Programme and recordings

The schedule of sessions of the event and recordings of sessions.

Introduction and welcome

Bernd Schroers (University of Edinburgh)

Proofs and Calculations: What should our students be learning?

Kevin Houston (University of Leeds)

Mathematicians claim in their marketing that a degree in mathematics equips students with the ability to independently think logically and critically. If that is so, how do we explain the common occurrence that many students, faced with a problem that they have no experience of, are utterly lost?

A key distinction between university and pre-university mathematics is the focus on proof and yet many students leave university with little ability, desire or confidence to prove statements. And although students may have a preference for worked examples they can be tripped up in those by different phrasing or notation.

Is there anything we can do to teach mathematics students to be more independent in proving and calculating? What is the point of doing so when given that students will probably never need to prove a statement after graduation and few will need to make detailed calculations.

In this talk I will discuss the place of proof and calculations in our degrees, their balance, and what, if anything, we can do to improve student performance in these areas.

Assessment: the elephant in the room of curricula reform

Paola Iannone (Loughborough University)

Assessment (summative assessment that is) is often overlooked when redesigning curricula - especially in disciplines like mathematics where there are very few assessment methods currently in use. In this talk I will draw attention to the (intended and unintended) consequences of this very restrict assessment diet by presenting some research that problematises our current assessment practices and the messages they convey to our students in terms of the values and the nature of mathematics. I well then propose some alternatives and discuss how curricula reform must be linked to assessment reform.

Something old, something new ... the 2023 Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research Subject Benchmark Statement

Duncan Lawson (Coventry University and Chair of Advisory Group for the Subject Benchmark Statement for Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research 2022)

The traditional wedding rhyme “Something old, something new” might be taken to describe the recently published 2023 Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research (MSOR) Subject Benchmark Statement (SBS). This is the fifth iteration in the development of the MSOR SBS, the first having taken place in 2002. Versions two to four were all quite similar to the original SBS whereas this new fifth edition is markedly different, not least because the Quality Assurance Agency, the custodian of all SBS’s, introduced a new template for this revision. The new template included sections specifically addressing: equality, diversity and inclusion; accessibility; sustainability; and enterprise and entrepreneurship education. In addition to this, there have been developments in MSOR, such as the emergence of data science, that needed to be reflected in the SBS. At the same time, the Advisory Group that developed the new SBS were aware that there was much wisdom in the previous versions, particularly in terms of issues where MSOR disciplines are different from many other subjects. This wisdom has been retained. So the SBS is a clear mixture of something old, something new. And indeed, if you look hard enough, you might also find something borrowed and something blue.

Utilising graduates

Steve Otto (Chief Technology Officer, The R&A)

This presentation will look at graduates, in particular from mathematical sciences and explore how they match what is needed within a modern business setting. It will look at retained knowledge, project work and research skills. I will focus on our requirements as an employer (within sport) but with an eye to products and processes associated with an industrial delivery, coupled to mathematical rigour. Our work involves development of algorithms and statistical analysis which looks to utilise mathematical methods and competency.

Data Science or Mathematical Science?

Rachel Hilliam (The Open University and Chair of the Alliance for Data Science Professionals)

In 2020 the Alliance of Data Science Professionals was created to shape professional standards within data science. It was argued that such standards were needed to ensure an ethical and well-governed approach within data science, so the public, organisations and governments can have confidence in how their data are used. The Alliance include The British Computer Society (BCS), The Operational Research (OR) Society, Institute of Mathematics & its Applications (IMA), The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and The Alan Turing Institute (ATI). The work quickly gained support from Government, where it is referenced in the National Data Strategy. If such standards are necessary should these effect our mathematics sciences teaching? In this talk we will consider the rise of Data Science both as a profession and a degree qualification. We will revisit the question of whether data science is a new profession or whether it is just mathematical modelling with a new title. The talk will discuss why the Alliance believes these standards in Data Science are necessary    and how they differ from those for professional titles such as Chartered Mathematician, Chartered Statistician or Chartered IT Professional.