This in-person workshop, organised by Chris Brignell, was held on 10 May 2023 at the University of Nottingham with 20 people in attendance. The purpose of the workshop was to consider the purpose and practicalities of modules that fall outside of the traditional format of taught content and exam assessments. The talks discussed how modules based around projects or dissertations can encourage the learning of a wider range of skills related to communication, teamwork and employment.
Peter Rowlett (Sheffield Hallam University) started the day by discussing his project module where the emphasis is on modelling rather than learning models, and rewards students for mathematising problems, coming up with potential solutions by learning new areas of mathematics and communicating results to a range of audiences (e.g. technical reports for colleagues as well as less-mathematical results for clients or decision makers).
Elinor Jones (University College London) then shared joint work with Tom Palmer on group-based methods for teaching statistics. She highlighted the American Statistical Association’s GAISE report that calls for more active learning strategies such as problem-based learning and team-based learning. Both can be powerful teaching techniques but need appropriate staff training and facilities and the implementation of team-based learning in a large class was discussed.
After a break, there were three short talks. Firstly, Tom Wicks (University of Nottingham) gave an update on the programme-level redesign of the maths programme at Nottingham and how 3rd year projects were now group-based to foster better communication skills. Nikesh Solanki (University of Manchester) then spoke on the resources and marking rubrics he’s created for developing and assessing mathematical writing skills. The morning was concluded by Ros Porter (Sheffield Hallam University) on how to support students develop mathematical models from scratch.
After lunch, Ewan Russell (University of Liverpool), presented a case study of a final year module which is a collaboration between the maths department, the careers and employability team and local employers in Liverpool. The venture has been successful in working with employers to develop group projects for mathematicians and shape the assessment tasks, which has consequently benefited students’ problem-solving and communication skills and general skills awareness.
The final short talk was by Laurence Shaw (Nottingham Trent University) on their final year module which includes a synoptic assessment that promotes graduate employment. The day concluded with discussions around tables on the key outcomes from the day. Some key take-home messages were:
- It is necessary to scaffold the assessments (especially when introducing unfamiliar formats) within the module and, where possible, across the rest of the programme.
- Expectations around group work need to be clear and including a reflective component and/or peer evaluation is helpful.
- Marking needs to be consistent, with clear rubrics so students know what they are aiming for.
- More time is needed for the planning of the modules (facilities, timetabling, staffing) compared to lecture/exam modules and time is needed for students to develop skills alongside mathematical knowledge.
- Problems need to be carefully curated and, where possible, in conjunction with industry.
In post-workshop feedback some participants indicated they were going to introduce projects and/or team-based learning in years 1 or 2 of the programme to better prepare students for final year projects, while others recognised that the need to train academic staff so more are comfortable to go beyond the traditional lecture and exam format.
