Progression within mathematics degree programmes

Several independent research projects report that the enjoyment of mathematics by many undergraduate mathematicians decreases as they progress through their degree programme and this decrease is accompanied by increasing disillusionment and disengagement with their course and alienation from mathematics itself. These are students who choose to study mathematics at university and who are relatively well-qualified. Moreover, it is often the case that students who report such feelings are not failing students – indeed many are doing rather well. Of course, many other students find their undergraduate experience of mathematics to be extremely rewarding but the prevalence of studies reporting disaffection suggests that this is an issue worthy of exploration within a book on transitional issues affecting undergraduate mathematicians. This chapter will review the evidence for this phenomenon and unpick the reasons students give for their changes in attitude to mathematics. After establishing the context for the chapter we present a brief review of the literature in this field. The evidence suggests that this state of affairs can be attributed, at least in part, to the mismatch between students’ hopes, expectations and aspirations and the reality of learning mathematics at university level. Sometimes, traditional pedagogies and practices can exacerbate this situation. We will go on to provide several examples of ways in which some lecturers and departments have attempted to modify practices in order to improve the student experience of university mathematics. We summarise the findings of selective activities and projects that provide pointers in the hope that they might inspire or provoke a discussion amongst individual lecturers and more widely within departments about ways in which disillusionment, disengagement and alienation might be ameliorated so that the experience of undergraduate mathematics is truly rewarding for all who choose to study it

Learning to be a postgraduate tutor in a mathematics support centre

The study reported here investigates the role, experiences and aspirations of a community of mathematics postgraduates as they learn to tutor in a mathematics support centre in a research-intensive university. This is achieved through in-depth interviews with nine postgraduate tutors all of whom had experience working in the centre. The data is analysed through the lens of communities of practice and presented through the voices of the postgraduates themselves. It sheds light on their personal trajectories as ‘newcomers’ to the peculiarities of tutoring within a mathematics support centre, and the ways in which they learn from, support and cooperate with each other in their common endeavour. As the postgraduates progress through their three or four years working in the centre the data reveals a growing confidence and, for some, a strong willingness to nurture and encourage their younger colleagues. Some of the ‘old timers’ go on to assist in the recruitment of new tutors and demonstrate insights into the ways their experience as tutors in the support centre will inform and influence their own future careers as academics. In particular, our work highlights the ways in which tutoring in the centre contributes to their own mathematical learning and personal development. The work is driven by a need to better understand the practices of postgraduate tutors in the growing field of university mathematics support and a desire to improve these. We consider how what we have learned can be put to use both in mathematics support centres and in university mathematics education more generally. By doing so we contribute to the solution of a widely reported ‘mathematics problem’ in higher education. At the same time this work strengthens what has been described as a ‘fragile’ relationship between mathematicians and educational researchers, bridging the gap between theoretical understanding and practice in a research-intensive university mathematics department

Community perspectives of mathematics and statistics support in higher education: building the infrastructure

Over the last two decades, mathematics support has, increasingly, been seen by higher education institutions as a vital mechanism for helping students enhance their mathematical and statistical skills, particularly as they make the transition to university study. Several studies have shown the growth of mathematics support across the higher education sector within the UK, Ireland and beyond. Others have demonstrated its impact upon learners. However, few have explored the extent to which mathematics support is embedded within institutions or the extent to which it is likely to be sustainable. Such analyses are important for both the institutions themselves and the many colleagues who are working to develop mathematics support into an area of study in its own right. Here, we report on a survey of 47 institutions offering mathematics and statistics support within the UK. Findings show that, within many institutions, mathematics support is now embedded as part of student-focused institutional support provision. Further, its impacts are increasingly extending beyond those students who access the support: there is evidence that mechanisms are in place for feeding findings from mathematics and statistics support into mainstream teaching and learning and curriculum development. Significantly, the analysis shows that mathematics support offers good potential for sustainability such that the legacy of national endeavours to establish it more widely will continue to exist into the future

Community perspectives of mathematics and statistics support in higher education: the role of the staff member

Mathematics support now forms a widely accepted and important part of the provision of higher education institutions within the UK and Ireland to assist students within their learning of mathematics and statistics, particularly as they make the transition to university study. Over the last 15 years it has seen growth as an area of scholarship, and behind this has been the role of those staff members who oversee, develop, deliver and research mathematics support within their institutions. To date, however, there has been little work that explores the roles, opportunities and recognition afforded to such individuals, but this is important if visibility for mathematics support as part of the provision and practice of higher education institutions is to continue to grow and a sustainable community of practitioners is to be established. Here we report on a survey of 51 individuals with responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the mathematics and statistics support provision within their institutions. Findings show that the majority of staff with such responsibility for the delivery of mathematics support within institutions are in permanent roles and that in many instances this forms the sole focus of their employment; there also exists an important and visible role for postgraduates in the delivery of mathematics support. Finally, there is evidence that most staff working in this area feel recognised and well supported with opportunities to develop their roles, engage with professional development, and to contribute to a national community of practice

Senior management perspectives of mathematics and statistics support in higher education: moving to an ‘ecological’ approach

© 2016 Association for Tertiary Education Management and the LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Education Leadership and ManagementThis article explores the perspectives of three senior managers in higher education institutions in England regarding their mathematics and statistics support provision. It does so by means of a qualitative case study that draws upon the writing of Ronald Barnett about the identity of an ‘ecological’ university, along with metaphors associated with the notion of organisations as living ‘organisms’, suggested by Gareth Morgan. Using these ideas as a heuristic sheds light upon the view that whilst outwardly universities appear to represent a uniform landscape, mathematics and statistics support alternatively, can be seen as different ‘species’ within the higher education system. The study illustrates how three universities occupying contrasting ecological ‘niches’ are responding to the challenges they face by providing and planning different forms of learning support for mathematics and statistics. In conclusion, it is recommended that senior managers reflect upon the possibilities offered by the idea of ‘ecological’ identities in order to explore how they might respond strategically to a rapidly changing environment. This includes adapting various solutions and the further development of innovative ways of supporting students’ transitions throughout the academic lifecycle. In addition, an ecological approach could also aid the formation of the co-creational relationships and networks required for the future success of those developments

The extent and uptake of mathematics support in higher education: results from the 2018 survey

In response to the well-documented challenges associated with the 'mathematics problem' in UK higher education, many institutions have implemented a programme of mathematics support. Previous surveys within the UK, undertaken in 2001, 2004 and, most recently, 2012, have shown growth in the number of institutions offering such support and indicate that the dominant form of provision is through a drop-in model. Here we report on a 2018 survey of higher education providers in England and Wales undertaken to establish not only the extent of current provision but also understand the scale of its delivery. We find that overall the proportion of higher education institutions offering mathematics support remains broadly the same, but there is considerable variation in how this support is delivered within institutions. While the drop-in model remains most common, we see evidence that the methods used to provide mathematics support are expanding and that the range of levels and subjects studied of targeted student cohorts is widening. For the first time we are able to report on the volume of use of mathematics support by students across England and Wales, and although dependent upon the institutional context, we see clear evidence of the extensive use being made of it by learners

Transitions in undergraduate mathematics education

When studying mathematics during single or joint honours mathematics courses, undergraduate students experience a number of 'transitions points' or 'transitions periods'. These are times when many students experience difficulty applying or developing their mathematical knowledge, or adapting to changed learning methods and processes during their higher education studies. Written to meet the needs of university lecturers, teachers and tutors, this book forms a guide to understanding key issues, good practice and developments in learning and teaching in mathematics within higher education. Each Chapter is focused around an important transition point and written in a style that brings together published and evidence-based literature from across the higher education sector, analysing this in a scholarly manner to identify practical recommendations and 'tips' for both new and more experienced higher education practitioners alike

climbing data

Raw lab data on time to death, height at death