Numeracy Skills resources
Research Papers (3)
A Multifaceted Approach to Numeracy Support for Life Sciences Students
Undergraduate life sciences studies require students to possess certain key numeracy skills and these same skills are sought from graduates by employers. Since September 2011 we have offered optional attendance drop-in sessions and locally produced online resources to support students with the numeracy requirements of our life sciences undergraduate courses. Details of the content of this support along with attendance figures and importantly student feedback are presented here.
Chrystalla Ferrier: (2013) A Multifaceted Approach to Numeracy Support for Life Sciences Students. MSOR Connections 13(2), 24-30. DOI: 10.11120/msor.2013.00013
Strengthening student engagement with quantitative subjects in a Business Faculty
This paper reflects on the results of research undertaken at a large UK university relating to the teaching of quantitative subjects within a Business Faculty. It builds on a simple model of student engagement and, through the description of three case studies, describes research undertaken and developments implemented to strengthen aspects of the model, enhance student engagement and help meet the requirements of employers in terms of graduate skills. The paper also outlines some areas for future research.
Jon Warwick and Anna Howard (2014) Strengthening student engagement with quantitative subjects in a
Business Faculty. e-Journal of Business Education & Scholarship of Teaching, 8(1) pp: 32-43.
http://www.ejbest.org/upload/eJBEST_Warwick_Howard_-_8(1)_2014.pdf
The redesign of a quantitative literacy class: student responses to a labbased format
Nicole Scherger (2013). The redesign of a quantitative literacy class: student responses to a lab based
format, Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 2013 32(4), 206-213 doi:
10.1093/teamat/hrt003.
The purpose of this study was to observe students’ retention, success and attitudes towards mathematics in a community college quantitative literacy course, taught in a lab-based format. The redesigned course implemented the daily use of Microsoft Excel in the classroom demonstrations, group activities and individual assignments, and utilized data from many fields of study. Results showed statistically significant growth in attitudes towards real-world application problems, the use of computers in mathematics, and the consideration of taking additional mathematics courses. There was also marginally significant growth in students’ attitudes towards the relevance and utility of mathematics. Higher retention and success rates in the redesigned course were also observed, although those rates were not found to be statistically significant.