Mathematics in the disciplines at the transition to university

McAlinden, M. Gavan; Noyes, Andrew

doi:10.1093/teamat/hry004

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Carefully designed material, though, cannot have influence unless it is used, and incorporating learning resources into assessment gives a reward that promotes activity and persistence among students. Definitions of formative assessment permit giving marks, but preferably not too much of the final grade [15]. In the present study both cohorts completed specially designed weekly online tutorial tasks, with freedom about the time and the number of attempts, with completion contributing a small amount to the final mark.…”

Section: Support Through Formative Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…University mathematics students have chosen degree courses containing some mathematics, and have had reasonable success in secondary school mathematics, but many find the transition to university mathematics very difficult. Research findings from diverse backgrounds, such as the work done by McAldinen and Noyes [15] in Britain, Bengmark, Thunberg and Winberg [1] in Sweden, and Hillock and Khan [11] in Australia, emphasised the importance of the issue, and also note that the increasing diversity of students' previous educational experience may make transition more difficult for many of them. Nicholas et al [16] found diversity of background very important among Australian students.…”

Section: Student Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of a change to more formative assessment among tertiary mathematics students

Freislich

Bowen-James²

2020

ANZIAMJ

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A change in teaching delivery at a large Australian university, from two semesters to three trimesters, was the occasion for using more formative assessment in a core first-year mathematics unit. This study compared evidence about learning outcomes for two cohorts in adjacent years. Cohort 1 was the last taught over a semester, and Cohort 2 the first taught over a trimester. There was no change in overall workload, and no change in the unit's total teaching hours, syllabus or materials. Assessments were changed for class tests during the teaching period by giving Cohort 2 access to unlimited practice and computer-assisted feedback on the questions in the test database, followed by doing the tests under examination conditions. For Cohort 2, a written assignment was also added, focused on giving a clear solution to a mathematics problem, and awareness of the need for appropriate evidence, both background and internal to the problem. Learning outcomes were compared using closely comparable tasks from the final examinations, and examining students' answers in the examination scripts. Outcomes were assessed by a method derived from the solo taxonomy, which afforded a common scale to measure the quality of learning outcomes observable in final examination scripts. Results on separate tasks, plus those for a composite score, favoured Cohort 2. The effect size for the composite score was 0.457. This indicates that the unlimited practice with computer feedback for class tests, and the writing assignment, were functioning as intended in promoting learning with understanding. References S. Bengmark, H. Thunberg, and T. M. Winberg. Success-factors in transition to university mathematics. Int. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech., 48(7):988–1001, 2017. doi:10.1080/0020739X.2017.1310311. J. B. Biggs and K. F. Collis. Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy. Academic Press, New York, 1981. URL https://www.elsevier.com/books/evaluating-the-quality-of-learning/biggs/978-0-12-097552-5. A. Bowen-James. Perceptions of learning environments among tertiary mathematics students. Sc.Ed.D. Thesis. Curtin University of Technology, 2002. H. Chick, J. M. Watson, and K. F. Collis. Using the solo taxonomy for error analysis in mathematics. Res. Math. Ed. Aust., 1(1):34–47, 1988. M. R. Freislich. A comparison between the effects of Keller Plan instruction and traditional teaching methods on the structure of learning outcomes among tertiary mathematics students. Sc.Ed.D. Thesis. Curtin University of Technology, 1997. M. R. Freislich. The effects of Keller Plan instruction on the achievement and attitudes of tertiary mathematics students. Proc. Int. Conf. Teach. Math., Istanbul. 2006. M. Gill and M. Greenow. How effective is feedback in computer-aided assessment? Learn. Media Tech., 33(3):207–220, 2008. doi:10.1080/17439880802324145. J. Hannah, A. James, and P. Williams. Does computer-aided formative assessment improve learning outcomes? Int. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech., 45(2):269–281, 2014. doi:10.1080/0020739X.2013.822583. D. Harris and M. Pampaka. \T1\textquoteleft they [the lecturers] have to get through a certain amount in an hour\T1\textquoteright : first year students\T1\textquoteright problems with service mathematics lectures. Teach. Math. App., 35(3):144–158, 2016. doi:10.1093/teamat/hrw013. S. Higgins and M. Katsipataki. Communicating comparative findings from meta-analysis in educational research: some examples and suggestions. Int. J. Math.. Res. Meth. Ed., 39(3):237–254, 2016. doi:10.1080/1743727X.2016.1166486. P. W. Hillock and R. N. Khan. A support learning programme for first-year mathematics. Int. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech., 50(7):24–29, 2019. doi:10.1080/0020739X.2019.1656830. A. Hodge, J. C. Richardson, and C. S. York. The impact of a web-based homework tool in university algebra courses on student learning and strategies. J. Online Learn. Teach., 5(4):618–629, 2009. URL https://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no4/hodge_1209.htm. D. Holton and D. Clarke. Scaffolding and metacognition. Int. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech., 37(2):127–143, 2006. doi:10.1080/00207390500285818. A. H. Jonsdottir, A. Bjornsdottir, and G. Stefansson. Difference in learning among students doing pen-and-paper homework compared to web-based homework in an introductory statistics course. J. Stat. Ed., 25(1):12–20, 2017. doi:10.1080/10691898.2017.1291289. M. McAlinden and A. Noyes. Mathematics in the disciplines at the transition to university. Teach. Math. App., 38(2):61–73, 2019. doi:10.1093/teamat/hry004. J. Nicholas, L. Poladian, J. Mack, and R. Wilson. Mathematics preparation for university: entry pathways and their effect on performance in first year mathematics and science subjects. Int. J. Innov. Sci. Math. Ed., 23(1):37–51, 2015. https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/view/8488. M. I. Nunez-Pena, R. Bono, and M. Suarez-Pellicioni. Feedback on students' performance: a possible way of reducing the negative effect of math anxiety in higher education. Int. J. Ed. Res., 70(1):80–87, 2015. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2015.02.005. J. T. E. Richardson. Student learning in higher education: a commentary. Ed. Psych. Rev., 29(1):353–362, 2017. doi:10.1007/s10648-017-9410-x. L. J. Rylands and D. Shearman. Mathematics learning support and engagement in first year engineering. Int. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech., 49(8):1133–1147, 2018. doi:10.1080/0020739X.2018.1447699. K. A. Seaton. Efficacy and efficiency in formative assessment: an informed reflection on the value of partial marking. Int. J. Math. Ed. Sci. Tech., 44(7):963–971, 2013. doi:10.1080/0020739X.2013.831490. D. Wood, J. S. Bruner, and G. Ross. The role of tutoring in problem solving. J. Child Psychol. Psych., 17(1):89–100, 1976. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x. L. Zetterqvist. Applied problems and use of technology in an aligned way in basic courses in probability and statistics for engineering students—a way to enhance understanding and increase motivation. Teach. Math. App., 36(2):108–122, 2017. doi:10.1093/teamat/hrx004.

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Section: Support Through Formative Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Student Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of a change to more formative assessment among tertiary mathematics students

Freislich

Bowen-James²

2020

ANZIAMJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…But there is no lack of evidence that many students find the transition to university mathematics very difficult, and the evidence comes from a wide variety of settings. Examples are afforded by the work reported in [9], for Britain, in [10] for Sweden and in [11] for Australia. Beginning university students can find self-regulation difficult.…”

Section: Student Learning and The Transition To University Mathematicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online Support for Tertiary Mathematics Students in a Blended Learning Environment

Freislich¹,

Bowen-James²

2022

Adv. sci. technol. eng. syst. j.

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The context for the study was a naturally occurring quasi-experiment in the core mathematics program in a large Australian university. Delivery of teaching was changed in a sequence of two initial core mathematics subjects taken by engineering and science students. The change replaced one of two face-to-face tutorial classes per week by an online tutorial. Tasks in the online tutorial were designed to lead the students through the week's topics, using initially simpler tasks as scaffolding for more complex tasks. This was the only change: syllabus and written materials were the same, as was students' access to help from staff and discussion with peers. The study compared learning outcomes among students in two adjacent years: Cohort 1, the last before the change, and Cohort 2, in the first implementation of the change to a blended learning environment. Learning outcomes were assessed by a method derived from the SOLO taxonomy, which used a common scale for scoring written answers to examination questions in the two cohorts. In the first mathematics subject students doing online tutorials had significantly higher scores than those studying before the change. In the second mathematics subject there were no significant differences. The conclusion was that the online tutorials gave an advantage to students beginning university study and gave adequate support to those in the subject taken a little later. It can be concluded that the use of an online teaching component in the delivery of university mathematics programs is not only justifiable but desirable, subject to careful design of the teaching material offered.

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“…As with many countries, in Australia there is concern over the decline in the number of high school students studying mathematics and science (Wilson & Mack, 2014;Treacy & Faulkner, 2015). In addition, the mathematical skills of students entering university STEM 2 degree programs are decreasing, leading to low retention rates in these programs (Hodgen et al, 2020;McAlinden & Noyes, 2018;Di Martino & Gregorio, 2019;Nortvedt & Siqveland, 2019). Contributing factors are the removal of pre-requisites including mathematics for degrees requiring quantitative skills, and the greater diversity of the student cohort which includes school leavers, mature age, first-in-family and low socioeconomic status students, with many entering universities through non-traditional pathways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online quiz for STEM assumed knowledge self-assessment by first year science students: a pilot study

Johnston

Watters

Brown

et al. 2021

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and

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This study aimed to adapt the Get Set2 quiz environment and design a diagnostic quiz for implementation under assumed knowledge admissions into university science degrees. The GetReady Quiz that was designed, was comprised five modules benchmarked against the high school curriculum in Maths, Chemistry and Biology.The significance of this study stems from the development of an alternate approach to support students, with deficiencies in mathematical skills, who enter university STEM programs with recommended foundational knowledge in mathematics and science. A mixed-mode research methodology was employed in which quiz design was coupled with implementation and evaluation with a pilot study. The GetReady Quiz design featured five discipline modules in Maths, Chemistry and Biology, with progression of question difficulty. Knowledge gaps and apparent difficulties for some students with conceptual understanding were evident in the pilot study.Students displayed a realisation of their lack of knowledge by reporting that completion of the GetReady Quiz helped them identify areas for revision. The findings indicated that the GetReady quiz was appropriate for assumed knowledge self-diagnosis for commencing students. Approaches to diagnostic testing, such as the GetReady Quiz, should be recommended, if not compulsory, for university students who commence study with STEM assumed knowledge admission.

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Mathematics in the disciplines at the transition to university

Cited by 12 publications

References 40 publications

Effects of a change to more formative assessment among tertiary mathematics students

Effects of a change to more formative assessment among tertiary mathematics students

Online Support for Tertiary Mathematics Students in a Blended Learning Environment

Online quiz for STEM assumed knowledge self-assessment by first year science students: a pilot study

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