Mathematics Support Centres: The need for early and contextualised supports.

1. Mathematics Support Centres: The need for early and contextualised supports. • Donal Healy • Ciaran O’Sullivan • Paul Robinson Irish Maths Support Network 5th Irish Workshop on Maths Learning and Support Centres 4 th Feb, 2011 NUIG. 

2. Talk Structure: Insights on timing and nature of supports and interventions from report reviewing first year student progression on certificate engineering students over a 6 year period. In particular: Dialogue arising from such an examination of the effectiveness of student supports informing a major structural change in engineering course provision. Key finding: importance of early and contextualised supports Implications (in the wider context of retention debate) for Maths Support Centres: Directly connecting to the lecture/tutorial room experience Catalysts for enhancing student involvement with learning through the building of learning communities.

3. ELSU Project Report: Background Information. • For ELSU to be successful it would need to : • be aimed at first yearfull-time engineering students • be highly structured • have extended intensive contactwith students who are most likely to drop out, • beinterlockedwith other programs and services, • have a strategy of engagementusing qualified staff • focus on the affectiveandcognitiveneeds of the student as suggested by Levitz et al [*] and others. • be a catalyst for changesin institutional culture and student attitudes regarding completion of programmes. * Levitz, R., Lee, N & Richter, B.J., 1999, New Directions for Higher Education 108:31-49 Tinto V.; 1993, "Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition" ( 2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

4. ELSU Project Report: Background Information.

5. Partitioning of Students by Mathematics and Physics

6. 2003-2004 First Year cohort in Higher Certificates in School of Engineering

7. % in each partition

8. Numbers in each partition

9. Comments the decrease in the number of students studying Leaving Certificate Physics is a point of note (and concern). offering of the ab-initio Ordinary Degree in Mechanical Engineering has led to a marked decrease from September 2006 onwards in the number of students in the categoryC grade or higher in (OLC) Maths and studied LC Physics(decreased from 31% in 2003 to 12.7% in 2008). number of students in theD (OLC) Maths and studied LC Physics is consistently the smallest category and therefore is expected to be influenced greatly by small changes in student performance as one student passing or not passing in this category will have a larger effect in percentage terms when considering pass rates for this category of student.

10. Changes • Cert changes: • ab-initio Ordinary Degree in Mechanical Engineering introduced • 2008 re-designed Cert introduced • 2011 changes to entry standards and early engagement • Learning Support changes: • 2003 ELSU set-up with pro- active flexible supports • 2006 ELSU expanded to Science • ELSU becomes LSU • 2007 LSU becomes CELT • 2010 CELT loses key staff

11. Indicators of student success?? Performance in Leaving Certificate Mathematics and having studied Physics in Leaving Certificate as indicators of first year success. Student interest/early engagement as indicators of success 3. First in family to college as an indicator of success.

12. Performance of students in each partition category:

13. Student interest/early engagement as indicators of success 1 Maths Head-start Mathematics Head-Start Workshops Proportions passing first year by attendance at 2008 Mathematics Head-start Workshop with overall passing rate Proportion of students in each Maths grade category passing first year

14. Student interest/early engagement as indicators of success 1 Physics Head-start Physics Head-Start Workshops Proportions passing first year by attendance at 2008 Physics Head-start Workshop with overall passing rate Proportion of students by physics or not at LC passing first year

15. Student interest/early engagement as indicators of success 2 Attendance at water rocket event at end of week 1 of semester 1. Proportion of students attending or not the water rocket orientation session: Comparison of student first year performance between those attending and not attending the water rocket orientation session:

16. First in family to college as an indicator of success Proportions of students passing in categories based on answering the first in family survey question

17. Conclusions from ELSU report Factors which must be considered in providing students with the best opportunities of achieving success in first year engineering: Mathematics level ( local and national evidence) Physics studied previously Early engagement See Recommendations Slide Later

18. Implications (in the wider context of retention debate) for Maths Support Centres: Recent HEA report ‘A Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education’ Change to the funding model One day conference launching report: 28/10/10 Thought provoking presentations from among others :Prof. Vincent Tinto from the US, Dr Ted Fleming NUIM  and Dr. Sean Mc Donagh. See http://www.hea.ie/en/node/1386 International context as highlighted by Professor Vincent Tinto

19. International context as highlighted by Professor Vincent Tinto at HEA conference. Enhancing Student Retention: Lessons Learned in the United States Vincent Tinto Distinguished University Professor Syracuse University • Conditions for Student Retention • 2. Forms of Effective Practice • 3. Lessons learnt

20. Tinto: Conditions for Student Retention. • Expectations – high expectations • Implications for need for care in phrasing around supports • Alignment/connection of academic supports with • classroom experience: ‘contextualised academic support’ • Frequent assessment AND feedback: • EARLY assessment – 3-4 weeks at the LATEST • Student involvement in academic and social life • Having a friend

21. Tinto: Forms of Effective Practice. WHAT to provide 1. Advising 2. Financial, academic and social supports Supplemental Instruction http://www.umkc.edu/cad/si Embedded academic supports http://www.highereducation.org/reports/Policy_Practice/IBEST.pdf KEY FOR EITHER is linking to a particular class

22. Tinto: Forms of Effective Practice. WHAT to provide ctd. 3. Learning Communities Particularly effective http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/home.asp Linked classes WHEN to provide Early in first year Signals Project at Purdue University http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/signals/

23. Tinto: Lessons Learnt • Effective Higher Education Institutes: • Focus on first year • Pursue intentional structured and systemic action • Retention is everyones business • Across boundary co-operation • Don’t invest in discrete unconnected actions • Go for institutional change to embrace learning communities etc.

24. Recommendations in ITTD • Review the entrance levelfor the certificate • Structure of the first weeks of the student experience in a way that students are encouraged to engage immediately • Establish study groups in 1st year • CA in Week 3 in every module (15min test) with immediate feedback –to drive them into a study group and to give clear indication of who is not participating actively) • PAL concept • Orientation week refined to be just getting started with team building exercises, key engineering skills, i.e, calculators, library visits etc built in. • Mechanism which can react proactively to the needs of students who are not immediately engaging with their course of studies. -CELT

25. For Maths Learning Centres…… • Seek to be a key catalyst inretention efforts across HEIs • – ideally positioned to influence. • MLCs more pro-actively engage with Depts to promote the structuring of the first weeks of the student experience in a way that students are encouraged to engage immediately • Establish study groups in 1st year • CA in Week 3 in Maths module (15min test) with immediate feedback –to drive them into a study group and to give clear indication of who is not participating actively) • Active promotion of Maths Learning Centre facilities in weeks 1 and 2 ( now in a context of the early CA)