Investigating students’ perceptions of graduate learning outcomes in mathematics

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions mathematics students have of the knowledge and skills they develop throughout their programme of study. It addresses current concerns about the employability of mathematics graduates by contributing much needed insight into how degree programmes are developing broader learning outcomes for students majoring in mathematics. Specifically, the study asked students who were close to completing amathematics major (n=144) to indicate the extent to which opportunities to develop mathematical knowledge along with more transferable skills (communication to experts and non-experts, writing, working in teams and thinking ethically) were included and assessed in their major. Their perceptions were compared to the importance they assign to each of these outcomes, their own assessment of improvement during the programme and their confidence in applying these outcomes. Overall, the findings reveal a pattern of high levels of students'agreement that these outcomes are important, but evidence a startling gap when compared to students' perceptions of the extent to which many of these - communication, writing, teamwork and ethical thinking - are actually included and assessed in the curriculum, and their confidence in using such learning

Reoptimisation strategies for dynamic vehicle routing problems with proximity-dependent nodes

Autonomous vehicles create new opportunities as well as new challenges to dynamic vehicle routing. The introduction of autonomous vehicles as information-collecting agents results in scenarios, where dynamic nodes are found by proximity. This paper presents a novel dynamic vehicle-routing problem variant with proximity-dependent nodes. Here, we introduced a novel variable, detectability, which determines whether a proximal dynamic node will be detected, based on the sight radius of the vehicle. The problem considered is motivated by autonomous weed-spraying vehicles in large agricultural operations. This work is generalisable to many other autonomous vehicle applications. The first step to crafting a solution approach for the problem is to decide when reoptimisation should be triggered. Two reoptimisation trigger strategies are considered—exogenous and endogenous. Computational experiments compared the strategies for both the classical dynamic vehicle routing problem as well as the introduced variant. Experiments used extensive standardised vehicle-routing problem benchmarks with varying degrees of dynamism and geographical node distributions. The results showed that for both the classical problem and the novel variant, an endogenous trigger strategy is better in most cases, while an exogenous trigger strategy is only suitable when both detectability and dynamism are low. Furthermore, the optimal level of detectability was shown to be dependent on the combination of trigger, degree of dynamism, and geographical node distribution, meaning practitioners may determine the required detectability based on the attributes of their specific problem

The stumbling blocks of integrating quantitative skills in science

The Science Higher Education community has acknowledged the essential role of quantitative skills (QS) as a graduate learning outcome. However, efforts to build QS across science degree programs have been meet with a range of obstacles that are inhibiting the development of QS to an appropriate standard. This presentation, drawing on interview data from the ALTC funded QS in Science project which used a case study approach, details the challenges institutions have found in trying to ensure that QS are developed and embraced in science curricula. Interview data (n = 48) from academic staff involved in the case studies revealed several broad categories that significantly impacted on embedding QS effectively in the science curriculum: 1) the attitude and background of students undertaking science courses, 2) the constraints of the various science degree program structures

The perspectives of scientists and mathematicians on quantitative skills

Mathematics is important in science, and becoming increasingly so. Not surprisingly, the scientific community is calling for graduates with higher standards of quantitative skills (QS), that is, the ability to apply mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning in the context of science. How are academics addressing this QS challenge? Some see this as an interdisciplinary endeavour, with science and mathematics academics working together to develop the QS of students in undergraduate science programs. We present evidence which suggests that scientists and mathematicians have different attitudes to what is happening in universities currently. This work is a part of the ALTC funded QS in Science project in which 48 interviews were conducted with academics in both teaching and leadership roles from 11 universities in Australia and two in the USA

Development of mathematical pathways for VET students to articulate to related higher education courses: a focus on engineering

Australia needs more qualified professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas. The national focus on widening participation in higher education (HE) includes strengthening pathways from vocational education and training (VET). VET students often lack the mathematics skills necessary to articulate successfully to their chosen university degrees. Current approaches such as bridging and foundation mathematics programs are not tailored or sufficiently contextualised for VET articulants. This project is developing a mathematics pathway designed to improve the readiness of VET engineering diploma graduates for higher education study in engineering degree programs. Arrangements are flexible so that students can complete these pathways either as part of their engineering diploma as a VET student or as part of preparatory study at the diploma level at university. Many VET students are granted credit when entering a HE course in engineering and can transfer directly to second year units which may assume a level of mathematical knowledge by the university. However, in the VET Diploma of Engineering Technical (MEM50212), there is only one core unit in mathematics (MEM30012A) equivalent to year 9 level and there are two mathematics electives, MEM23004A and MEM23007A, which are part of the advanced diploma and often not taught by many TAFE providers due to student demand and staff capabilities. The lack of required mathematics often leaves the student with a large gap in the required knowledge for success in HE. The project has been underway for over a year and significant progress has been made in developing the pathway for engineering. To date, the mathematical knowledge outcomes from the VET courses have been mapped to the requirements of the HE courses at the University of Tasmania, Flinders University and James Cook University. Gaps in mathematical knowledge have been identified. A formal articulation agreement has been established through TasTAFE and the University of Tasmania where current VET students will be able to enroll in the university foundation mathematics units and receive credit towards their VET diploma in engineering. In addition to the foundation units, the students need to do an online component. This consists of a few compulsory topics which are not covered in the foundation units with supporting examples, practice problems, practical application and self-assessed quizzes for each mathematics topic covered in the foundation units, contextualised to engineering. VET students are applied learners and therefore often struggle with the transition to HE. The online component of the pathway is designed to support the student by providing the context to the mathematics they are learning. Another advantage of the pathway is that it exposes the VET students to HE units and the university environment while satisfying the university mathematics entry requirements

Development of mathematical pathways for VET students to articulate to related higher education courses

Australia needs more qualified professionals in the STEM areas. The national focus on widening participation in higher education (HE) includes strengthening pathways from vocational education and training (VET). VET students often lack the mathematics skills necessary to articulate successfully to their chosen degrees. Current approaches such as bridging and foundation mathematics programs are not tailored or sufficiently contextualised for VET articulants. An Office for Learning and Teaching project focused on developing contextualised mathematics pathways for four key disciplines (education, engineering, business and health science) in order to facilitate the transition from VET courses to higher education and increase student confidence and readiness. This project is led by the University of Tasmania and partners with Flinders University, James Cook University and the University of Notre Dame Australia. In the first year of the project (2013), mathematics pathways were developed for engineering and education and followed by business and health science in 2014. This project has recently concluded and the pathway to engineering has been active for over a year. A formal articulation agreement has been established through TasTAFE and the University of Tasmania where current VET students are able to enroll in university foundation mathematics units and receive credit towards their VET diploma in engineering. In addition to the foundation units, the students are required to do an online component. This consists of a few compulsory topics which are not covered in the foundation units with supporting examples, practice problems, practical application and self-assessed quizzes for each mathematics topic covered in the foundation units, contextualised to engineering. VET students are applied learners and therefore often struggle with the transition to HE. The online component of the pathway has been designed to support the student by providing the context to the mathematics they are learning. Another advantage of the pathway is that it exposes the VET students to HE units and the university environment while satisfying the university mathematics entry requirements. This presentation describes the process of the pathway development and the opportunities for cross sectoral course support and delivery

Motivating students and improving engagement in biology units using online QS modules

MathBench biology modules represent one example of how biology educators can incorporate materials to improve quantitative skills and reasoning into introductory courses. The MathBench- Australia project not only aims to ensure that the science and the maths content of MathBench (USA) modules are accurate, but also appropriate to an Australian context, and further aid to minimise students’ negative attitude towards quantitative skills and increase student engagement. Hence, in this ideas exchange we will explore the strategies to embed the contextualised MathBench modules in first and second year science units to improve student engagement and students’ QS

Motivating students and improving engagement in biology units using online QS modules

MathBench biology modules represent one example of how biology educators can incorporate materials to improve quantitative skills and reasoning into introductory courses. The MathBench- Australia project not only aims to ensure that the science and the maths content of MathBench (USA) modules are accurate, but also appropriate to an Australian context, and further aid to minimise students’ negative attitude towards quantitative skills and increase student engagement. Hence, in this ideas exchange we will explore the strategies to embed the contextualised MathBench modules in first and second year science units to improve student engagement and students’ QS

Development of mathematical pathways for vet students to articulate to related higher education courses

Australia needs more qualified professionals in the areas of engineering, education, health and other sciences. The national focus on widening participation in higher education (HE) includes strengthening pathways from vocational education and training (VET). VET students often lack the mathematics skills necessary to articulate successfully to their chosen degrees. Current approaches such as bridging and foundation mathematics programs, and university in-degree support, are fragmented and not tailored or sufficiently contextualised for VET articulants. Flexible approaches are needed that enable institutions to assess the numeracy skills of VET articulants and provide resources and support to build their mathematical skills and confidence. This project is developing a series of mathematics pathways designed to improve the readiness of VET qualified students for higher education study in the areas of engineering, education and health science. Year 1 of this project focuses on engineering and education. The main VET qualifications and HE education courses have been identified and mapping the mathematical gap in knowledge between the two is underway. Mathematical pathways will be delivered as Open Education Resources and designed to be delivered flexibly. This presentation will review the progress on the mathematical pathway development and review the gaps that exist between the two sectors