Working with Student Interns to Enhance our SHU Maths Support

Provisionby

Neil Challis, Jeff Waldock and Sarah Woodall

Introduction

• Maths Help has provided drop-in Maths support for all students since 1992.

• Recently a process of re-invigoration has begun, supported by a student intern project to gather usage and non-usage data, and generate ideas on how to enhance provision.

We hope that ....

• .... this (short) talk will generate discussion which will contribute to the process of re-invigoration.

So: • butt in, • ask questions, • tell us what you think, • give us your ideas.

Purpose of Maths Help

• to provide drop-in support in maths and stats, • to supplement support within modules for

students who, although generally well qualified for HE, are not prepared mathematically.

• Such students may be at risk of failure to fully achieve, or even to satisfactorily progress.

The need for the service

• In 2011, the Advisory Council on Mathematics Education estimated that “of those entering higher education in any year, some 330,000 would benefit from recent experience of studying some mathematics (including statistics) at a level beyond GCSE, but fewer than 125,000 have done so.”

• The service receives, on average, over 1200 visits per year.

Recent initiative

• In summer 2014 two student interns worked with Mathematics staff to gather evidence and identify opportunities for enhancing Maths Help.

• The resulting evidence is being used to plan a revised, improved and extended service.

• Key outcomes follow.

Sustainability

• Funding for Maths Help needs to be placed on a firm footing.

• Maths Help should be more closely coordinated with other forms of academic support.

Expansion

• We should exploit the potential that exists for wider use of the service, by students across all four faculties

• We should therefore establish closer links between Maths Help staff and academic staff across other disciplines.

• Opportunities for better publicity for the service should be investigated.

• In particular, Maths Help should be highlighted in the SHU prospectus, at open days and in the SHU OFFA Access Agreement.

Operation

• The opportunity exists for final year Mathematics students to assist Maths Help tutors.

• We will consider additional modes of support e.g. targeted sessions, appointments, virtual support, to complement the current face-to-face drop-in support which students have stated to be important in improving confidence.