The challenges of computer science university education in terms of the students' unsufficent awareness of the value of mathematical knowledge and algorithmic thinking for their professional development are discussed in the paper. It is pointed out that significant cognitive facilities of mathematics as a science and as a powerful tool for explorations are applied insufficiently and too abstractly in university training, which does not allow the students to appreciate its great potential for them as future computer scientists. In this connection, exploration activity in the field of polygonal numbers is offered as a sample of integration of algebra, geometry and computation that brightly demonstrates cognitive power of mathematics and its application to real-life problems. The said exploration activity is based on the investigation of various properties of polygonal numbers along with elaboration of proper didactic and computer tools to make students involved in their own investigations of these numbers' characteristics. In accordance with its goals, the paper highlights author's obtained relations among flat polygonal numbers and explorations of their properties as algebraic systems which makes a theoretical framework for the work. Based on this framework, the proper computer models are developed and necessary didactic support for the students' engagement into computational and algorithmic explorations are elaborated and presented. Finally, there were investigated the benefits of the developed tools for the pre-service IT-specialists in terms of their awareness of math and algorithms value in their future professional activity. The levels of formation of the IT-specialists' awareness of mathematical knowledge value for their future career are determined. The survey and monitoring program were prepared and held which showed the changes in the distribution of the computer science students by the levels of the said awareness. The prospects of further research are outlined in terms of doing the empirical research for the verification of the impact of polygonal numbers explorational activity on the students' motivation to learn mathematics and algorithmization. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.
Author Keywords
Index Keywords
