Student-centred Approaches

Alun Owen, Loughborough, led A Pilot for a Shared Online Statistics Advisory Service, to assess the challenges in running a shared service via Elluminate. A final report is available: A Pilot for a Shared On-line Statistics Advisory Service.

Together with the Royal Academy of Engineering, we supported Barbara Jaworski, Loughborough, to look at the mathematical understanding of first year engineering students through the project Engineering Students Understanding Mathematics (ESUM) - An innovative teaching approach with integrated research.

A mathematics bridging programme for incoming engineering students was supported through a project led by Alexandra Shukie and Melissa Conlon, University Centre at Blackburn College, Supporting Undergraduate Engagement & Achievement in STEM Disciplines.

We supported Emma Cliffe (Bath) to run a workshop and co-ordinate a booklet to investigate and share good practice relating to inclusive curricula in mathematical sciences. The workshop, the Maths, Stats and OR Accessibility Workshop, took place at the University of Bath on 21st February 2011. The booklet is now available.

One problem identified at the workshop was the lack of flexible and accessible learning resources causing a barrier to accessing STEM HE. Emma Cliffe and Jane White (Bath) were supported to run a project Methods to produce flexible and accessible learning resources in mathematics.

Noel-Ann Bradshaw (Greenwich) and Emma Cliffe (Bath) led a working group looking at 'Group Work'. This aimed to build a community of academics that use group work for assessment and developing graduates’ skills and look at the advantages and disadvantages of group work used in Mathematics degree programmes especially in relation to students with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).

Tony Mann (Greenwich), Snezana Lawrence (Bath Spa), Robin Wilson (OU/Oxford) and Mark McCartney (Ulster) ran a working group on 'History in the Higher Education Curriculum'. This looked at the use of history for motivating undergraduate mathematicians and building confidence, particularly for students from non-traditional backgrounds.

Carol Robinson (Loughborough) worked to highlight and draw links between these projects and collate their outputs to produce a booklet on Student-centred approaches.