Birgit Loch

Do screencasts help to revise prerequisite mathematics? An investigation of student performance and perception

Basic calculus skills that are prerequisites for advanced mathematical studies continue to be a problem for a significant proportion of higher education students. While there are many types of revision material that could be offered to students, in this paper we investigate whether short, narrated video recordings of mathematical explanations (screencasts) are a useful tool to enhance student learning when revisiting prerequisite topics. We report on the outcomes of a study that was designed to both measure change in student performance before and after watching screencasts, and to capture students’ perception of the usefulness of screencasts in their learning. Volunteers were recruited from students enrolled on an entry module for the Mathematics Master of Science programme at the Open University to watch two screencasts sandwiched between two online calculus quizzes. A statistical analysis of student responses to the quizzes shows that screencasts can have a positive effect on student performance. Further analysis of student feedback shows that student confidence was increased by watching the screencasts. Student views on the value of screencasts for their learning indicated that they appreciated being able to watch a problem being solved and explained by an experienced mathematician; hear the motivation for a particular problem-solving approach; engage more readily with the material being presented, thereby retaining it more easily. The positive student views and impact on student scores indicate that short screencasts could play a useful role in revising prerequisite mathematics.

An innovative learning model for computation in first year mathematics

MATLAB is a sophisticated software tool for numerical analysis and visualization. The University of Queensland has adopted Matlab as its official teaching package across large first year mathematics courses. In the past, the package has met severe resistance from students who have not appreciated their computational experience. Several main factors contribute: first, the software is numerical rather than symbolic, providing a departure from the thinking patterns presented in lectures and tutorials. Second, many students cannot see a direct connection between the laboratory exercises and core course material from lectures. Third, the students find hurdles to entry as commands often return incomprehensible error messages and don’t execute, and programs are difficult to write and debug. Overall, the details of the mathematics are lost in trying to negotiate the software. After considerable effort in tuning, it appears that a sequence of innovations has captured student support and added considerable value to both the computational and traditional learning process.

Learner-centred mathematics and statistics education using netbook tablet PCs

Tablet technology has been shown to support learner-centred mathematics education when this technology is available to both the lecturer and the students. However, cost is often the barrier to students’ use of tablet PCs for their university studies. This article argues that more affordable netbook PCs with tablet capabilities can be viable alternatives to full-sized tablet PCs to enhance active and collaborative learning in mathematics and statistics. For a whole teaching semester, netbook tablet PCs were given to volunteer students from two different cohorts. Students were enrolled in nursing mathematics or introductory statistics in non-mathematics majors at an Australian university. The aims were to gauge the suitability of this technology and to identify what active and collaborative learning emerged in these first-year classes. While the netbook tablet PCs were actively promoted in their tutorials, of additional interest was students’ use of the technology for any aspect of their studies both inside and outside the classroom. The outcome of this study was to inform a university decision to provide inexpensive tablet technology to larger cohorts of students. The results highlight different approaches required in the mathematics and statistics classes to achieve collaborative and active learning facilitated through the technology. Environmental variables such as the tutor, student, learning space, availability of other technologies and subject content had an impact on the nature of learning. While learner-centred education can be facilitated by inexpensive netbook tablet PCs, we caution that the savings may come at the expense of computing power.

'I'm worried about the correctness: undergraduate students as producers of screencasts of mathematical explanations for their peers ¿ lecturer and student perceptions

Undergraduate mathematics is traditionally designed and taught by content experts with little contribution from students. Indeed, there are signs that there is resistance from mathematics lecturers to involve students in the creation of material to support their peers – notwithstanding the fact that students have been successfully engaged as co-creators of material in other disciplines. There appears to be little research into what issues may lead to reservations to using student-created content in mathematics learning. This paper takes a case study approach to investigate the reasons for lecturers’ resistance to undergraduate student contributions to learning material, in particular with a view to the production of screencasts of mathematical explanations. It also investigates the views of students producing mathematical screencasts. This study is part of a larger research project investigating undergraduate involvement in mathematics module design. Four second-year students, who were producing mathematics screencasts as part of an internship, and five academics, were interviewed to gain an understanding of their views of the value of student screencasts. The interviews focused on the particular contributions students make to screencasts, outcomes for the students and level of lecturer acceptance of these resources. We argue that students benefit from creating screencasts for their peers by gaining deeper mathematical understanding, improved technological skills and developing other generic skills required of todays graduates. In contrast, we confirm lecturer resistance to using student-generated screencasts in their teaching materials. Lecturer reservations pertain to students’ lack of mathematical maturity and concerns over the mathematical integrity of the content that students produce. We conclude that close collaboration between students and lecturers during the design and production phases of screencasts may help lecturers overcome reservations, whilst preserving the benefits for students. In addition, we provide evidence that the process is a valuable professional development opportunity for the lecturers themselves.

Closing the feedback loop: engaging students in large first-year mathematics test revision sessions using pen-enabled screens

How can active learning, peer learning and prompt feedback be achieved in large first-year mathematics classes? Further, what technologies may support these aims? In this article, we assert that test revision sessions in first-year mathematics held in a technology-enhanced lecture theatre can be highly interactive with students solving problems, learning from each other and receiving immediate feedback. This is facilitated by pen-enabled screens and synchronization software. We argue that the educational benefits achievable through the technology do outweigh the technological distractions, and that these benefits can be achieved by focused, targeted one-off sessions and not only by a semester-long, regular approach. Repeat mid-semester test revision sessions were offered on a non-compulsory basis using pen-enabled screens for all students. Students worked practice test questions and marked solutions to mathematical problems on the screens. Students’ work was then displayed anonymously for their peers to see. Answers were discussed with the whole class. We discuss outcomes from two offerings of these sessions using student feedback and lecturer reflections and show the impact of participation on self-reported student confidence. Pedagogical approaches that the technology allowed for the first time in a large class are highlighted. Students responded uniformly positively.

A roadmap for forming successful interdisciplinary education research collaborations: a reflective approach

Current literature about interdisciplinary education research is focused on three points: conceptual definitions of interdisciplinarity, the need for interdisciplinary research to tackle the advent of problem-based research and the positive curriculum outcomes to be gained from interdisciplinary research. While this research is important, it does not always include an account of the often complex and politicised interactions that might affect the outcomes of interdisciplinary research groups. This paper provides one possible ‘roadmap’ for successful interdisciplinary collaboration. It is based on a reflective case study of the authors’ own formation of an interdisciplinary research group and the practical resolutions to both the theoretical and the practical issues involved in achieving interdisciplinarity in education research.

Professional development for teaching in higher education

Due to the changing nature of learning and teaching in universities, there is a growing need for professional development for lecturers and tutors teaching in disciplines in the mathematical sciences. Mathematics teaching staff receive some training in learning and teaching but many of the courses running at university level are not tailored to the mathematical sciences. This article reports on a collaborative research project aimed at investigating the type of professional development that Australian tertiary mathematics teachers need and their preference for delivery modes. Effective teaching promotes effective learning in our students and discipline-specific professional development will enhance outcomes for teachers, students, and mathematics.

StatsCasts: screencasts for complementing lectures in statistics classes

Students who are studying introductory statistics units but are enrolled in non-statistics majors often struggle with the content, and do not stay engaged. Support structures are in place at many Australian universities to help these students. Most of these are face-to-face support centres that the students can visit during opening hours. To provide additional assistance to these students any time, and from anywhere, online media are increasingly used by students – either provided by support centres, or sought independently by students. Little research has been undertaken on the effectiveness of such resources to support student learning. This paper investigates whether students will embrace StatsCasts – short screen-capture videos on key statistical topics that students have struggled with in the past, with narrator explanation provided by the lecturer – as part of their learning strategy and if they will actively engage with the videos. Students enrolled in a large first-year statistics class at an Australian university who had been provided with StatsCasts responded to a survey at the end of the semester. Volunteering students also participated in a focus group to probe deeper into students’ perceptions of and motivations for watching the videos. Analysis of the data shows that students do actively engage with the StatsCasts and they appear to become an important component of their study and revision strategy.

Reframing e‐assessment: building professional nursing and academic attributes in a first year nursing course

This paper documents the relationships between pedagogy and e‐assessment in two nursing courses offered at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. The courses are designed to build the academic, numeracy and technological attributes student nurses need if they are to succeed at the university and in the nursing profession. The paper first outlines the management systems supporting the two courses and how they intersect with the e‐learning and e‐assessment components of the course design. These pedagogical choices are then reviewed. While there are lessons to be learnt and improvements to be made, preliminary results suggest that students and staff are extremely supportive of the courses. The e‐assessment is very positively received with students reporting increased confidence and competency in numeracy, as well as IT, academic, research and communication skills.

Mathematical e-Learning

Les tecnologies educatives van canviant la manera d’impartir l’ensenyament superior. Aquestes tecnologies inclouen, entre altres, els entorns d’aprenentatge virtual o sistemes de gestio d’aprenentatge individual i col•laboratiu, recursos d’internet per a l’ensenyament i l’aprenentatge, materials academics en format electronic, programari especificament orientat, metodes i eines que milloren el treball en grup (groupware) i programari per a xarxes socials. Gracies a l’acces generalitzat a la tecnologia i a la innovacio tecnologica, no tan sols hem estat testimonis de la creacio i el desenvolupament d’universitats en linia en les ultimes decades, sino que a mes assistim a una gran transformacio en la manera d’impartir l’ensenyament a les universitats presencials mes tradicionals. Aquesta transformacio afecta la naturalesa dels cursos i els programes de llicenciatura que ofereixen els sistemes d’ensenyament superior a tot el mon. Aquestes innovacions tecnologiques han incrementat les oportunitats d’aprenentatge a distancia, ja que els estudiants que tenen limitacions de temps –per dificultats laborals o de desplacament– o de lloc –a causa de la situacio geografica o d’una discapacitat fisica– ara tenen la flexibilitat necessaria per a accedir a cursos i llicenciatures d’acord amb les seves necessitats.