University of Greenwich Journals and Working Papers
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Mathematics Support: One-to-one, one-to-few or one-to-many
No full textMany universities operate mathematics support; recent debate has included e.g. whether support should be face-to-face or online. However, another relevant question is how many students should be involved in a session. Students have mentioned that it would be good to have many students together so that they can see the answers to questions that others have. However, academics may argue that it is necessary to quiz students in order to specify the problem and this may not be appropriate in front of other students and these students may not benefit. This study will look at circumstances where maths support should be carried out on a one-to-one basis and occasions where it is beneficial for further students to be present
Trends in Attendance and Queries in a Single Maths Support Helproom
No full textThe ‘Hub’ at the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Glasgow is a support help room for level 1 and 2 students, staffed by PGT students, PGRs, and course lecturers. Due to large cohort sizes, Glasgow has moved to a ‘team teaching’ model for lower-level courses in which each course has at least two lecturers. Given this, all office hours for level 1 and 2 classes take place within the Hub. Given the size of the pre-honours cohort and the large number of staff members of whom they can ask questions, it is difficult for any one staff member to glean an accurate picture of the areas in which students are struggling. In the current academic year, we asked Hub staffers to record the student number, course code, and question topic for each query asked of them in the Hub. Attendance data were recorded on a printed register by the staffer and later digitised by the investigator. These data were manually aggregated into a database and obvious errors corrected manually. From the details of approximately 1000 student queries, we seek trends on the impact of engagement on final grade, and to identify gaps in students’ knowledge
Investigating mathematics anxiety in out-of-field teachers enrolled in Ireland’s upskilling programme
No full textIn 2009 a national study by Ní Ríordáin and Hannigan revealed that 48% of secondary school mathematics teachers in Ireland were classified as ‘out-of-field’ meaning they were certified in subjects other than mathematics. This alarming statistic led to the creation of a national two-year programme to upskill these teachers to qualified status. Based at the University of Limerick, the Professional Diploma in Mathematics for Teaching (PDMT) is facilitated through centres nationwide. Since its inception in 2012, the PDMT has successfully reduced the percentage of out-of-field mathematics teachers to 25%. Initially the program required teachers to have timetabled hours in mathematics ensuring they had some teaching experience in the subject. Many had studied mathematics in their primary degrees; now the PDMT is available to any secondary school teacher seeking qualification in mathematics resulting in a diverse participant profile with many having no prior mathematics teaching. However, research shows that many university students, including mature students, have debilitating mathematics anxiety; and mathematics anxious teachers risk passing on MA to their students. This study hypothesises that mathematics anxiety affects out-of-field mathematics teachers and proposes interventions to support future PDMT students in reducing mathematics anxiety
Factors affecting first, second and third year undergraduate engineering students’ perception of their mathematics modules.
No full textIt is well documented in the literature that students entering their first year of university struggle with adapting to the new teaching style and environment. This is particularly evident in the literature among students enrolled in STEM courses at university, including those enrolled in engineering courses. One of the primary concerns around students entering engineering courses in university is their level of mathematics and its subsequent effect on their learning. The issues identified in the literature focus on students in their first year of university but this neglects students in later years who may also experience issues. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate, through survey responses, if issues which cause students difficulty are present for students beyond their first year of university. Specifically, we report factors that first, second- and third-year undergraduate engineering students at an Irish university have identified as causing them difficulty when studying mathematics. Moreover, we investigate what, if any, impact these issues may have on students\u27 perception of mathematics and their stress levels due to mathematics
Breaking free: motivating mathematics through escape rooms
No full textEscape rooms provide a unique and engaging way to promote mathematical thinking by embedding problems within a narrative-driven environment. This opinion piece highlights the effectiveness of escape rooms as a pedagogical tool, their ability to foster problem-solving skills, teamwork, and motivation among students. The study details the design principles used to create mathematical escape rooms, incorporating puzzles that require keen observation, logical reasoning and pattern recognition. Practical considerations, such as difficulty scaling and accessibility, are discussed, ensuring these activities cater to a diverse audience. By presenting mathematics in an immersive and interactive format, escape rooms encourage exploration and perseverance, ultimately improving students\u27 confidence in tackling mathematical challenges
Developing a framework for an inclusive learning environment under resource constraints in State Universities in Zimbabwe.
No full textThis qualitative study develops a framework for an inclusive learning environment under resource constraints in state universities in Zimbabwe. The study began by understanding the challenges, critical success factors and strategies lecturers employ to strive for inclusivity. Data were collected through twenty face-to-face interviews. Thematic analysis was employed using NVivo version 14. Study results show that lecturers know the importance of inclusivity and are eager to foster an inclusive learning environment throughout the education value chain, but resource constraints hinder them. Drawing on the analysis of participants’ responses, the study offers a framework that may be applied to foster an inclusive learning environment during resource constraints
Exploring the use of AI in mathematics and statistics assessments
No full textThe mathematical sciences and operational research (MSOR) community in higher education is still largely unprepared to adapt to the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) and its impact on assessment strategies. Whilst in-person exams remain an essential assessment mode for MSOR, take-home assignments are also an integral assessment tool. This work investigates concerns that current assignments are not robust against genAI and the way students use genAI. In this work, we address the following questions: 1) How well can genAI perform in current assignments? 2) To what extent do students currently use AI in take-home assignments? 3) How should assessment strategies evolve given the rapid improvement of genAI? Our research involves an investigation of genAI’s performance in a range of MSOR assignments. We also conducted surveys and discussions with mathematics and statistics students and staff at the University of Warwick. We make recommendation and conclude that genAI represents a catalyst for innovation and assignments, perhaps adapted, should remain a core assessment in MSOR
Student use of large language model artificial intelligence on a history of mathematics module
No full textThis case study assesses experience in autumn 2023 of permitting the use of Large Language Model Artificial Intelligence (AI) in preparing essays on a module in the history of mathematics. As a check on usage and to ensure academic standards, students were required to complete two paragraphs to accompany their essays explaining their use of AI. These generated qualitative and quantitative data on student familiarity with AI, and ability to use it in a thoughtful and ethical manner, which is reported here. Findings were that over 50% of students rejected AI use, and only 9% used it extensively. There was a weak negative correlation between AI use and essay grade, for which student confidence may have been a confounding factor. The most frequent reasons for rejecting AI were ethical, personal (satisfaction and confidence), and the time needed to correct it
Students want more authentic activity and less research-led teaching
No full textThis opinion piece argues that authentic activity which emphasises real-world practices may help to improve the student experience and employability. Through a discussion of five specific strategies used for enhancing authentic activity on a games development degree programme, the author argues that authentic activity may, in some situations, be a more appropriate guiding principle for designing teaching activities than research-led teaching
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