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Due to an increased use of technology, engineers’ workplace practices have changed. So-called Techno-mathematical Literacies (TmL) are necessary skills for current and future engineers. This dissertation describes four studies that investigate how to develop these skills in first-year higher technical professional education (HBO).

Firstly, seven TmL frequently used by engineers, such as data literacy and sense of number, have been identified in an interview study with fourteen engineers of different technical domains. Secondly, with these TmL as central learning goals, an innovative course in applied mathematics was designed and four categories of teaching strategies to stimulate TmL learning were observed. The course was implemented in the School of Life Sciences and Environmental Technology at Avans ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. In a period of three academic years, eleven lecturers taught the new course to over 1400 students.

Third, in an interview study, participating lecturers reported challenges in teaching the new course, in particular related to their changing role. In the fourth study, an instrument was designed to measure TmL. The results showed a positive effect on students’ development of some of the TmL, for example sense of error and technical software skills.

Altogether, the PhD study yielded theoretical knowledge about the nature of TmL, practical knowledge on the implementation of TmL in education, and a course in applied mathematics that is adjustable for all technical domains.