Research exploring undergraduates’ tool preferences in tertiary mathematics is currently limited. In this paper, we explore the tools mathematics and engineering students use when studying mathematics and the ways undergraduates combine these tools. Results from our survey (N = 628) showed that students in our sample use mostly their notes, the university’s virtual learning environment (VLE), other students and textbooks. Mathematics students were found using more online encyclopaedias, the university’s VLE, instant messaging and other students, whereas engineering students reported using more textbooks. By performing a cluster analysis, undergraduates were assigned to five distinct tool-use profiles: the peer-learning group (above average use of other students, instant messaging apps and social media); the online-learning group (above average use of online videos, online encyclopaedias, Wolfram Alpha and the university’s VLE); the blended-learning group (above average use of all the tools at their disposal); the no-users group (below average use of all tools except textbooks); and the selective-learning group (above average use of textbooks, online videos and lecturers). The majority of mathematics students were distributed across the peer-learning, online-learning and blended-learning groups, whereas most of the engineering students were found in the blended-learning, no-users and selective-learning groups.

探索本科生在高等数学中的工具偏好的研究目前是有限的。在本文中，我们探讨了数学和工程专业学生在学习数学时使用的工具以及本科生如何结合这些工具。我们的调查结果 ( N = 628) 表明我们样本中的学生主要使用他们的笔记、大学的虚拟学习环境 (VLE)、其他学生和教科书。发现数学学生使用更多的在线百科全书、大学的 VLE、即时消息和其他学生，而工程学生报告使用更多的教科书。通过进行聚类分析，本科生被分配到五个不同的工具使用配置文件：同伴学习组（其他学生、即时消息应用程序和社交媒体的平均使用率）；在线学习组（在线视频、在线百科全书、Wolfram Alpha 和大学 VLE 的平均使用率以上）；混合学习组（高于平均水平使用所有可用的工具）；无用户组（除教科书外，所有工具的使用率均低于平均水平）；和选择性学习组（课本、在线视频和讲师的平均使用率）。大多数数学学生分布在同伴学习、在线学习和混合学习组中，而大多数工科学生则分布​​在混合学习、无用户和选择性学习组中。