Review a legacy resource: industrial problem solving for higher education

Part of the 'Review a legacy resource' feature, this article offers a review of the wiki created by the project Industrial Problem Solving for Higher Education (IPSHE), which offers a collection of mathematics project briefs inspired by industrial collaborations suitable for all undergraduate levels. This article provides a brief overview of the IPSHE resource

Review a legacy resource: a new feature in MSOR Connections to aid discovery of hidden gems

Over recent decades, our community has operated numerous projects and produced countless resources. Certainly some of these were of their time and are now of limited value, but many still offer huge potential for those engaged with teaching, learning, assessment and support in higher education mathematics, statistics and OR. However, projects that are no longer running may not be in a position to advertise their resources, so how will people discover them? I write to propose a new feature in MSOR Connections that would offer short reviews of legacy resources. These could be resources for use with students or teaching practice guides. The aim is to shine a light on little-used, perhaps-forgotten but good-quality resources produced under now-defunct projects

'The unplanned impact of mathematics' and its implications for research funding: a discussion-led educational activity

‘The unplanned impact of mathematics’ refers to mathematics which has an impact that was not planned by its originator, either as pure maths that finds an application or applied maths that finds an unexpected one. This aspect of mathematics has serious implications when increasingly researchers are asked to predict the impact of their research before it is funded and research quality is measured partly by its short term impact. A session on this topic has been used in a UK undergraduate mathematics module that aims to consider topics in the history of mathematics and examine how maths interacts with wider society. First, this introduced the ‘unplanned impact’ concept through historical examples. Second, it provoked discussion of the concept through a fictionalized blog comments discussion thread giving different views on the development and utility of mathematics. Finally, a mock research funding activity encouraged a pragmatic view of how research funding is planned and funded. The unplanned impact concept and the structure and content of the taught session are described

Game information sheets: a student-produced resource to help you run a Maths Arcade

The Maths Arcade is an extracurricular activity to play strategy games and puzzles, aiming to provide an informal student support environment, improve staff-student interaction and develop mathematical thinking. Running a Maths Arcade presents some need for information about the games. Three projects have hired students to create game information sheets to support using the games with new players and to encourage development of strategic and logical thinking

Programming as a mathematical activity

Programming in undergraduate mathematics is an opportunity to develop various mathematical skills. This paper outlines some topics covered in a second year, optional module ‘Programming with Mathematical Applications’ that develop mathematical thinking and involve mathematical activities, showing that practical programming can be taught to mathematicians as a mathematical skill

Editorial

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Essential Concepts for the First Year of Study for BSc Mathematics

To inform discussion about content for the first year of undergraduate mathematics, a study was completed which reviewed: the A-level Mathematics specification; published literature on the transition from A-level to university mathematics; the second and third year curricula of modules at three English universities with different foci. This aimed to investigate what students might reasonably be expected to have covered when they arrive at university, what happens in practice at the transition to university, and the role of the first year as preparation for later study. Content suggestions focus on calculus, linear algebra and analysis as core topics. There is also evidence of the need to focus on students' understanding of where formulae and solutions originated as well as their ability to produce pieces of academic and mathematical writing. Findings also include suggestion that what happens in the first year, while similar between institutions, does depend on the overall focus of the degree programme

Professional skills development for mathematics undergraduates

Purpose To describe the design and development of a final year undergraduate mathematics module designed to address professional skills development at a UK university, including via input to curriculum and assessment from employers. To investigate student acquisition of skills from this module. Design/methodology/approach Literature on skills development in mathematics informs module design and development. Students optionally completed Likert-style competency questionnaires before and after the taught module content, and reflected on skills development via an end of module questionnaire. Data collection took place over three academic years. Findings Several key competencies exhibit median increases over the course of the module in each academic year, indicating a perceived skills development. Problem solving and presentation skills are particularly highlighted. Research limitations/implications Numbers of students were small, though the study is repeated with three different cohorts. Some students study mathematics jointly with another discipline and hence may have experience in skills development from the other subject. Practical implications This study indicates that innovations in teaching style and assessment in mathematics modules can enhance student confidence and competence with key professional skills. Originality/value Undergraduate modules in mathematics which have a focus on professional skills development are still fairly rare in UK universities. Often such modules do not embed the professional skills development activities with subject specific technical tasks and projects as this module does. There are few formal studies of the effectiveness of this style of module, especially longitudinal studies covering several academic years

Editorial

Editoria