Supporting Transatlantic Solution Processes for Real Problems Faced by Companies: An Insight Into MINT‐Pro 2 Digi and MINTco@NRW/Authentic‐STEM

ABSTRACT As part of the MINTco@NRW/Authentic‐STEM collaboration project between the University of Siegen and the University of Cologne, students aged 14–18 years had the opportunity to work on real mathematics problems containing business problems in the fields of production, logistics, business, or software development over a period of 3–4 months as part of their regular mathematics or science classes. The project work is carried out in internationally diverse Solver Teams that meet weekly via a digital collaboration platform to arrive at a joint solution. This article presents research findings from various fields of mathematics education. Implementing the project involves several challenges, primarily stemming from the complexity of the applications and the collaboration structure, the demands placed on the accompanying teachers, and the need to align with standard classroom formats. The focus here is particularly on the potential of real businesses' problems to stimulate diverse mathematical activities and interdisciplinary engagement. Through this latter aspect in particular, the project can help make meaningful applications of mathematics experiential and provide learners and teachers with the opportunity to actively engage with such real applications.