A marker of success for students in a curriculum of engineering is their performance in the first-year transition. Associated with the CDIO reform in the Faculty of Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ), strategies focused on supporting students in this transition have been defined. One of these strategies aims to develop mathematical thinking and strengthen students' skills for solving problems through a workshop parallel to the first-year math course. The workshop seeks for students to establish a model of learning mathematics focused on reinforcing basic concepts (numerical, algebraic and variational), building up self-efficacy, developing metacognitive skills, and mathematical abstract thinking. Therefore, this strategy has implied challenges in training and following-up faculty. Results confirm that students recognize the importance of developing mathematical skills for their learning process in engineering. Additionally, the perception of professors supports the hypothesis that students need to reinforce previous concepts from school and develop problem-solving skills to achieve engineering design projects. The workshop has allowed a better adaptation of first-year students to their academic process at university.
