Professor Tony CroftDirector, Mathematics Education Centre,

Loughborough Universitywww.sigma-cetl.ac.uk

Mathematics Support Centres

The benefits for students, teachers and institutions

Loughborough & the University

Established as a technicalinstitute in 1909.

1966 awarded its charteras Loughborough Universityof Technology

1996 renamedLoughborough University

Today – one of the best Universities in the UK

A centre for excellence in university wide mathematics and statistics support

Overview

What are mathematics support centres ?

What goes on in them ?

Why do we have them ?

What are the benefits of having them

Measuring success

What are mathematics support centres ? resources, facilities, services

offered to students in addition to that traditionally provided in a university

What are mathematics support centres ? open-access drop-in help where students can ask for one-to-

one help with experienced tutors in a friendly, non-judgemental and supportive environment

Paper-based and computer-based resources Timetabled workshops on specific topics known to cause

difficulties Diagnostic testing and follow-up support Learning spaces with access to textbooks, etc Refresher or revision programmes (e.g. prior to the start of

term) Support for students who have additional learning needs (e.g.

dyslexia)

What are mathematics support centres ?

Continuing growth in UK activitySurveys:

Demand:

When sigma announced a competition for funding to develop new or existing centres, 14 high quality bids were received.

Sigma has now helped to establish new centres at

Beveridge 1993 42

Lawson et al 2001 46

Perkin & Croft 2004 66

Bath http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/mash/

Sheffield http://www.shef.ac.uk/mash/

Around the world

Australia:

there are 39 universities, of which 32 have some form of Mathematics & Statistics Learning Support.

(Helen MacGillivray, QUT, 2008)

Ireland:

13 institutions with mathematics support provision are reported in the audit of Gill Donoghue & Johnson

(CEMTL 2008)

Around the world

Switzerland’s first….. Opened September 2008

The Loughborough Centre

video

Why do we have mathematics support centres ?

Widespread concerns about maths standards in schools impacting upon higher education

Plethora of government reports about the challenges

Need to increase the numbers studying STEM subjects

The benefits for students

Enables students to build confidence

Eases transition to HE Improves retention Improves marks Greater satisfaction

Robinson

Bamforth et al (2007)

Bamforth et al (2007)

Bamforth et al (2007)

Dowling & Nolan (DCU)

Published in CETL MSOR 2006 Conference Proceedings Effectiveness of the Maths Learning Centre measured by usage

statistics, feedback including interviews.

Model:

pass rates of “at risk” students who did / did not visit the centre were compared over two years.

2004/5 2005/6

Number at risk 80 161

Number at risk who visited MLSC

41 95

Pass rate at risk who visited

53% 60%

Pass rate at risk who did not visit

25% 49%

Pell & Croft

Anecdotally:

Some of the students most in need of support fail to access it at all.

Many of those who make good use of the centres would pass anyway.

Analysed five first year engineering maths modules in 2004-5.644 students.

Data obtained on their module grade, number of visits to the centre.No access to entry grades.

Pell & Croft

21 students attended >=2 and achieved grade D 63 out of 74 failing students did not attend more than once

Pell & Croft

35% of those achieving A* sought maths help more than once 15% of E Grade Students and 15% of F Grade students sought help

more than once fail grade students, in addition to having ability problems have

attitudinal problems

Maths support can transform people’s lives ….

I just wanted to share my good news that after five years of study at Loughborough I managed to gain a first class honours in Product Design and Manufacture. I believe that without the hours you dedicated to the maths learning support centre I would not have been able to pass the maths modules on my foundation year and first year. Your support, patience and encouragement were invaluable when it came to a subject that I had little confidence in when I first arrived at Loughborough.

Kathryn

Maths support can transform people’s lives ….

Video clip

The benefits for staff

An efficient way of coping with struggling students

Excellent professional development Improved module marks Improved pass rates Fewer complaints A defence against complaints

The benefits for institutions

External Review The Institutional Audit report of 2004 records:

“The audit team identified the following areas as being good practice in the context of the University: the work of the Mathematics Education Centre...”

“Having discussed the work of the MEC with members of staff across the University, the team came to the view that [its] contributions to the University's resources for staff development, and their work more generally, constituted a feature of good practice.”

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/institutional/loughborough2004/Rg063loughboroughUni.pdf

The Institutional Audit report of 2008 records:

sigma CETL has its origins in the Mathematics Education Centre but has widened its concernfrom the teaching of mathematics to engineers to include support for mathematics educationacross the University. The ready accessibility of useful help was praised by both undergraduateand postgraduate students that met the audit team. Other students described the benefits of thesupport rooms and associated equipment. Postgraduate students were appreciative of the one-to-one help and individual study programmes provided for them by the Centre.

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/institutional/Loughborough08/RG378Loughborough.pdf

NSS National Student Survey 2008

Comments relating to “maths support”

Department: Mathematical Sciences:

2 positive comments referring to MLSC (unspecified)

Department: Economics

Two positive comments citing “excellent maths support” (one) and “superb support in the form of the maths support centre” (one)

Department: Electronic and Electrical Eng:

One positive comment: “the uni is more than equipped to help and bring me up to speed with my maths skills that I may have previously missed or forgotten”.

National Audit Office 2007….

Staying the course: the retention of students in higher education.

“A university’s approach to retention should be a positive one and it should provide students with opportunities to improve their grades rather than just addressing gaps in their knowledge”

The data from Pell would suggest the support centres are already doing this rather well!

Measuring efficacy

Measures of success – soft measures

Growth in the number of centres

Usage Data – attendance records, return visits, year of study, department, problem

Student Feedback Questionnaires – biased and usually positive

Module Feedback Questionnaires – reach a broader group of students, but often little is said about maths support.

External Review

Usage Data

Student visits

Usage Data

Students Visits Departments

Finally

For those interested in developing their own provision, large or small scale, free help is at hand:

http://www.mathcentre.ac.ukhttp://www.mathtutor.ac.uk

http://mec.lboro.ac.uk

Thank you