Date of the Workshop: Thursday 10 July 2025
Location: The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes
Introduction
Even before recent dramatic shifts in education, the engagement of students with each other and their education was evolving. Changes in technology, lecture capture, the cost-of-living crisis and the rise in declared mental health issues have all influenced student behaviour. These changes can make it more challenging for students to fully immerse themselves in the overall university experience and leave them less time and energy to engage with other students or academic support. With these changing patterns of student engagement, maths departments are finding they need to adapt the way they engage and interact with students and also need to facilitate the interaction between students. The workshop looked at examples of successful initiatives to build communities in mathematical sciences and at how we can expand collaborations in this area.
Workshop Overview
The workshop was in-person and consisted of two sessions.
In the morning session talks were presented from 4 keynote speakers followed by a series of short talks. In the afternoon sessions there were two discussion workshops.
There were 28 participants from 13 different academic institutions across England and Scotland. From these participants, 21 were members of academic staff, 3 were postgraduate students and 4 were undergraduate students. The undergraduate students were invited to participate based on their involvement in community initiatives at their own institutions with undergraduates from Liverpool, Greenwich and the Open University participating. One of the keynote speakers was a PhD student conducting research into social interaction within mathematics and statistics support.
Main Themes and Ideas
The keynote talks were:
- Lucy Deacon & Mark Hodds (Coventry), Investigating social interactions in mathematics and statistics support.
This began with the theme of how students interact within a Mathematics and Statistics Support Centre and then considered how to create a community of resilient learners. - Simon Fairfax (Liverpool), Fostering a maths student community post pandemic – a multi-pronged approach.
This talk looked at a series of initiatives around induction, student communication and peer assisted learning to enhance the sense of community amongst undergraduates on a mathematics degree programme. - Ana Paula Palacios (Greenwich) – Immersive modules and authentic assessments: a way to boost student engagement?
With a theme of how the implementation of an immersive module at the start of a mathematics degree programme could be used to help build a sense of community amongst mathematics students.
These were followed by a series of short talks from Charlotte Lighter, Cath Brown and Hayley Ryder (The Open University) looking at the importance of community to mathematics and statistics students in distance and online learning and how this can be enhanced through initiatives such as the use of forums, collaborative tutorials, interactive videos and online social events.
In the afternoon there were two discussion workshops. In the first workshop, groups considered several case studies of initiatives that built communities in mathematical sciences considering their strengths and weaknesses and potential barriers to participation. They were also invited to construct their own case studies based upon initiatives they had run or were considering running.
In the second workshop participants were invited to consider how they could implement one of the case study initiatives at their own institution, or in collaboration with another participant. We considered several education research frameworks and evaluation methodologies and asked participants to consider how they could evaluate any future initiatives.
Emerging Implications and Recommendations
This workshop highlighted the critical role of student communities in fostering resilience and engagement among learners in the mathematical sciences. A key takeaway was that such communities do not form spontaneously—they require intentional support from academic staff, structured initiatives, and sustained effort. Simply hosting events is not enough; success depends on creating environments where students feel connected and supported.
Following this workshop, several participants have expressed a commitment to collaborate on student-focused community events and to share effective practices. To sustain this progress, we recommend establishing regular meetings or a community of practice dedicated to promoting and refining strategies that support student belonging and resilience in the mathematical sciences. These ongoing connections will help embed good practice and ensure that efforts to build inclusive student communities remain active and impactful.
Resources and Links
Slides from the presentations are available from the organisers upon request.
Acknowledgments
The event was organised by Sue Pawley and Andrew Neate (The Open University). The organisers would like to the IMA/LMS/RSS and the School of Mathematics and Statistics at The Open University for their financial support in running the event.
The organisers would also like to thank all the keynote speakers, attendees and in particular all the students who participated in the event.
Conclusion
Fostering strong, inclusive communities among students in the mathematical sciences is essential for cultivating resilient, motivated learners who can support one another throughout their academic journey. These communities should reflect the diversity of the student body and be responsive to their varied needs and experiences. Building these communities cannot be a passive endeavour, but needs engagement, guidance and support from academic staff. This workshop has demonstrated the value of bringing together both staff and students to explore how student communities in mathematical sciences can be better supported. Future workshops should continue to build on this momentum by strengthening cross-institutional collaboration, encouraging the exchange of innovative ideas, and showcasing successful initiatives. These gatherings can serve as a catalyst for developing new approaches and strengthening existing ones, which could enhance the student experience across the sector.
