Mathematics Education resources
Research Papers (7)
A Report on the Feasibility of Mobile Devices for Mathematics Learning in Higher Education (sigma)
This sigma CETL report by Chengliang Hu presents an investigation into the educational potential of mobile devices in
supporting mathematics teaching and learning. (2007) The zip file contains the full report and all appendices.
Achievement and behaviour in undergraduate mathematics: personality is a better predictor than gender
Alcock, L., Attridge, N., Kenny, S., & Inglis, M. (2014). Achievement and behaviour in undergraduate
mathematics: personality is a better predictor than gender. Research in Mathematics Education,
16 (1), 1-17. DOI:10.1080/14794802.2013.874094.
We investigated two factors that predict students' achievement and behaviour in undergraduate mathematics: gender and personality. We found that gender predicted students' achievement and behaviour when considered in isolation, but ceased to be predictive when personality profiles were taken into account. Furthermore, personality accounted for significantly more variance in undergraduates' achievement and behaviour than did gender, but the converse was not the case. We therefore argue that personality provides the more productive lens through which to understand the behaviour of undergraduate mathematics students. We relate this finding to recent research emphasising gender differences in mathematics education, and suggest that researchers wishing to promote equity in participation at and beyond the undergraduate level should consider shifting their focus to individual differences in personality.
CETL-MSOR Conference Proceeding 2006
Proceedings of the CETL-MSOR Conference 2006, held at Loughborough University 11-12 September 2006, edited by David Green and published by the MSOR Network.
Increasing the impact of mathematics support on aiding student transition in higher education.,
This article presents a novel approach to maths support designed and adopted by the University of Lincoln, School of Engineering, to bridge this transition gap for students, offer continued support through Assessment for Learning and Individual Learning Plans, and ultimately increase student achievement, engagement and retention. The article then extends this proven approach and discusses recently implemented enhancements through the use of online diagnostic testing and a ‘student expert’ system to harness mathematical knowledge held by those gifted and talented students (often overlooked by higher education institutions) and to promote peer-to-peer mentoring. The article shows that with the proven system in place, there is a marked increase in student retention compared with national benchmark data, and an increase in student engagement and achievement measured through student feedback and assessments.
M. Gallimore and J. Stewart, (2014) Increasing the impact of mathematics support on aiding student
transition in higher education., Teaching Mathematics Applications, 33 (2), 98-109, doi:10.1093/teamat/hru008
Predicting Performance of first year engineering students and the importance of assessment tools therein
This research paper by Lee, Harrison, Pell and Robinson presents statistical regression models which aim to predict overall first year mechanical engineering students' performance. Data was collected on overall first year mark against 14 variables. The regression models produced showed the positive effect of almost one grade boundary of students visiting the mathematics learning support centre.
The paper is published in Engineering Education, 2008, 3(1), 44-51. DOI: 10.11120/ened.2008.03010044
Provision of maths support for student in higher education institutions
Nilsson, Galina and Luchinskaya, D. (2012) Provision of maths support for student in higher education institutions, The 40th Annual Congress of the Nordic Educational Research Association: March 8-10, 2012, Copenhagen, http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-4859
This study analyses the efficiency of maths support provision in two universities: Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Högskolan Väst, Sweden. This is an on-going collaboration between two universities and in this paper we present the results of this study focussing on the academic staff prospective, using questionnaires, observations and interviews with tutors.
Supporting students making the transition from school to university– A national and local view of the maths skills crisis in the UK
The authors have first-hand experience of supporting students with weak maths skills making the transition from School to University within a Business School. In this paper the authors will summarise the key messages and recommendations to emerge from the literature in the light of their own experiences and research findings. We will also give an overview of the types of open source software that are currently available for maths skills support in the UK, and consider ways in which such on-line resources might be utilised in order to encourage and enhance students’ development of maths skills in a Business School context.
Cottee M., Relph A. and Robins, K. (2013) Supporting students making the transition from school to university– A national and local view of the maths skills crisis in the UK.
http://library.iated.org/view/COTTEE2013SUP
Staff Resources (4)
And the winner is... mathematics support
At the Times Higher Awards ceremony
on 24th November 2011, it was
announced that Loughborough and
Coventry Universities had won the
award for Outstanding Support for
Students, in recognition of the work
of sigma, Centre for Excellence in
University-wide mathematics and
statistics support.
Whilst sigma at Coventry and Loughborough Universities received the award, the real winner was mathematics and statistics support across the country. In this booklet,
we outline how sigma's work has contributed to the growing recognition of the importance of mathematics and statistics support and to the development of a national and international community of practitioners. Authors : Ciaran Mac an Bhaird and Duncan Lawson
Investigation of International Mathematics Cultures
Recruitment to post-graduate mathematics programmes and to lecturer positions in mathematics departments in UK universities has become dominated by international students and staff. Although mathematics is generally regarded as ‘the universal language’, the reality is that different countries have very different cultures when it comes to the teaching and learning of mathematics. There are significant variations in the pre-university mathematical experience, in terms of the curriculum content, learning styles, levels of abstraction, and assessment methods. Even within the UK, a considerable number of pre-higher education mathematics qualifications are available and, it is not always clear what mathematics can be expected when students commence their degree programmes. With increasing numbers of international students and academic staff in UK HE, the scene is becoming more complicated. Students enter degree courses with a wide range of backgrounds and bring with them very different experiences. At the same time, academic staff, having experienced different education systems, may have some unrealistic expectations from their students.
With an HEA Teaching Development Grant (Individual Scheme 2012 -2013), this research by Aiping Xu, Coventry University has investigated the mathematical cultures of a range of the main international suppliers (of students and staff) to UK HE mathematics departments. Using semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires, personal experiences of academic staff who have studied or taught more than two educational systems have been drawn upon. Some examinations have also been studied in detail.
Maths EG Teacher Interface
The teacher interface for Maths EG which may be used for computer-aided assessment of maths, stats and numeracy from GCSE to undergraduate level 2. These resources have been made available under a Creative Common licence by Martin Greenhow and Abdulrahman Kamavi, Brunel University. Teachers need to register (top right of screen) and thereafter login to use the system, after which they may use it to compose their own tests by selecting (specifically or randomly) questions from the entire database of questions. Instructions are available from the title page.
ROBBINS REVISITED - Bigger and Better Higher Education
A report by The Rt Hon. David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science, revisiting issues in Higher Education first reported on by Robbins in 1963.