2007 Symposium on Learning Support in Mathematics and Statistics


About the Symposium | Symposium Report | Symposium Program and Presentations | Symposium Photos

About the Learning Support in Mathematics and Statistics Symposium

This symposium was held as part of a Carrick Project aiming to develop capacity and collaboration in cross-disciplinary mathematics and statistics support to enhance student learning and confidence. The symposium incorporated a range of matters of interest to all those involved in such learning support, including:

  • an overview of the current services, backgrounds and needs in Australian universities

  • plenary papers from national and international leaders in this area describing something of the diversity of challenges and achievements to date

  • presentations from individuals and groups directly involved in the provision of such support

  • discussion of current and future needs, plans and strategies

  • development of collaborative networks for sharing resources, information and support

  • strengthening awareness of the value and importance of maths and stats learning support across the tertiary sector

  • development of strategies for promotion and increased support for maths and stats learning

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Symposium Report

The Symposium Report can be downloaded here [doc].

Overview
Amidst increasing awareness of the fundamental roles of mathematics and statistics in a modern society, a Symposium on Learning Support for Mathematics and Statistics was held at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) on 19th-20th July, 2007. The Symposium provided an opportunity for presentations and discussion amongst staff involved in learning support for mathematics and statistics, with the focus on building and sustaining networking and developments across Australian universities. Funding for the Symposium was provided from a Disciplinary and Cross-disciplinary Leadership Project, Quantitative diversity: disciplinary and cross-disciplinary mathematics and statistics support in Australian universities, of the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, together with support from QUT’s School of Mathematical Sciences.

Fifty-five delegates from 26 Australian, 1 New Zealand and 2 UK universities attended the Symposium. The list of universities represented at the Symposium is provided in Attachment A. It was very beneficial to have representatives of all types of Australian universities with their diversity of students, courses and campuses. The program is provided in Attachment B. The presentations and panels were carefully chosen to provide a mix of information and discussion points ranging across the variety of models and practical issues across Australia, with input from the UK. Learning support in mathematics and statistics in the UK has progressed considerably, with funding and acknowledgement by government and universities, a process assisted by the work of the Learning and Teaching Support Networks (LTSN), now of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. Delegates were eager to hear about activities and challenges in different universities and to share experiences. The panels of students and staff from other areas were also well-received. Delegates’ feedback during the Symposium acclaimed it a success and of great value. Post-symposium, delegates were invited to provide further feedback either by direct email or through a form that could be submitted anonymously. A summary of these with delegates’ comments is provided in Attachment C.

Presentations, panels and discussion ranged widely, but the commonality of issues across all types of universities was significant. These include:

  • insufficient overt recognition of the critical roles of mathematical and statistical skills in
    underpinning student success in many courses, including postgraduate

  • the need for universities to acknowledge and act on their responsibility to care for students permitted to enter with diverse mathematics backgrounds and skills

  • the need for learning support in mathematics and statistics to provide a range of services tailored for needs of relevant courses, circumstances and cohorts

  • the difficulties of meeting increasing student needs in mathematics and statistics with uncertain funding, stretched personnel and scarce space

  • the importance of sourcing experience and expertise in teaching mathematics and statistics at tertiary level, and knowledge of backgrounds and specific needs

  • the value for students of diagnostic assessment and the importance of adequate resourcing for data collection and analysis, and research.

The Symposium brought together individuals and groups from mathematics, statistics and central learning support services, and from all types of universities, in a unique opportunity to share their commitment in providing support essential for students’ immediate academic survival and long term development. Symposium delegates supported the following plans:

  • establishment and maintenance of a website for providing information, networking, discussion forums, resource sharing, visibility and representation for learning support in mathematics and statistics in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in universities across Australia

  • circulation of reports and statements of issues and needs to university authorities, professional bodies and government

  • liaison with professional societies and conference organisations for purposes of participation in, and organising satellites to, conferences and meetings

  • encouraging data collection, analysis and research

  • increasing international links and collaboration

There has always been, and always will be, need for reliable, supportive and expert help for students in numeracy, mathematics and statistics across a wide range of disciplines in universities. Like language, mathematical skills and thinking underpin much in other areas, and tertiary study asks for them to be accessed and used confidently and promptly in new and sometimes taxing contexts. It is this transferability of mathematics and statistics that is the source of both their power and their challenge. Mathematical learning is also highly cumulative and focussed, tending to make it feel demanding – for everyone, no matter how “good” they are at mathematics! The totality of mathematics support in this broad sense in a university comes from mathematics and statistics departments, relevant staff in other disciplines, and learning support in mathematics and statistics in the way in which this term is now generally used and described below. The components and their mutual arrangement within this totality depends on the university, its courses and structures.

However the past two decades have added extraordinary difficulties and pressures in mathematics and statistics for tertiary students. In the late 1980’s, a commendable move to improve the educational inclusivity and appeal of maths had an unfortunate by-product of starting a denial of maths that was not sufficiently curtailed. Ironically, over the same period, society has become more technologically dependent and data-laden, with associated increasing need for mathematical and statistical skills and thinking. It is very common now that threshold tests for graduate employment include non-negligible numeracy and quantitative problem-solving components.  In his welcome to the 2005 AALL  (Association for Academic Language and Learning) Conference, Professor Malcolm Gillies, then DVC (Education) at ANU made an impassioned plea for greater attention to be given to numeracy at tertiary level. As early as 1995, McInnes and James identified lack of mathematical skills and confidence as a barrier for success for many students.

Business and industry need to be more public in their valuing of the skills that come from mathematics and statistics. Professional societies need to be more pro-active in helping society to understand how mathematics and statistics underpin other disciplines and problem-solving. Universities need to guard against the dogma of denial of the importance of mathematics, and ensure that the totality of help for their students in numeracy, mathematics and statistics is espoused and sustained. The components of this help within a university should be coherent, linked and valued. Learning support in mathematics and statistics has become an increasingly important component in this totality, building individual confidence and repairing weaknesses. Many students have lauded such support in helping them succeed, and quality data and sound analysis have demonstrated students’ desire for such support and its benefits for student progression. It has become critical that learning support in mathematics and statistics be funded and staffed in an ongoing, stable and sustained way.

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Symposium Program and Presentations

The 2007 program can be downloaded here [doc].
The 2007 Symposium Abstracts can be downloaded here [doc].

Lyn Armstrong (University of Western Sydney): "Issues for mathematics and statistics within a central learning support unit" [ppt].

Helen Barton, Allan Ernest and Jennifer Scott (Charles Sturt University): "Mathematics Support for Students on Vocational Courses" [ppt].
A copy of the paper associated with this presentation can be downloaded here [pdf].

Richard Gadsden (Loughborough University): "Sigma: The UK's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Mathematics and Statistics Support" [ppt].

Helen MacGillivray (Queensland University of Technology): "How learning support in maths and stats can enhance the university sector " [ppt].

Jackie Nicholas (University of Sydney): "Issues, successes and failures " [ppt].

Anne Porter (University of Wollongong): "Summertime Math" [ppt].

Susan Starkings (London South Bank University): "Mathematics Support for Students on Vocational Courses" [ppt].

Janet Taylor and Linda Galligan (University of Southern Queensland): "Assisting systemic change in academic numeracy: steps on the journey " [ppt].

Therese Wilson (Queensland University of Technology): "A snapshot of Australian current mathematics and statistics support " [ppt].

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Symposium Photos

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