International Conference on Enhancement and Innovation in Higher Education Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow 9-11 June 2015 Welcome

Jenna Mann, Pamela Docherty and Abby Shovlin Learning to learn Maths: Getting students to think about how they’re going to approach Maths at university. Student Experience Project

Problem Students struggle transitioning into studying mathematics at university – Different ways of teaching – Different ways of learning Group work Learning through mistakes

Aim: Build and nurture a sense of community for new maths students Develop resilience and confidence for learning at university – Giving students effective strategies

Results: 90% of students agreed or completely agreed it was useful to them as new Maths students “…helped me understand that problems are part of learning” 88% of students agreed or completely agreed it was enjoyable “…was great to make friends so early in the year”

School of Mathematics Enhanced Academic Induction – Embedded in School of Mathematics induction framework – Separate Induction for those on Combined Programmes

So today… 10 mins: Look at the image on your handout Write instructions to build the model – NO PICTURES! Swap

How did you find that? What do you think of others’ instructions? – Students got quite into critiquing others’ instructions! Student Experience Project

Discussion questions? What are transition issues for your students? Who are your students? – Where are they now, where do they/you want them to be? What is your current induction programme? – Is it closed (information transmission, before learning, singular, passive) or open (open, extended, activity based, part of learning)? How much do PALS feature in your school?

Thank you Pamela Docherty School of Mathematics Abby Shovlin Student Experience Project Jenna Mann IAD Student Experience Project

Feedback from Mathematics Building our academic community Students engaging in group work right from the start Support mechanisms such as MathsBase, MathPALS and our online discussion forum have seen higher use Retention