Digital Resources for Targeted Mathematics Support
Abstract
SPIRIT Maths (Students’ Perceptions Informing and Redefining Innovative Teaching of Mathematics in Higher Education) is a project that was established in Munster Technological University (MTU) to investigate students’ attitudes towards mathematics and to explore a more student-centred development of mathematics resources. One of the aims of the project was to create a collection of student-preferred digital materials with a view to improving student engagement, building students’ confidence in mathematics and helping students to succeed in their mathematics modules.
The findings of a survey disseminated to first year students in MTU indicated that students would be most likely to use the resources if they were geared towards their specific module; to maximise impact, resources were developed for two modules, one in Engineering and one in Business, that are each taken by large numbers of students. The resources were integrated on the learning management system and are available to all MTU students taking a mathematics module. Three interlinked digital resources were developed: (1) a series of interactive self-assessment questions, (2) corresponding videos showing worked solutions and (3) an associated bank of practice questions developed using a digital tutor to provide instant feedback. It is hoped that the complementary resources will facilitate student learning through a combination of active learning, explicit instruction and the ready availability of the resources.
This article describes these resources and how they were developed, and outlines how these are being promoted to students. We also report on the feedback received from a small number of students who tested the resources and discuss how to measure student engagement with the resources.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Dowling, D. and Nolan, B., 2006. Measuring the effectiveness of a maths learning centre – The Dublin City University experience. Proceedings of the CETL MSOR Conference 2006, pp.51-54. Available at: https://www.sigma-network.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CETL-MSOR-Proceedings2006.pdf [Accessed 4 January 2022].
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H. and Wenderoth, M. P., 2014. Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), pp.8410-8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111
Guo, P., Kim, J. and Rubin, R., 2014. How video production affects student engagement: an empirical study of MOOC videos. Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning at Scale conference, pp.41-50. https://doi.org/10.1145/2556325.2566239
Hegeman, M., 2015. Using Instructor-Generated Video Lectures in Online Mathematics Courses Improves Student Learning. Online Learning, 19(3), pp.70-87. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v19i3.484
Jacob, M. and Ní Fhloinn, E., 2019. A quantitative, longitudinal analysis of the impact of mathematics support in an Irish university, Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 38(4), pp.216-229. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hry012
Khan, 2021. Khan Academy. Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org. [Accessed 24 September 2021].
Lee, S., Harrison, M., Pell, P., Robinson, C., 2008. Predicting performance of first year engineering students and the importance of assessment tools therein, Engineering Education, 3, pp.44-51. https://doi.org/10.11120/ened.2008.03010044
Lishchynska, M., Lacey, S., O’Connor, D. and Morari, V., 2022. Non-mathematics undergraduates’ perceptions of mathematics and preferences for supporting digital learning resources in a technological university. MSOR Connections, 20(2), pp.13-25.
Mac an Bhaird, C., Morgan, T. and O’Shea, A., 2009. The impact of the mathematics support centre on the grades of first year students at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 28, 117-122. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrp014
Matthews, J., Croft, T., Lawson, D. and Waller, D., 2013. Evaluation of mathematics support centres: a literature review. Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications, 32(4), pp.173-190. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrt013
Ní Fhloinn, E., 2009. The role of student feedback in evaluating mathematics support centres. Proceedings of the CETL MSOR Conference 2006, pp.94-98. Available at: https://www.sigma-network.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CETL-MSOR-Proceedings2009.pdf [Accessed 4 January 2022].
Ní Fhloinn, E., Fitzmaurice, O., Mac an Bhaird, C. and O’Sullivan, C., 2014. Student perception of the impact of mathematics support in higher education. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(7), pp.953-967. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2014.892161
Nielsen, K.J., 2020. Students' video viewing habits during a flipped classroom course in engineering mathematics. Research in Learning Technology, 28. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v28.2404
O’Sullivan, L., Casey, D. and Crowley, J., 2021. Asynchronous online mathematics learning support: an exploration of interaction data to inform future provision. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 40(4), pp.317-331. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrab016
Patel, C. and Little, J., 2006. Measuring maths study support, Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 25(3), pp.131-138. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hri031
Pell, G. and Croft, T., 2008. Mathematics support – support for all? Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 27(4), pp.167-173. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrn015
Prince, M., 2004. Does Active Learning Work? A review of the research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), pp.223-231. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x
Sanderson, G., 2021. 3Blue1Brown. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw [Accessed 24 September 2021].
Wellington, J., 2000. Educational research: Contemporary issues and practical approaches. London: Continuum.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21100/msor.v20i2.1290
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.