140 likes | 313 Vues
An Holistic Approach to Maths Support. Christine Hirst Project Co-ordinator. The LTSN MathsTEAM Project. The Lack of Basic Mathematical Skills. “This past decade has seen a serious decline in students’ basic mathematical skills and level of preparation on entry into Higher Education”.
E N D
An Holistic Approach to Maths Support Christine Hirst Project Co-ordinator
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project The Lack of Basic Mathematical Skills “This past decade has seen a serious decline in students’ basic mathematical skills and level of preparation on entry into Higher Education”. Measuring the Mathematics Problem, Engineering Council, June 2000
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project • Universities are faced with the challenge of: • Capturing good practice • Harnessing collective intelligence • Sharing lessons learned • Making explicit the knowledge of academics.
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project • Recent Reports • Engineering Mathematics Matters, published by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, September 1999, http://learn.lboro.ac.uk/inmate/inmatepubs/index.html • Measuring the Mathematics Problem, • published by the Engineering Council, June 2000, www.engc.org.uk/gateway/3/mathsreport.pdf
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project • Three Key Recommendations • Students embarking on mathematics-based courses should on entry have a diagnostic test. • Prompt and effective support should be available to students whose mathematical background is not up to the standard required. • In both the IEng and CEng programmes, the mathematics topics should be taught within an engineering context.
The UK Centre for Materials Education http://www.materials.ac.uk/ LTSN Physical Sciences http://dbweb.liv.ac.uk/ltsnpsc/ LTSN Maths, Stats & OR Network http://ltsn.mathstore.ac.uk LTSN Engineering http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk/ The LTSN MathsTEAM Project • Implementing these recommendations requires knowledge of the methods, which are currently being used in the science and engineering communities. Four LTSN Centres have therefore established a team to bring together this knowledge.
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project • The LTSN MathsTEAM is a collaborative educational project, its aims are to: • Disseminate teaching ideas • Open up access to different teaching methods and resources • Provide tools and templates to support student learning and performance.
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project The LTSN MathsTEAM Project has carried out an in-depth survey, examining the following three areas: • Maths support programs and resources • Current practices for teaching mathematics to engineering and science students • A study of diagnostic testing within various institutions.
Compile content, standardised to a defined format Store content, secure the data online Develop knowledge Acquire, capture, create content Assess knowledge Evaluate the content Transform knowledge Preserve knowledge The LTSN MathsTEAM Project Developing Good Practice
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project Maths Support for Students • Contents • Institutional and Departmental Student Support • Maths Support & Drop-in Centres • Student Support via Other Students • Summer Schools and Short Courses • Test-Based Support • Paper-Based Support • Computer-Based Support • Web-Based Support 25 Case Studies
Communicate to staff and students, disseminate to wider academic community Used by staff or students, execute content, exploit Transfer knowledge Apply knowledge Improve the content, maintain the currency of information Update knowledge The LTSN MathsTEAM Project Disseminating Good Practice
Templates Tutorials Exemplars Can I see an example? Case Studies Has someone done it before? Modules FAQ Tools Links Resources Forum The LTSN MathsTEAM Project How do I do that? Am I doing it right? What do I do next? Knowledge Base Have I forgotten anything? Where do I find out? What are the best learning opportunities for my students? Source: Sherwood, C. 2001. Knowledge Management for ELearning. Paper presented at the International Conference on Engineering Education, Oslo, Norway. Can someone show me?
The LTSN MathsTEAM Project The UK Mathematics Learning Support Centre
The MathsTEAM Project MathsTEAM Co-ordinator, Christine Hirst. Email: c.hirst@bham.ac.uk Address: LTSN Maths, Stats & OR Network The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Phone: 0121 414 3945 Fax: 0121 414 3389 http://ltsn.mathstore.ac.uk/mathsteam/ Get Involved!