We evidence English teacher and student perspectives on the learning of pre-university mathematics ‘A Level’ courses through the pandemic period to July 2021. Data are drawn from a 2017–21 classroom-close study of enactment of such courses in 13 fairly representative centres, using an institutional ethnographic approach. The pandemic picture was generally one of the significant and sustained negative impacts, though over the course of the study, respondents reported progress in addressing early limitations in the harnessing of digital platforms for learning. A small number of participating students reported home-based study beneficial for their mathematics learning, and a bigger group identified some wider benefits that partly offset the challenges. Most participating 16–18-year-old students, though, reported finding remote learning of mathematics both demanding and limiting. Pandemic constraints impacted most strongly on opportunities to engage with newer emphases within A Level courses: problem solving, reasoning, modelling, statistics and mechanics. Receiving academics reported that mathematical preparedness, and confidence, for mathematics-intense university courses has also been widely affected, with a bigger range of preparedness and confidence than usual. The study draws attention to the importance of studying subject-specific impact and drawing on student as well as teacher perceptions. It exposes a range of consequences of the cancellation of examinations and a need to develop and share effective pedagogies for working remotely with pre-university students.
{"title":"Flexible learner or imposter? Learning A Level mathematics in England through the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Jennie Golding","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab025","url":null,"abstract":"We evidence English teacher and student perspectives on the learning of pre-university mathematics ‘A Level’ courses through the pandemic period to July 2021. Data are drawn from a 2017–21 classroom-close study of enactment of such courses in 13 fairly representative centres, using an institutional ethnographic approach. The pandemic picture was generally one of the significant and sustained negative impacts, though over the course of the study, respondents reported progress in addressing early limitations in the harnessing of digital platforms for learning. A small number of participating students reported home-based study beneficial for their mathematics learning, and a bigger group identified some wider benefits that partly offset the challenges. Most participating 16–18-year-old students, though, reported finding remote learning of mathematics both demanding and limiting. Pandemic constraints impacted most strongly on opportunities to engage with newer emphases within A Level courses: problem solving, reasoning, modelling, statistics and mechanics. Receiving academics reported that mathematical preparedness, and confidence, for mathematics-intense university courses has also been widely affected, with a bigger range of preparedness and confidence than usual. The study draws attention to the importance of studying subject-specific impact and drawing on student as well as teacher perceptions. It exposes a range of consequences of the cancellation of examinations and a need to develop and share effective pedagogies for working remotely with pre-university students.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"263-276"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel7/8016818/9690919/09690922.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50303429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper reports on a mathematics outreach programme, ‘Bridging KS5 to University’, which offered video materials to students aged 16+ during the school closures in spring/summer 2020 in Wales. The 13 videos, provided by the Further Mathematics Support Programme in Wales, ranging from 20 to 50 min long, included activities and exercises addressing mathematical topics outside the school curriculum, and engaging with them can thus be seen as enrichment activities. The study is primarily concerned with the ways in which students engaged with the materials and what motivated them to begin watching them and then continue to watch them. Interviews with students found that the students’ behavioural and emotional engagement with the materials was much as might have been expected, but that their cognitive engagement was perhaps higher than expected. Considerations for developing further similar enrichment programmes for use in times of crisis, including equity issues, as well as for up-cycling the bridging programme for ‘normal’ times are also discussed.
{"title":"Engaging with mathematics during Covid-19: students aged 16+ responding to a mathematics ‘Box Set’ of enrichment video materials","authors":"Sofya Lyakhova;Dominic Oakes;Marie Joubert","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab023","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reports on a mathematics outreach programme, ‘Bridging KS5 to University’, which offered video materials to students aged 16+ during the school closures in spring/summer 2020 in Wales. The 13 videos, provided by the Further Mathematics Support Programme in Wales, ranging from 20 to 50 min long, included activities and exercises addressing mathematical topics outside the school curriculum, and engaging with them can thus be seen as enrichment activities. The study is primarily concerned with the ways in which students engaged with the materials and what motivated them to begin watching them and then continue to watch them. Interviews with students found that the students’ behavioural and emotional engagement with the materials was much as might have been expected, but that their cognitive engagement was perhaps higher than expected. Considerations for developing further similar enrichment programmes for use in times of crisis, including equity issues, as well as for up-cycling the bridging programme for ‘normal’ times are also discussed.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"277-295"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50303430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 closures from the perspective of students studying mathematics at university level in Ireland. A survey was designed and administered to students who were enrolled in at least one mathematics module in an Irish university at the time of the closures. The survey comprised three sections: teaching and learning, assessment and personal experience, with a focus on how the changes in teaching and assessment were viewed by students. A total of 263 students from six universities responded to the survey. The corresponding data are described, as are various trends that were identified through open-response questions. The data offer a window into the student experience during the tertiary level closures and show the effect that the sudden shifts (e.g., in delivery and support) had on learning, assessment and student well-being. The survey responses show that most students dealt with the rapid changes in a resilient and mature manner, particularly when confronted with adversity. Numerous insights can be gleaned from the students’ perspectives that have the potential to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics at tertiary level in Ireland in the future. Many of the findings could also apply to teaching and learning in other subjects and internationally.
{"title":"The student perspective on teaching and assessment during initial COVID-19 related closures at Irish universities: implications for the future","authors":"Diarmaid Hyland;Ann O'Shea","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab017","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 closures from the perspective of students studying mathematics at university level in Ireland. A survey was designed and administered to students who were enrolled in at least one mathematics module in an Irish university at the time of the closures. The survey comprised three sections: teaching and learning, assessment and personal experience, with a focus on how the changes in teaching and assessment were viewed by students. A total of 263 students from six universities responded to the survey. The corresponding data are described, as are various trends that were identified through open-response questions. The data offer a window into the student experience during the tertiary level closures and show the effect that the sudden shifts (e.g., in delivery and support) had on learning, assessment and student well-being. The survey responses show that most students dealt with the rapid changes in a resilient and mature manner, particularly when confronted with adversity. Numerous insights can be gleaned from the students’ perspectives that have the potential to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics at tertiary level in Ireland in the future. Many of the findings could also apply to teaching and learning in other subjects and internationally.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"455-477"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel7/8016818/9690919/09690932.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50409976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
When the first national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, all higher educational institutions in Ireland moved to remote learning and have effectively remained in this mode ever since. The situation presented enormous challenges for many mathematics lecturers who had not delivered lectures or tutorials online before. This study looks closely at what a traditional (in-person) mathematics tutorial encompasses and examines learners’ needs with respect to support within a remotely delivered module. The work focuses on how well various formats of remote support address the affordances of the traditional in-person tutorial. The range of support formats explored here includes live tutorials, written homework with feedback, group work via breakout rooms in Zoom, a discussion forum and instant formative feedback through Canvas quizzes and the e-assessment tool Numbas. The effectiveness of the different formats of remote support is assessed through examining student engagement and student and lecturer feedback. Six student cohorts, of levels ranging from first year to MSc level, across three different departments, taking either a mathematics or statistics module, participated in the study and were surveyed on their experience and future preferences. The work highlights some of the key issues surrounding remote support within mathematics modules and discusses the findings in the context of the implications for a lecturer and the factors to consider when deciding on a strategy for remote learning. The paper also analyses student interaction and notes the aspects of remote mathematics support that will have value beyond the pandemic.
{"title":"Online mathematics supports in lieu of university tutorials during COVID-19: student and lecturer perspectives","authors":"Maryna Lishchynska;Catherine Palmer;Vincent Cregan","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab015","url":null,"abstract":"When the first national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, all higher educational institutions in Ireland moved to remote learning and have effectively remained in this mode ever since. The situation presented enormous challenges for many mathematics lecturers who had not delivered lectures or tutorials online before. This study looks closely at what a traditional (in-person) mathematics tutorial encompasses and examines learners’ needs with respect to support within a remotely delivered module. The work focuses on how well various formats of remote support address the affordances of the traditional in-person tutorial. The range of support formats explored here includes live tutorials, written homework with feedback, group work via breakout rooms in Zoom, a discussion forum and instant formative feedback through Canvas quizzes and the e-assessment tool Numbas. The effectiveness of the different formats of remote support is assessed through examining student engagement and student and lecturer feedback. Six student cohorts, of levels ranging from first year to MSc level, across three different departments, taking either a mathematics or statistics module, participated in the study and were surveyed on their experience and future preferences. The work highlights some of the key issues surrounding remote support within mathematics modules and discusses the findings in the context of the implications for a lecturer and the factors to consider when deciding on a strategy for remote learning. The paper also analyses student interaction and notes the aspects of remote mathematics support that will have value beyond the pandemic.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"417-435"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50302572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jonathan Gillard;Claire Ketnor;Ciarán Mac an Bhaird;Cathy Smith
{"title":"Special issue editorial: restarting the new normal","authors":"Jonathan Gillard;Claire Ketnor;Ciarán Mac an Bhaird;Cathy Smith","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"249-253"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50303428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The COVID-19 pandemic led to closures of university campuses around the world from March 2020 onwards. With little or no time for preparation, lecturers turned to emergency remote teaching to continue to educate their students. Online mathematics education poses particular challenges in terms of both the hardware and software necessary for effective teaching, due to issues with mathematical symbols and notation, among others. In this paper, we report upon an online survey of 257 university mathematics lecturers across 29 countries, which explores what hardware and software they used for emergency remote teaching, for what purposes they used these and what training and support were made available to them at the time. We also consider what approaches they took to emergency remote teaching and what were their reasons for this.
{"title":"How and why? Technology and practices used by university mathematics lecturers for emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Eabhnat Ní Fhloinn;Olivia Fitzmaurice","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab018","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic led to closures of university campuses around the world from March 2020 onwards. With little or no time for preparation, lecturers turned to emergency remote teaching to continue to educate their students. Online mathematics education poses particular challenges in terms of both the hardware and software necessary for effective teaching, due to issues with mathematical symbols and notation, among others. In this paper, we report upon an online survey of 257 university mathematics lecturers across 29 countries, which explores what hardware and software they used for emergency remote teaching, for what purposes they used these and what training and support were made available to them at the time. We also consider what approaches they took to emergency remote teaching and what were their reasons for this.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"392-416"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel7/8016818/9690919/09690929.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50409975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ciarán Mac an Bhaird;Aisling McGlinchey;Peter Mulligan;James O'Malley;Rachel O'Neill
In this paper, we consider the changes to mathematics learning support (MLS) at Maynooth University due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of novel online study groups aimed at increasing student engagement and interaction. We briefly outline the local, national and international impact of COVID-19 on MLS and then focus on the results of a student survey. Respondents who regularly used online MLS were broadly positive about their experiences. They cited, in particular, the influence of tutors and the scheduled study groups, which provided structure and motivation as well as the opportunity to work with others and ask questions in less intimidating small groups. However, some respondents highlighted factors that impacted negatively on their engagement. These included low attendance or interaction from peers, timetabling issues or busy schedules, lack of awareness of the details of the services and increased feelings of discomfort and anxiety in an online environment. We consider how this student feedback may influence our future online and in-person supports.
{"title":"Student experiences of online study groups and drop-in mathematics support during COVID-19","authors":"Ciarán Mac an Bhaird;Aisling McGlinchey;Peter Mulligan;James O'Malley;Rachel O'Neill","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab010","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we consider the changes to mathematics learning support (MLS) at Maynooth University due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of novel online study groups aimed at increasing student engagement and interaction. We briefly outline the local, national and international impact of COVID-19 on MLS and then focus on the results of a student survey. Respondents who regularly used online MLS were broadly positive about their experiences. They cited, in particular, the influence of tutors and the scheduled study groups, which provided structure and motivation as well as the opportunity to work with others and ask questions in less intimidating small groups. However, some respondents highlighted factors that impacted negatively on their engagement. These included low attendance or interaction from peers, timetabling issues or busy schedules, lack of awareness of the details of the services and increased feelings of discomfort and anxiety in an online environment. We consider how this student feedback may influence our future online and in-person supports.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"356-373"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50303434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Students from England and Wales had their A-level results in 2020 decided by a ‘triple lock’ system as traditional examinations were cancelled due to the pandemic. Therefore, there was a fear that students were either being unfairly judged (Arden University 2020) or would enter university with a reduced understanding of concepts leading to an increase in drop-out rates (Staton, 2020). To measure mathematical ability, diagnostic testing is used at universities. This is now a well-established practice that supports students and their lecturers in discovering areas of mathematical strength and weakness upon entry to a course (Lawson, 2003; Hodds, Shao, and Lawson, 2020). This article compares the entry competencies of students arriving at one UK university in October 2020 with those who entered in previous years, using the same diagnostic test taken by all students as the method for comparison. Students who received their A levels in the year of entry are also compared to those who entered with A levels from years prior, allowing for a fair comparison of students in 2020 in particular. Furthermore, the abilities of students at different A-level grades are also compared. The results showed that students in 2020 appear not to be disadvantaged by the issues caused by the pandemic. On the contrary, many students outperformed colleagues who had summative assessment prior to 2020.
{"title":"The early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mathematical competencies on entry into a UK university","authors":"Mark Hodds","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab021","url":null,"abstract":"Students from England and Wales had their A-level results in 2020 decided by a ‘triple lock’ system as traditional examinations were cancelled due to the pandemic. Therefore, there was a fear that students were either being unfairly judged (Arden University 2020) or would enter university with a reduced understanding of concepts leading to an increase in drop-out rates (Staton, 2020). To measure mathematical ability, diagnostic testing is used at universities. This is now a well-established practice that supports students and their lecturers in discovering areas of mathematical strength and weakness upon entry to a course (Lawson, 2003; Hodds, Shao, and Lawson, 2020). This article compares the entry competencies of students arriving at one UK university in October 2020 with those who entered in previous years, using the same diagnostic test taken by all students as the method for comparison. Students who received their A levels in the year of entry are also compared to those who entered with A levels from years prior, allowing for a fair comparison of students in 2020 in particular. Furthermore, the abilities of students at different A-level grades are also compared. The results showed that students in 2020 appear not to be disadvantaged by the issues caused by the pandemic. On the contrary, many students outperformed colleagues who had summative assessment prior to 2020.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"254-262"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50410010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rachel Hilliam;Derek Goldrei;Gaynor Arrowsmith;Alexander Siddons;Cath Brown
At the Open University, where students learn online and at a distance, the School of Mathematics and Statistics has for many years provided innovative ways of supporting students outside the ‘classroom’ environment so was well prepared to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. These forms of support include online forums to help students with module choice and taster resources including diagnostic quizzes for students to self-assess their readiness to study individual modules and receive targeted support. Since 2017, these resources, and more, have been incorporated into a multi-functional student-facing website. The website enables all units, both academic and non-academic, to provide consistent academic, pastoral and social support to students studying mathematics and statistics modules online. By focusing on the different stages of a student’s journey, the website provides a one-stop shop for students to self-serve and obtain appropriate support at each point in their own student lifecycle. Data gathered on the frequency of use of the website, together with the results from staff and student questionnaires, have provided insight into how students and staff use the website. The evaluation highlights the need for clear signposting to such resources. In addition, the wide range of resources which enable students to make informed module choices is shown to be particularly important for staff who provide pastoral and academic support to students.
{"title":"Mathematics and statistics distance learning: more than just online teaching","authors":"Rachel Hilliam;Derek Goldrei;Gaynor Arrowsmith;Alexander Siddons;Cath Brown","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab012","url":null,"abstract":"At the Open University, where students learn online and at a distance, the School of Mathematics and Statistics has for many years provided innovative ways of supporting students outside the ‘classroom’ environment so was well prepared to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. These forms of support include online forums to help students with module choice and taster resources including diagnostic quizzes for students to self-assess their readiness to study individual modules and receive targeted support. Since 2017, these resources, and more, have been incorporated into a multi-functional student-facing website. The website enables all units, both academic and non-academic, to provide consistent academic, pastoral and social support to students studying mathematics and statistics modules online. By focusing on the different stages of a student’s journey, the website provides a one-stop shop for students to self-serve and obtain appropriate support at each point in their own student lifecycle. Data gathered on the frequency of use of the website, together with the results from staff and student questionnaires, have provided insight into how students and staff use the website. The evaluation highlights the need for clear signposting to such resources. In addition, the wide range of resources which enable students to make informed module choices is shown to be particularly important for staff who provide pastoral and academic support to students.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"374-391"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel7/8016818/9690919/09690928.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50302571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Over the past 30 years, higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide have been grappling with the difficulties experienced by many students entering higher education due to their poor pre-entry core mathematical skills. In the Republic of Ireland and the UK, the provision of mathematics learning support (MLS) is the approach most commonly adopted by HEIs to deal with this problem, providing free one-to-one mathematical support and/or workshops for students. However, despite the availability of such supports and research that suggests that engagement with these supports can have a positive impact on student retention and progression, ensuring high levels of student engagement with these supports remains a significant challenge. In more recent years, some institutions have started to provide online MLS which takes many different forms but mainly provide links to websites, revision notes, past exam papers, etc. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for many to resort to remote teaching, it would appear the successful provision of online mathematics support is set to become increasingly important over the coming years. This paper will examine student interaction data with one such online MLS provision, hosted within a virtual learning environment. The interaction data will be analysed in order to gain a better understanding of the level of student engagement with this resource and the content most frequently accessed. This analysis will be used to inform the future development and enhancement of the resource so as to encourage student engagement.
{"title":"Asynchronous online mathematics learning support: an exploration of interaction data to inform future provision","authors":"Linda O'Sullivan;Deirdre Casey;Julie Crowley","doi":"10.1093/teamat/hrab016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab016","url":null,"abstract":"Over the past 30 years, higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide have been grappling with the difficulties experienced by many students entering higher education due to their poor pre-entry core mathematical skills. In the Republic of Ireland and the UK, the provision of mathematics learning support (MLS) is the approach most commonly adopted by HEIs to deal with this problem, providing free one-to-one mathematical support and/or workshops for students. However, despite the availability of such supports and research that suggests that engagement with these supports can have a positive impact on student retention and progression, ensuring high levels of student engagement with these supports remains a significant challenge. In more recent years, some institutions have started to provide online MLS which takes many different forms but mainly provide links to websites, revision notes, past exam papers, etc. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for many to resort to remote teaching, it would appear the successful provision of online mathematics support is set to become increasingly important over the coming years. This paper will examine student interaction data with one such online MLS provision, hosted within a virtual learning environment. The interaction data will be analysed in order to gain a better understanding of the level of student engagement with this resource and the content most frequently accessed. This analysis will be used to inform the future development and enhancement of the resource so as to encourage student engagement.","PeriodicalId":44578,"journal":{"name":"Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications","volume":"40 4","pages":"317-331"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50303432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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