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STUDENT USAGE OF ONLINE MATHS SKILL SUPPORT IN FIRST YEAR CHEMISTRY

Background and Aims In recent years, a range of maths support centres and online approaches have emerged (Croft, 2000; Jackson & Johnson, 2013) that are often stand alone and not embedded within any specific discipline. Nonetheless, studies have shown that students reported a positive impact of mathematics support on retention, confidence, performance and ability to cope with the mathematical demands of their courses (Ní Fhloinn et al., 2014). In a more tailored approach, the Maths Skills programme developed at LaTrobe University (Jackson and Johnson, 2013), is an extra-curricular programme that supports large enrolment first year courses with a diverse cohort of students, offering the choice of learning modes – online delivery, worksheets and drop-in sessions. Based on the Maths Skills programme, we introduced a purely online mathematical support environment, termed the Maths Skills Site, which was integrated into the first year chemistry curricula. This study aimed to understand student engagement with purely online mathematical support through analysis of user tracking and patterns. Design and methods The Maths Skills Site was linked to a first year, first semester, chemistry course via the student online learning management system and available for the duration of the course. Topics that students previously (and repeatedly) had difficulty in performing (e.g. exponents), were available for student use and included: mathematics in chemistry theory notes, questions, answers and multiple-choice online questions. Statistics tracking was enabled in the Learning Management System of the Chemistry course which allowed us to determine the use of the individual items on the Maths Skill Site (e.g.: Logarithms notes, logarithms questions, etc.) as well as the number of ‘hits per content area’. Use of the site was recorded from the point at which the site was initially made public to the student cohort, until the end of semester exam (Weeks 4-16 in 2014; weeks 2-16 in 2015). Access to the site was mapped against (a) the semester chronology and (b) the hit count on the site by individual students. All student usage data was de-identified, and aggregated for analysis. Results and Conclusions Analysis of the user statistics tracking system indicated a distributed usage for the Maths Skill Site throughout semester, which formed a ‘peak and trough’ pattern. This type of usage of the resource by students was suggestive of ‘in the moment’ responses and a ‘just-in-time’ study for assessment. The analysis of usage data indicates a preferred usage by some students for the notes (suggestive of passive learning) and a preferred usage by other students for the multiple-choice online problems (suggestive of interactive learning). Few students made use of the questions and answers (deep approach). Students who were already confident with their abilities tended not to use the support site. Students who accessed the site used a self-directed approach, choosing to tailor their individual learning within the Maths Skill Site. References Croft, A.C., (2000). A guide to the establishment of a successful mathematics learning support centre. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 31(3), 431-446. Jackson, D. C.& Johnson, E. D., (2013), A hybrid model of mathematics support for science students emphasizing basic skills and discipline relevance, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 44(6), 846-864. Ní Fhloinn, E., Fitzmaurice, O., Mac an Bhaird, C. & O’Sullivan, C., (2014), Student perception of the impact of mathematics support in higher education, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(7), 953-967

Building a supportive learning and teaching culture for science academics

The introduction of the Bradley voucher system has resulted in many universities focussing on specific strategies to enhance student engagement and retention. This is particularly the case with undergraduate science programs where interest is already lower than other disciplines (Norton, A., 2012). In one strategy, our SaMnet team has been working to facilitate an active culture with all teaching staff (both continuing and sessional) involved in the learning journey of this particular student cohort. In the hard, pure world of science academia (Becher & Trowler, 2001) the pressures to produce high levels of quality scientific research actively compete with academic priorities towards issues around teaching and learning and student experience. Identifying and overcoming potential barriers to success (Buckley & Du Toit, 2010) and ensuring key elements of community of practice (CoP) development are addressed (Kimble, Hildreth, & Bourdon, 2008) are critical to the success of this strategy. Our SaMnet team has been guided by the knowledge and resources of both the SaMnet team leaders and our own dynamic group capabilities. We have been strategically identifying and developing information to support the implementation of a Second Year Student Experience CoP within a research-focussed science school. These include the “What’s In It For Me?” matrix to help facilitate this process

Mathematics background and early performance of a sample of first year chemistry students

Background and Aims: The number of students taking the easier Maths A in Queensland exceeds that of the other two mathematics subjects combined, and there is a consistent drop out from Maths B into Maths A in year 12, with students presumably wishing to maximize their university entrance score. The decline in Australian students taking more advanced mathematics subjects has previously been highlighted (McPhan et al. 2008). Other studies have shown that students entering university are deficient in areas of mathematics deemed necessary in science based university subjects (Hoyles et al. 2001, Matthews et al. 2013). The aims of this project were to examine the background of students enrolled in a first semester, first year chemistry course and to investigate the relationship between prior chemistry and mathematics studies, and students’ results in early assessment items of the course. In addition student confidence in mathematics and chemistry and their perception of the importance of mathematical skills in their study were investigated. Methodology: The students enrolled in the chemistry course (n = 455) were in various degree programs with different entry requirements and pre-requisite mathematical knowledge. The chemistry course provided the ideal case study for evaluation of the relevance of a student’s mathematics background at the commencement of their studies. Some students (n = 57) from the total cohort, completed a voluntary survey which identified their perception of the importance of mathematical skills in their study and their confidence with mathematics. The survey data and the student mathematics and chemistry background (where available), was correlated with an early chemistry diagnostic test and the mid-semester examination results. We analysed student access to extra online mathematics support (c.f. Jackson & Johnson, 2013), which was provided to all students prior to the mid-semester exam in chemistry. Results and Conclusion: The survey responses indicated that students generally did not have high confidence with their mathematical skills; especially those with poorer mathematics backgrounds. By contrast, students’ perception of the importance of mathematical skills to their chemistry studies was high (average rating of 4.2 on a 5-point scale (5 = very important). The correlation data revealed that prior achievement in mathematics impacted on performance within chemistry, despite prior studies in chemistry. A possible solution is to integrate foundational and enabling mathematical skills with curriculum, which would build student confidence and is more likely to have success in enabling science students to engage and succeed. However, preliminary results indicated that very few students

Snapshot of Mathematical Background Demographics of a Broad Cohort of First Year Chemistry Science Students

A case study of the background mathematical skills of a varied group of first year chemistry students (n = 455) is presented. Potential student demographic factors, including school leaver, mature age, non-English speaking background, and pre-requisite or prior assumed mathematical and chemistry knowledge, were examined. The student cohort had a diverse background in mathematical knowledge with only 53% meeting the pre-requisite mathematics admission criteria used in Queensland. A voluntary survey was completed by some students (n = 57) from the total cohort, which identified the individual mathematical background of students, their perception of the importance of mathematical skills in their study and their confidence with mathematics. The survey responses indicated that students generally did not have high confidence with their mathematical skills; especially for those with poorer mathematics backgrounds. Interestingly, all students were in strong agreement regarding the importance of mathematics to their study of chemistry. Correlation of the student mathematics background with a chemistry diagnostic test revealed that prior achievement in mathematics impacted on performance within chemistry. We propose that integration of foundational and enabling mathematical skills with curriculum would build student confidence and is more likely to have success in enabling science students to engage and succeed