This miniproject analysed QAA reports to identify good practice which is capable of dissemination in the areas of: Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation; Teaching, Learning and Assessment; Student Progression and Achievement; Student Support and Guidance; Learning Resources; and, Quality Management and Enhancement. These analyses were disseminated in the MSOR Network’s newsletter, Connections.
An area that was further examined was the response of lecturers in the subject areas of MSOR to widening participation. At the time of writing, MSOR like many other subject areas faced the problem of recruiting and educating a more diverse population. The broad issues were:
1. recruitment from more diverse sources;
2. retention of a wider intake cohort (design for diversity); and,
3. realising the potential of a wider pool of students.
The MSOR community has done much in recent years to try to meet the challenge of widening participation by both broadening intake educational achievement and by attempting to attract a greater diversity of intake in terms of gender, ethnicity, social background or age.
Required entry grades in A-level mathematics vary considerably between institutions, with some courses (often in statistics) not even requiring it to be taken. The extent of prior mathematics knowledge expected in entrants therefore varies considerably, both between and within institutions.
Students without a traditional A-level background are well catered for in many institutions. There are opportunities for non-standard applicants (those that do not meet the formal academic entry requirements, yet display the potential to benefit given a preparatory programme beforehand) through foundation courses set up with local Further Education colleges, Access courses aimed at mature students or introductory courses leading to a four-year degree. There are increasing numbers of applicants with GNVQ and BTEC type qualifications. For example, an appropriate HND where students can progress to a degree after year 1, or on completion, has provided a useful stepping stone for those unable to enter directly at degree level.
Some institutions spend a lot of time interviewing and working with students to determine their ‘starting point’. In some areas of education this is common practice – an initial assessment is made to determine the students’ background and subsequent needs. With such a detailed picture of students’ starting points, it is then possible to determine their added-value from their exit awards. At the moment external examiners help to maintain overall standards of awards, but it is doubtful that they look deeply enough into results to be able to guarantee added-value.
A booklet that considered the sorts of activities providers engage in to widen the recruitment, and examined their success, was produced: ‘Widening Participation in Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research’.