JISC

Background/Context Project Final Report

Many students studying science-based subjects need to take modules involving mathematics as part of their degrees. However, they often lack confidence and motivation and may not have the prerequisite skills required even to begin these modules. Because of this, traditional teaching methods often prove inadequate, especially for the weaker students. Coventry and Loughborough Universities have a proven track record in providing mainly reactive mathematics support to students studying science-based courses. Their experience led to their award of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning status in 2005 called sigma.

As part of its activities, sigma has run a Proactive Teaching Programme at both Universities in the last 2 academic years (i.e. 2005-2006 and 2006-2007) which targets 'at risk' students on different service mathematics modules and provides them with appropriate proactive support. The aim of the Programme is to reduce failure rates and hence improve retention. It was decided that the Programme should spend the current academic year (2007-2008) mainly developing new resources in order to provide better interventions in the final two years of the sigma project.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the Project is to reuse existing learning resources and produce associated new learning resources to support mathematics learning for science-based subjects.

The primary objective of the Project is to reuse and develop new material in discrete mathematics for first year undergraduate computer science students. The learning content we plan to reuse is the self-paced learning discrete mathematics material from Brunel University.

The secondary objective of the Project is to investigate the reuse and development of other external materials for science-based mathematics teaching, including:

• Reuse of video clips to teach basic engineering mathematics, developed by Newcastle University. Many of these clips are already available via the HELM website but we wish investigate deploying them more directly within an engineering module within our Proactive Teaching Programme (for example, by making them available on a DVD or by linking them to other learning materials)
• Use of tablet PCs to support calculus teaching as pioneered by Prof Eric Hamilton from Pepperdine University
• Use of classroom communication systems to teach learning “bottlenecks” in first year engineering mathematics as pioneered by the University of Strathclyde

Project Methodology

The Project will follow the JISC project management guidelines for the development of the project plan, effective communication between the stakeholders and reporting progress to the JISC and the Project Steering Group, which will meet every three months. The project is broken down into individual work packages for more effective management and financial control.

The learning materials reused or developed for modules within sigma’s Proactive Teaching Programme will go through Coventry University’s usual quality assurance procedures prior to their delivery. These procedures are put in place to ensure that students have high quality learning opportunities and that the standard of the award of quality assurance is sound and fit for purpose. Similar procedures will be undertaken if the Proactive Teaching Programme Committee also decides to deploy these materials at Loughborough University.

Deliverables

• Reused and redeveloped discrete mathematics resources for first year computer science students. This will take the form of self-paced learning notes, summary videos, individual exercise solution video clips and online tests within Blackboard for each of the units of the Coventry University discrete mathematics syllabus
• Ealuation report on the use of these resources within the Proactive Teaching Programme and an assurance of their quality. This will also include a discussion of cultural issues regarding the sharing of learning content, technology issues regarding the creation and sharing of content and disability implications relating to the repurposed content
• Fasibility report of the sharing of the primary project deliverable across the UK HE sector, the use of classroom voting system to teach engineering mathematics, the use of graphics tablets to promote calculus teaching and the reuse of mathematics videos produced by the Newcastle University
• Monthly progress reports will be produced to inform the Steering Group of progress and any issues that may need consideration.
• Fnal report will be produced which will summarise all the above deliverables and will provide an account and evaluation of the overall performance of the Project

Stakeholders

• Coventry University
• Loughborough University
• JISC
• Maths Stats and OR Network
• Brunel University
• University of Strathclyde
• Newcastle University
• Pepperdine University