Diagnostic tests: Purposes and two case studies

It is not uncommon to use what are called diagnostic, placement, readiness or competency tests once students arrive at university to gauge their basic skills in mathematics or literacy. This paper begins by discussing diagnostic mathematics tests and identifying the key reasons for which these are run. Two such tests with repercussions for students are discussed. These two tests are for different student cohorts and are run for different reasons. We identify the purposes for which the tests were developed, and actions which eventuated. We identify any additional purposes the tests served beyond those intended. The tests had a positive impact on student learning. It is not uncommon to use what are called diagnostic, placement, readiness or competency tests once students arrive at university to gauge their basic skills in mathematics or literacy. This paper begins by discussing diagnostic mathematics tests and identifying the key reasons for which these are run. Two such tests with repercussions for students are discussed. These two tests are for different student cohorts and are run for different reasons. We identify the purposes for which the tests were developed, and actions which eventuated. We identify any additional purposes the tests served beyond those intended. The tests had a positive impact on student learning.It is not uncommon to use what are called diagnostic, placement, readiness or competency tests once students arrive at university to gauge their basic skills in mathematics or literacy. This paper begins by discussing diagnostic mathematics tests and identifying the key reasons for which these are run. Two such tests with repercussions for students are discussed. These two tests are for different student cohorts and are run for different reasons. We identify the purposes for which the tests were developed, and actions which eventuated. We identify any additional purposes the tests served beyond those intended. The tests had a positive impact on student learning.It is not uncommon to use what are called diagnostic, placement, readiness or competency tests once students arrive at university to gauge their basic skills in mathematics or literacy. This paper begins by discussing diagnostic mathematics tests and identifying the key reasons for which these are run. Two such tests with repercussions for students are discussed. These two tests are for different student cohorts and are run for different reasons. We identify the purposes for which the tests were developed, and actions which eventuated. We identify any additional purposes the tests served beyond those intended. The tests had a positive impact on student learning. 

Supporting Engagement or Engaging Support?

The need for learning support in first year mathematics subjects in universities in Australia is increasing as student diversity increases. In this paper we study the use of learning support in a first year mathematics subject for which there is no assumed mathematics knowledge. Many students in this subject have a poor mathematics background, noticeably worse than five years previously. The interplay between learning support and engagement is found to be significant and the use of support can be used as a measure of engagement. The success of support is tied up with the success of engagement, making it difficult to measure the success of learning support. However student outcomes appear to be substantially improved through both mechanisms. We also highlight some concerns and consequences of the declining level of mathematics preparation of incoming students

Supporting engagement or engaging support?

The need for learning support in first year mathematics subjects in universities in Australia is increasing as student diversity increases. We studied the use of two modes of learning support in a first year mathematics subject for which there is no assumed mathematics knowledge. Many students in this subject have a poor mathematics background, noticeably worse than five years previously. Students were offered both online support and face-to-face workshops. Student use of support was tracked for a semester, along with some measures of engagement: tutorial attendance and use of the learning management system. The interplay between learning support and engagement was found to be significant and the use of support can be used as a measure of engagement. The success of support is intertwined with the success of engagement, making it difficult to measure the success of learning support. Hence, if we want to measure the success of support we somehow have to disentangle the effect of learning support from that of student engagement. However, student outcomes appear to be substantially improved through engagement with any learning activities. Engagement with both online support and face-to-face support was generally very poor, however the groups that utilised each mode were largely distinct. This indicates that a variety of support mechanisms, both face-to-face and online, are necessary to maximise the engagement with support. The poor engagement with learning support presents us with a huge challenge for the future, a challenge seen by many others: getting more students engaged in learning support. Though support is generally seen to be successful, few students engage with the support available and so many students are performing far worse than they could be. This has a serious effect on pass rates and can be detrimental to mathematics departments as mathematics academics could be seen poor teachers who are unable to motivate their students

AN ONLINE MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS REFRESHER PROGRAM FOR THE COVID-19 ERA AND BEYOND

In February 2021, the Mathematics Education Support Hub at Western Sydney University delivered, for the first time, its long-established mathematics and statistics refresher program for commencing students wholly online. The process of completely replacing its face-to-face program with a series of online self-directed learning modules was complex, not least due to the constraints imposed by COVID-19. Planning and development started in October 2020, with a staged rebuilding of existing content in basic algebra, trigonometry, calculus and statistics. The aim was to achieve more than the mere construction of a digital ‘text book’ consisting of modularised sets of static files. The development was guided by design choices such as content chunking, use of video and interactive learning visualisations, and facilitation of self-checking via mastery quizzes (created using the mathematical e-assessment system Numbas). In this presentation, we shall discuss the pedagogical, curricular, and technical challenges that arose during the development of the online refresher program, and the steps taken to ensure the new learning modules were accessible and effective, together with an analysis of data collected during and after the running of the program (survey responses, learning resource interaction, quiz attempts and Zoom attendance)

Just for Me Engagement

BACKGROUND The Mathematics Education Support Hub (MESH) at UWS is a unit within the learning and teaching portfolio with a remit to provide mathematical and statistical help to all students within the university. One method of enabling this support has been a mathematics library roving program, introduced in 2013 to complement literacy support which was already operating in the library. AIMS The program aims to provide “just in time” support for students experiencing difficulty with the mathematical and statistical components of their subjects in a non-confrontational environment. A secondary aim is to increase student confidence in their own mathematical abilities. DESCRIPTION OF INTERVENTION The MESH library roving program began in the Autumn session 2013 and has continued during Spring 2013 and Autumn 2014. Support is provided by MESH staff who ‘rove’ the various campus libraries for two hour sessions at well-advertised times throughout the teaching and study vacation periods of the semester. These library rovers assist individual students and groups by encouraging students to engage with the mathematical and statistical content of their subject through a process of guided discovery of the material as well as direct responses to enquiries. The time taken for such interventions range from a few minutes to approximately half an hour, with students with problems requiring longer discussion usually referred back to subject teaching teams for further clarification. Students availing themselves of the service range from first year to post graduate with problems coming from subjects as diverse as business, finance, biomechanics, law and engineering as well as mathematics and statistics subjects. DESIGN AND METHODS Each library consultation is recorded on an electronic form and features of the consultation are noted. The data collected includes the campus, number of students in a group, student year of study, length of time spent with the group, unit or discipline area in which assistance is provided as well as if a group or student has been seen previously. At the end of 2013 a research project conducted in conjunction with the academic literacy library roving program collected survey responses from students, library staff and rovers. Analysis of this data along with surveys of students, library staff and rovers will show the patterns of use and responses of various stakeholders to the program. RESULTS The data collected for this project are still being processed and it is anticipated features of the analysis will be presented. It is envisaged that models of student behaviour gleaned from this analysis will form the basis of the results. The nature of requests from students and how these are dealt with by the rovers will also be presented. Responses from student, librarian and rover surveys will also provide an indication of student engagement with the service. CONCLUSIONS The intention of this project is to use the results to fine tune the impact and delivery of the library roving program

Tertiary students’ engagement in a mathematics support program

Background Mathematics is often perceived to be a difficult subject and students struggle with it. A combination of factors including a compromise with tertiary admission requirements, such as prerequisites, a link between Federal funding and student number at an institution, relaxed mathematics requirement to complete secondary education, ATAR based admission to programs, and, admission of mature age and international students with diverse backgrounds elevates the number of tertiary students struggling with mathematics. At UWS, to support these students with their mathematics, various services including lecturer consultation time, tutorials, pre- and within-semester workshops, library roving, online tutoring, peer-assisted student support and free internet sites are made available to them. This study deals with students’ engagement in pre-semester workshops. Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate (i) age and gender based influences on students’ engagement in the workshops, (ii) perceived reasons to participate in the workshops and (iii) post-workshops perceptions of their mathematical competency. Methodology The workshops were advertised on the UWS web and emails were sent to the prospective students to encourage them to register for these voluntary workshops. The workshops aimed to revise basics of algebra, trigonometry, calculus and statistics to prepare students for their first year mathematics units. The students attended 1 – 3 days workshops in these areas before starting degree programs at UWS. The students were asked to complete two surveys one each on their first- and last-day of the program, and, pre- and post-achievement tests. The first- and last-day survey targeted students’ reasons to participate in and satisfaction from attending the workshops respectively. Only 57.3% of those who completed first day survey (616) from 2011 to 2014 completed the last-day survey. The data were analysed to evaluate areas of interest specified under aims. Results The results of the study revealed that students’ intention to engage and actual engagement in the workshops were significantly different. The participation was significantly higher of male (62.1%) than female (37.9%) students and 33.5% of them were older than 20 years indicating a high percentage of matured age students. The major reason for participation in the workshops was their perceived weak or very weak background in these areas. The number of weak or very weak students in calculus and statistics was higher than algebra and trigonometry. Analysis of post-workshops survey revealed a significant improvement in their perceived knowledge of these mathematics areas. This claim was partly supported by significantly improved post-test scores in 2014. Gender, age and year to year based trends in these findings will also be discussed. Conclusions and Future Directions Students perceived their engagement in pre-semester workshops was helpful in improving their desired mathematics content knowledge. Further research to investigate students’ performance in their required mathematics subjects and programs is warranted

hnRNP Q and PTB modulate the circadian oscillation of mouse Rev-erb α via IRES-mediated translation

The physiological and behavioral circadian rhythms of most creatures are controlled by a harmony of functional relationships between clock genes. In mammals, several core clock genes show rhythmic profiles of their mRNA and protein expression. Among them, Rev-erb α functions as a transcriptional repressor, affecting expression patterns of other clock genes. For the continuous and robust oscillation of the molecular clock system, the levels of Rev-erb α protein are expected to be tightly regulated with the correct timing. Here, we demonstrate that Rev-erb α has an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) in its 5′ untranslated region. Furthermore, we demonstrate that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein Q and polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) modulate the IRES-mediated translation of Rev-erb α. We suggest that the rhythmic binding affinity of hnRNP Q to the Rev-erb α IRES and the change in PTB cytosolic levels lead to maintenance of the oscillation profile of the Rev-erb α protein

The 13th Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics

Ngā mihi aroha ki ngā tangata katoa and warm greetings to you all. Welcome to Herenga Delta 2021, the Thirteenth Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics. It has been ten years since the Volcanic Delta Conference in Rotorua, and we are excited to have the Delta community return to Aotearoa New Zealand, if not in person, then by virtual means. Although the limits imposed by the pandemic mean that most of this year’s 2021 participants are unable to set foot in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, this has certainly not stopped interest in this event. Participants have been invited to draw on the concept of herenga, in Te Reo Māori usually a mooring place where people from afar come to share their knowledge and experiences. Although many of the participants are still some distance away, the submissions that have been sent in will continue to stimulate discussion on mathematics and statistics undergraduate education in the Delta tradition. The conference invited papers, abstracts and posters, working within the initial themes of Values and Variables. The range of submissions is diverse, and will provide participants with many opportunities to engage, discuss, and network with colleagues across the Delta community. The publications for this thirteenth Delta Conference include publications in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, iJMEST, (available at https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tmes20/collections/Herenga-Delta-2021), the Conference Proceedings, and the Programme (which has created some interesting challenges around time-zones), by the Local Organizing Committee. Papers in the iJMEST issue and the Proceedings were peer reviewed by at least two reviewers per paper. Of the ten submissions to the Proceedings, three were accepted. We are pleased to now be at the business end of the conference and hope that this event will carry on the special atmosphere of the many Deltas which have preceded this one. We hope that you will enjoy this conference, the virtual and social experiences that accompany it, and take the opportunity to contribute to further enhancing mathematics and statistics undergraduate education. Ngā manaakitanga, Phil Kane (The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau) on behalf of the Local Organising Committ

Effect of Preemergence Herbicide on Wildflower Establishment

This study was initiated to evaluate wildflower establishment using a preemergence herbicide. Fifty species of wildflowers (Table 1) were established on a Sharpsburg silty-clay loam (Typic Argiudoll), with a 6.9 pH, near Mead, Neb. Fortyseven (Table 1) wildflowers were established near Hubbard, Ore., on a Willamette sandy loam (Pachic Ultic Argixeroll) with a 6.6 pH. Both studies used a split-plot design, with herbicide treatment as main plots and wildflowers as subplots. Each treatment consisted of two replicates. Herbicide treatments included an untreated control and a combination of S-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate (EPTC) at 2.3 kg·ha-1 and α, α, α -trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-ptoluidine (trifluralin) at 0.6 kg·ha-1. Applications were made with a boom-sprayer, and treatments were incorporated with a Lily Roterra (Lely Industries, N.V. Maasland, Holland) cultivator immediately after application. Wildflowers were broadcast-seeded at 2 g pure live seed per plot. Irrigation was applied daily at 4 mm·day-1 for 6 weeks after seeding and 13 mm·week-1 thereafter. In the Nebraska study, tall plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. ) and cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus Cav.) plants lodged after heavy rains on 15 (33 mm) and 19 July (60 mm) in the herbicide-treated plots but not the control. The lodged plants continued to grow, but remained lodged throughout the growing season. Herbicide-treated Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella Foug.) plants had uneven growth and a 2-week bloom initiation delay when compared to the control. After bloom, flowering appeared equal for control and herbicide treatments. About 35% of all species were adversely affected by the herbicide treatment