Grant success for education research

Two projects relating to mathematics education, led by staff in the School of Mathematics, have received funding from the Principal's Teaching Award Scheme.

Improving the Mathematics Diagnostic Test

George Kinnear, Chris Sangwin, Toby Bailey

The Mathematics Diagnostic Test has been in use at the University of Edinburgh since 2011, and each year it is taken online by c.1000 new students who are enrolled in courses taught by the School of Mathematics. This project will study the performance of the test, identify and implement improvements, then re-evaluate the new version of the test.

The project is precipitated by the School of Mathematics moving to use the STACK online assessment system, developed by Professor Chris Sangwin. A particular aim will be to maximise the formative impact of the test, by providing more detailed feedback to students along with supporting study material. Two undergraduate students will work on this project over Summer 2017 to have the new test ready for September.

Lecture Recording in Mathematics and Physics

Pamela Docherty, Chris Sangwin, Ross Galloway, Judy Hardy, Toby Bailey, Anna Wood

This project will investigate the effect of lecture recording on student learning in undergraduate Mathematics and Physics. In particular, we will use the data provided by the lecture recording system (time of access, minutes watched, section of video etc.) in order to understand how students use this material. We will also explore the relationship between the aforementioned behaviours and student learning attitudes and attainment. In particular, we would like to discover if underlying study beliefs and strategies are a factor in students' approaches to using the lecture recordings.