Seminars for 2012/13

If we are to believe the popular press, the mathematical ability of students today is worse than ever before. What is certainly the case is that many university courses are incorporating more quantitative elements in their programmes, meaning that mathematical skills are no longer the preserve of traditional maths and engineering courses, but are increasingly required in the biosciences, social sciences. nursing and more.

This presentation will discuss the “maths problem” in the current context of higher education, and review various approaches to its “solution”.  In particular, we will highlight the contribution of sigma, the CETL (Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) for cross-university maths and statistics support. Since its inception in 2005, sigma has championed the use of Maths Support Centres, commissioned a range of freely available learning materials for maths and statistics, encouraged networking among mathematicians and learning support practitioners, and underpinned this with pedagogic research.

This event is open to the general public.