1. A novel approach to enhanced academic induction with the School of Mathematics. Dr Pamela Docherty (P.Docherty@ed.ac.uk) Dr Jenna Mann (Jenna.Mann@ed.ac.uk) Abby Shovlin (Abby.Shovlin@ed.ac.uk) Student Experience Project

2. Or: Learning to Learn Maths Student Experience Project

3. Problem: Students struggle transitioning into studying mathematics at university – Different ways of teaching – Different ways of learning Group work Learning through mistakes Student Experience Project

4. Aim: Build and nurture a sense of community for new maths students Develop resilience and confidence for learning at university Student Experience Project

5. Results: Enhanced Academic Induction – 5 task stations focussing on specific skills/aspects of study at university and how it differs from school/college – Group-based activities – Separate Induction for those on Joint Honours programmes – Embedded in School of Mathematics induction framework Student Experience Project

6. Station A: Study skills and effective strategies Station B: Communication Station C: Reading and writing mathematics Station D: Talking points Station E: MathsPALs taster 1 st

8. Results: 88% of students agreed or completely agreed it was enjoyable “…was great to make friends so early in the year” 87% of students agreed or completely agreed it was useful to them as new Maths students “…helped me understand that problems are part of learning” Student Experience Project

9. So today… 10 mins for each station: Station B – Written communication, group work, peer reviewing (Lego ® ) Station D (v2) – Group listening, resilience Student Experience Project

10. 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? Student Experience Project

11. 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? Student Experience Project