Modelling undergraduate students’ learning challenges with guidance and counselling: a mathematical approach

A novel mathematical model for undergraduate students learning dynamics was developed and studied. The study highlighted students’ learning challenges such as: repeating, drop-out (withdraw), and students’ residency extension. These students’ learning challenges is restrained via guidance and counselling which was the focus of this study. The study adopted compartmental model approach, where it partitioned students population into four (4) namely: Enrol students , Vulnerable students , Spill over students and Graduating students . The study established the existence of two most substantial steady states namely: deviant-free behaviour and deviant-present behaviour (endemic). In establishing the stability analysis, the deviant-free behaviour steady state is both locally and globally stable using linearization and the Castillo-chavez method respectively. Also, the endemic steady state is both locally and globally stable using Routh-Hurwitz and Lassalles principle method respectively. Hence, the analytic result of the model was established. Thus, exploring the guidance and counselling effectively in tackling undergraduate students learning challenges has been the best strategy and therefore the study recommended that strategy.