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Peer-to-peer lending has advantages of ease of access to finance, timely and efficient delivery of funding and is particularly beneficial at a specific time in the lifecycle of the firm.

In this paper, we consider the changes to mathematics learning support (MLS) at Maynooth University due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of novel online study groups aimed at increasing student engagement and interaction. We briefly outline the local, national and international impact of COVID-19 on MLS and then focus on the results of a student survey. Respondents who regularly used online MLS were broadly positive about their experiences. They cited, in particular, the influence of tutors and the scheduled study groups, which provided structure and motivation as well as the opportunity to work with others and ask questions in less intimidating small groups. However, some respondents highlighted factors that impacted negatively on their engagement. These included low attendance or interaction from peers, timetabling issues or busy schedules, lack of awareness of the details of the services and increased feelings of discomfort and anxiety in an online environment. We consider how this student feedback may influence our future online and in-person supports.

In this paper, we focus on survey results of students’ use of a Mathematics Support Centre website. We discuss potential modifications to the advertisement of our online services based on student responses. We also consider the purpose of an MSC website and who should be responsible, in an institution, for the provision of topic specific online resources for students.

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The provision of some level of Mathematics Learning Support is now commonplace in the majority of Higher Education Institutions in the UK and Ireland. Most of these supports were initially established with the aim of trying to address the problem of large numbers of first-year students with weak mathematical backgrounds. The centres provide students the opportunity to overcome mathematical issues in their transition from school to Higher Education. This article presents findings from a recent quantitative study at a university, where the range of supports available and levels of engagement have increased dramatically since they were first offered in 2007. We investigated if the Mathematics Support Centre there was still helping the students who needed it most; in particular, we considered students' mathematical backgrounds, the number and length of their visits and their end of year module grades.

In this article we present the findings of a research study which investigated the opportunities for creative reasoning (CR) made available to first year undergraduate students in assessments. We compared three first year calculus courses across two Irish universities using Lithner's framework. This framework sets apart imitative reasoning (IR) (analogous to rote learning and mimicry of algorithms) and CR (which includes plausible mathematicallyfounded arguments). We report on the differences between reasoning opportunities in specialist and non-specialist courses and compare our findings with those of other similar projects. In addition, we will provide a critical reflection on Lithner's framework as a method for classifying tasks in calculus courses and suggest a modification.

Digital technologies are transforming how small businesses access finance and from whom. This chapter explores online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, a form of crowdfunding that connects borrowers and lenders. Information asymmetry is a key issue in online peer-to-peer lending marketplaces that can result in moral hazard or adverse selection, and ultimately impact the viability and success of individual platforms.