Examining undergraduate student retention in mathematics using network analysis and relative risk

Higher education faces challenges in retaining students who require a command of numeracy in their chosen field of study. This study applies an innovative combination of relative risk and social network analysis to enrolment data of a single cohort of commencing students from an Australian regional university. Relative risk, often used in epidemiology studies, is used to strategically investigate whether first year mathematics subjects at the university demonstrated a higher risk of attrition when compared to other subjects offered in the first year of study. The network analysis is used to illustrate the connections of those mathematics subjects, identifying service subjects through their multiple connections. The analysis revealed that attrition rates for eight of the nine subjects were within acceptable limits, and this included identified service subjects. The exception highlighted the issue of mathematics competencies in this cohort. This combined analytical technique is proposed as appropriate for use when investigating attrition and retention at faculty and institutional levels, including the determination of levels of intervention and support for any subject

Technology-enhanced mathematics learning: a perspective from cognitive load theory

Cognitive load theory is an instructional theory used to guide the design of effective instruction. The cognitive architecture that underpins cognitive load theory can be described by five principles, essential components that form the basis of many well-tested and well-known cognitive load effects. One of these documented effects, the worked example effect, indicates that showing novices worked solutions rather than asking them to generate solutions could facilitate learning by reducing levels of cognitive load. This paper will demonstrate how the worked example effect can be used in designing interactive podcasts to improve mathematics skills

Reflecting on Emotions During Teaching: Developing Affective-Reflective Skills in Novice Teachers Using a Novel Critical Moment Protocol

Affective-reflective skills are an integral component of classroom pedagogy, providing teachers with emotional understandings and confidence that can improve overall classroom performance. This article presents a case study of early career primary school teachers, showing how such affective-reflective skills can be developed through iterations of a purpose-designed collaborative protocol. Use of this novel protocol allowed teachers to examine their classroom practices via critical moment analysis of affective responses observed from lesson videos. Findings demonstrate how teachers’ use of this non-judgmental and self-evaluative protocol contributed to an emerging understanding of the relationship between their affective-reflective skills and teaching confidence. Findings support an argument for reframing teacher professional learning, from a focus largely on curriculum content and pedagogy, to a focus that includes the teacher’s emotional experience and its subsequent analysis, as part of the learned content that supports the growth of teacher confidence

How are we progressing with academic numeracy at regional universities? Perspectives from first-year undergraduate studies

This study provides an overview of the support provided for academic numeracy for first-year students across six Australian regional universities. Survey analysis of university academics provided an overview of the approaches used in academic numeracy in diverse cohorts. Further investigations via semi-structured interviews and secondary data were performed, providing details of the level of academic numeracy required in the subjects offered, identification of at-risk students and strategies for student support, and student responses to service provision. A case study at one university provided a more detailed view of the factors influencing attrition in first-year academic numeracy subjects. This case study highlighted issues related to a one-size-fits-all approach and findings argue for a more nuanced cohort-based approach that combines conventional statistical analysis with analysis that provides a more detailed view of complex scenarios. The study suggests that while support services are not responding well to the issue of attrition, better targeting individual student support may lead to improvements. © 2020, Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Inc. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Nargiz Sultanova ” is provided in this record** Sultanova, Nargi

The R in the ELR Process: Reflection and the Emotions of PreService Teachers. A Case Study

Reflective practice in mathematical teaching improves teaching skills and confidence. This paper investigates affect-based critical moments as a reflective practice for pre-service teaching. An embedded case study is presented by one regional university as a discovery into the reflective phase of the Enhancement-Learning-Reflection process to uncover the types of emotions and themes from student chosen critical moments. An analysis of these critical moments found students’ expressed mainly positive emotions combined with the negative emotion of anxiety. Themes emerged around pedagogical content knowledge: teaching strategies; student thinking; and appropriate mathematical content knowledge

Emotional Literacy and Pedagogical Confidence in Pre-Service Science and Mathematics Teachers

This report details the findings from initial research seeking to improve the pedagogical confidence of pre-service STEM teachers by encouraging emotional literacy in the form of affect awareness. The report discusses how affect was measured for the study, what the affect outcomes were and how these measures are conceptually related to improving confidence for the pre-service teachers (PSTs). Findings indicate enhanced emotional feedback enabled the PSTs to analyse, understand and make use of affect information to reflect on their teaching confidence overall. Ongoing research will need to address the issue of negative affect awareness in teacher training, and strategies for approaching this issue are provided

Variations on a Theme: Pre-service Mathematics Teacher Reflections Using an Affect-based Critical Moment Protocol

Examining critical incidents in the mathematics classroom is a useful way for pre-service teachers to understand the experience of teaching. This paper examines the development and trialling of variations of a novel affect-based critical moment protocol that enables preservice mathematics teachers to reflect on their teaching performance. The emotions experienced in these moments were examined using self and group reflection, considering the thoughts and actions occurring immediately prior to, or during those moments. The four case studies presented report on trialled variations of this reflection process in a range of programs and delivery modes in four regional Australian universities

Workshop: Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers

All governments are investing in improving STEM education. There is significant activity underway across the country in schools and education systems, by industry and universities to lift student engagement and attainment in STEM and to support teachers to improve student outcomes. The Chief Scientist’s report Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Australia’s Future highlighted the trends that our system is grappling with including the declining performance of Australian students against international benchmarks and the decline in participation in senior secondary sciences and advanced mathematics. As acknowledged in The National STEM School Education Strategy, reversing the trends in STEM performance will take time and considerable, collaborative effort. But what of the role of Universities in addressing this challenge? In 2013, 12 million dollars of federal grant funding was awarded to five major projects over three years that committed to take a lead role in Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers (ETMST). These projects sought to identify where significant change and impact can be made - going beyond traditional approaches that have involved providing more content, method and resources, and reconceiving what is possible through renewed collaborations between practising scientists, mathematicians and teacher educators - as we prepare the next generation of our nation’s science and mathematics teachers. http://www.olt.gov.au/maths-and-science-teachers Objectives Discuss shifts in higher education practice that can effect and support change through our preparation of the next generation of mathematics and science teachers nationally Explore key findings and implications of Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers projects nationall

Developing a new generation MOOC (ngMOOC): a design-based implementation research project with cognitive architecture and student feedback in mind

This paper describes a design-based implementation research (DBIR) approach to the development and trialling of a new generation massive open online course (ngMOOC) situated in an instructional setting of undergraduate mathematics at a regional Australian university. This process is underscored by two important innovations: (a) a basis in a well-established human cognitive architecture in terms of cognitive load theory; and (b) point-of-contact feedback based in a well-tested online system dedicated to enhancing the learning process. Analysis of preliminary trials suggests that the DBIR approach to the ngMOOC construction and development supports theoretical standpoints that argue for an understanding of how design for optimal learning can utilise conditions, such as differing online or blended educational contexts, in order to be effective and scalable. The ngMOOC development described in this paper marks the adoption of a cognitive architecture in conjunction with feedback systems, offering the groundwork for use of adaptive systems that cater for learner expertise. This approach seems especially useful in constructing and developing online learning that is self-paced and curriculum-based