No abstract

Abstract. Questions about the quality improvement of the school system are topical at the moment. Universities must be prepared to offer the young person an education that prepares him/her to be competitive in these new work conditions, which is why the main goal of the university in this changing time is development of the of mental skills, cognitive research attitudes and IT skills. That is why mathematics study programmes and didactics must be improved, based on IT, creating more modern learning materials based on modern technologies and offering access to them via the Internet. During the period 2005 to 2014, students from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technologies, parallel to the regular teaching of mathematics, were taught a program package MATHEMATICA. In the last two years it was changed to a program package MATLAB. For two semesters the first course students have had laboratory work at computers, where students are acquiring the ability to solve tasks that are similar to those in their practical work with the help of a mathematical program. This year's first course students were questioned about MATLAB classes. 172 students took part in a survey, and the majority of them believe that MATLAB classes are useful and necessary for students and that they help them understand mathematical algorithms to solve tasks.