Scholarship in Mathematics Support services (original) (raw)
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Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education Scholarship in Mathematics Support services
2010
Mathematics Support is a recognised collective term for a variety of extracurricular mathematics and statistics teaching and learning services and resources provided by many Tertiary Educational Institutions. Typical services currently provided in the UK are described. Even with excellent Mathematics teaching, the authors argue that, in the current UK Tertiary Educational climate, there is still a need for Mathematics Support services. This paper provides evidence of maturity and scholarly practice within the UK Higher Education Mathematics Support community of practice.
Mathematics Support as a Practical Discipline
This paper explores the status of Mathematics Support as a practical discipline. The emergence of Mathematics Support as a practical discipline in UK Further and Higher Education is described by reference to its historical origins, through surveys of the extent of provision within UK Higher Education Institutions and through centralised developments in the UK. The Mathematics Support service provided by the sigma Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is described. Theories of academic disciplines by Becher and Craig are introduced and an analysis of the discipline of Mathematics Support is provided with reference to these two theories. Finally, conclusions are drawn into the status of Mathematics Support as a practical discipline.
A quantitative, longitudinal analysis of the impact of mathematics support in an Irish university
Teaching Mathematics and its Applications: An International Journal of the IMA, 2019
Mathematics support has become embedded in a large number of higher education institutes in Ireland and UK in particular. Measuring the impact of such support is a challenging task, which can be attempted either qualitatively, through the use of surveys or focus groups, or quantitatively, looking at data such as number of visits and subsequent exam performance. Here, we consider a quantitative analysis of the impact of a mathematics support centre in an Irish university, based on data gathered over the past 12 years. A binary logistic regression was carried out which showed that, when prior mathematical achievement and module studied were kept constant, the odds of a student who attended mathematics support once passing their module were 1.63 times higher than for one who had never engaged with the service. The odds for those who attended 15 or more times were almost 14 times higher. This study also showed that there was a significant difference between those who never engaged with mathematics support and those who attended once, meaning that such cohorts should be considered differently, which has not traditionally been done in other studies conducted to this point.
Evaluation of mathematics support centres: a literature review
Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 2013
Mathematics Support Centres (MSCs) have been established at universities in the UK and a number of other countries, of which colleagues from Australia and Ireland have been the most prolific in publishing about their work. Their main functions are to address issues surrounding the transition to university mathematics and to support students' learning of mathematics and statistics across the wide variety of undergraduate courses. There is a growing body of research examining the operation and impact of MSCs. This article will review and synthesize available published research evidence so that informed decisions can be made about the value of mathematics support activity and the targeting of future funding. Evidence will be shown of the evaluation of MSCs in each of the following areas:
Mathematics support past, present and future
Abstract: During the 1990s, the phrase 'the mathematics problem'came into common usage to describe the increasing mismatch between the mathematical competencies of incoming undergraduates and those expected for the study of a range of disciplines in higher education. This prompted the establishment of a number of mathematics support centres. During this century a strong community of practice in mathematics support has developed, primarily around sigma, a HEFCE-designated Centre for Excellence in Teaching and ...
MSOR Connections
The Scottish Mathematics Support Network (SMSN) was formed in July 2008 with the aim of creating a support network for people working in Scottish universities who were involved with, or wished to be involved with, providing mathematical and/or statistical support for their students. The consensus of the SMSN is that increasingly more students need assistance with their basic mathematical and statistical skills than was the case in the past, and that consequently mathematics support is an area on which universities will need to focus on in future years. Through networking and professional development opportunities with other practitioners in the field of mathematics and statistics support, the SMSN have developed and maintained strong links with individual practitioners, and more broadly with like-minded groups such as the sigma Network and the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network. With the provision of mathematics and statistics support becoming more prevalent in UK Higher Edu...