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Research Papers

• Assessing the value: Maths Workshop
  This brief contribution from IAN BEVERIDGE (then of Luton University) is probably one of the first recorded notes which attempts to assess the effectiveness of a mathematics support centre (herein called a Workshop). It describes a workshop for access students, and its role in encouraging students to complete coursework assignments. It notes that a lower dropout rate is found in the subgroup of workshop attenders. However, it draws attentions to a perceived shortcoming which can result in creating and feeding dependency rather than independence amongst the students. The note can be found in the Mathematics Support Association Newsletter No.2 (1994) (now disbanded, but available from the sigma website).
• Investigation of completion rates of engineering students
  This paper by ROSS CUTHBERT and HELEN MACGILLIVRAY discusses analysis of data on initiatives to improve retention rates on engineering degree programmes at Queensland University of Technology in Australia. The paper was presented at Delta 07 - the Southern Hemisphere Symposium on Undergraduate Mathematics Teaching. The Mathematics Access Centre at QUT offers optional extra support and examination workshops. The paper reports that students accessing these are nearly twice as likely to complete the course as the whole cohort, and half as likely to discontinue engineering.
• Mathematics Support - support for all ?
  FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS DIRECT ACCESS TO THIS PAPER MAY BE UNAVAILABLE. Mathematics Support - support for all ? Godfrey Pell & Tony Croft, published in the journal Teaching Mathematics and its Applications (2008). This research paper describes and analyses data from a cohort of engineering students. Some made good use of a mathematics learning support centre; others didn't. Many frequent users are quite competent and simply want to do better. The authors conclude, that in their particular study, mathematics support improved the pass rate by about 3%.
• Measuring maths study support
  FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS DIRECT ACCESS TO THIS PAPER MAY BE UNAVAILABLE. This research paper by CHETNA PATEL and JOHN LITTLE, Robert Gordon University, presents evidence that maths study support can increase maths related module pass rates and scores for undergraduate engineering students. The paper is published in Teaching Mathematics and its Applications (2006).
• Measuring the effectiveness of a maths learning support centre - the DCU experience
  This research paper by DONAL DOWLING and BRIEN NOLAN, Dublin City University, reports upon efforts to measure the effectiveness of the Maths Learning Centre at Dublin City University. It provides a model of measuring effectiveness which compares the pass rates of "at risk" students who did or did not visit the mathematics support centre. The model shows that in each of the two years studied the centre made a direct contribution to the success of approximately 11 students. The paper was presented at the CETL MSOR Conference in September 2006.
• Participation (Diagnosis + Prescription) = Resolution
  This paper by CHETNA PATEL, The Robert Gordon University, demonstrates how appropriate mathematical diagnosis followed by study support improves engineering students' performance. The paper is published in MSOR Connections (Vol. 4 No.2) May 2004.
• Predicting Performance of first year engineering students and the importance of assessment tools therein.
  This research paper by LEE, HARRISON, PELL and ROBINSON presents statistical regression models which aim to predict overall first year mechanical engineering students' performance. Data was collected on overall first year mark against 14 variables. The regression models produced showed the positive effect of almost one grade boundary of students visiting the mathematics learning support centre. The paper is published in Engineering Education Vol.3 Issue 1.
• Success in engineering mathematics through mathematics support and changes to engineering maths lectures at Harper Adams.
  This article by SARAH PARSONS (Harper Adams University College) describes the positive effects on examination results of introducing mathematics support and implementing other changes. The article presents data which shows that significantly improved results followed from changes introduced in 2001 which included substantial mathematics support provision. However, because many other changes (changed content, separate lectures for some groups, diagnostic testing etc) were introduced at the same time it is not possible to isolate particular effects of the mathematics support provision. Nevertheless external examiner comments reflect the value of mathematics support. The article is published in MSOR Connections Feb 2005 Vol. 5 No.1.
• Widening Participation in subjects requiring data handling skills: the MathsAid Project.
  FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS DIRECT ACCESS TO THIS PAPER MAY BE UNAVAILABLE. MathsAid is a university-wide maths support service offering one-to-one tutorial support and more. This paper by ATKINS, MAY and MARKS-MARAN (Kingston University, UK) discusses the initiative and provides information about its evaluation by questionnaire, usage data and interviews with students. The paper is published in the Journal of Further and Higher Education, Vol. 29. No. 4 (2005) pp 353-365.