MathsCasts – online student support

1. MathsCasts – online student support Birgit Loch Mathematics FEISSwinburne University of Technology bloch@swin.edu.au

2. What are MathsCasts? • International, Swinburne-led collaboration • Short screen videos of mathematical explanation • Created with Camtasia Studio on a tablet PC • Created by tutors in the Maths support centres • Do not require expert technical knowledge or A/V staff to produce Tony Croft Mathematics Education CentreLoughborough University Olivia Gill Department of Maths&StatsUniversity of Limerick

3. What are MathsCasts? (cont.) • Funding at Limerick and Swinburne • About 280 produced so far • Available for free to anyone via iTunes U, Swinburne Commons http://commons.swin.edu.auand from http://mathscasts.org

4. Why are we producing them? • To extend support hours of the maths support centres • To provide students with additional flexible learning options • To bring mathematics support into the 21st century • To allow students to watch an explanation first, before coming to the support centre (FAQ) • To cope with increasing demand (Australia) or decreasing funding (Europe) Focus on our students – anyone else who watches is a bonus

5. Why are we not using what’s available already? • Students identify with their university. Personalised. Topics our students struggle with. • Faster to record than find exactly what you are looking for. • Because mathematicians just don’t!??? • Research into enhanced student learning and best practice of creation from maths support perspective.

6. Production of MathsCasts • Topics are identified at all three unis • Recorded by tutors: local needs come first • Reviewed by tutors/lecturers • Google Spreadsheet (also includes metadata) • Creative Commons licence

7. Google Docs Spreadsheet

8. The Pilot • Cohorts selected at each university • Feedback from students • So far from Loughborough and Limerick: • “more video for different examples” • “create more MathsCasts“ At this stage: only interested in how our students use MathsCasts and what impact it has on their learning.

9. S1 2011 at Swinburne • Available on the MASH (Maths and Stats Help) Centre website. • Advertised during orientation session to all new first years • 144 responses to survey across four 1st year mathematics units for Engineering, Science and Aviation students • Value: “pause and review steps”, “step-by-step solution”, “learning at your own pace” • 10 had watched the screencasts • “Wasn't aware of them”, “I know that they are there but I never seem to get round to them”

10. S2 2011 at Swinburne • Integrated on BlackBoardsite for Engineering Mathematics 2 HMS112 • Active promotion in lectures, and via announcements • Survey: 44 participants (out of 350?) • 50% watched 11 or more • 54% watch an explanation then try the problem themselves • 60% don’t visit the MASH Centre but watch MathsCasts • 24% visit MASH less frequently because MathsCasts have helped • 29% watch MathsCasts before asking the MASH tutor for help • “I think other than lectures and tutorials, Mathscasts are the most powerful tools. Simply the best.” Students asked to have second year covered as well

12. Summer term 2012 at Swinburne • Mentioned where relevant in HMS112 lecture notes • 33 students enrolled; 10 responded to survey • 8 watched 11 or more MathsCasts! • 9 watch an explanation then try the problem themselves • Students were clear that MathsCasts complement the MASH Centre, but do not replace tutor help

14. On BlackBoard

15. HMS111: Identification of curves (circle, ellipse, hyperbola). 11 examples - about 21 minutes

16. HMS111: Logarithmic differentiation This screencast explains how differentiation requiring combinations (or multiple uses) of the product, chain and quotient rules can be made simpler by using logarithmic differentiation. This method relies on log rules to simplify a function before taking a derivative. Keywords: logarithmic differentiation, log rules, product rule, chain rule, quotient rule, simplify differentiation

17. HMS112: Orthogonal families of curves Starting with the equation for a family of curves, this screencast shows how to differentiate both sides of the equation to produce a differential equation which can be solved to find the grandient of this family of curves. It is then shown how the general form of the gradient for the orthogonal family of curves can be obtained and hence the equation of the orthogonal curves.Keywords: orthogonal curves, first order differential equations, separable differential equations

18. Stats from iTunes U 147 MathsCasts online A big thank you to Anton Proppe for providing these stats!

19. MathsCasts on iTunes U and Swin Commons

20. Issues • Navigation, quick location of relevant MathsCasts, for • students enrolled in specific units • students visiting maths support centres • students who come to the maths support website • anyone else who is interested • Different levels of explanation across universities • Assuming different backgrounds • Variety of programs with mathematical content

21. External recognition New Media Consortium Horizon Report 2012 Higher Ed Edition “… identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching and creative inquiry in higher education.“ http://www.nmc.org/publications/horizon-report-2012-higher-ed-edition http://www.nmc.org/publications/2012-technology-outlook-au

22. How can you or your students use MathsCasts? • MathsCasts on iTunes U, Swin Commons or http://mathscasts.org • Plan A: Send your students there • Plan B: Look at short descriptions yourself and do a pre-selection. Download for your students, or provide the link.

23. Where to from here? • StatsCasts (17 produced – with USQ and USC) • Second year MathsCasts (9 produced) • Research into design of screencasts • OLT grant application A big thank you to the Swinburne Library staff who are making MathsCasts available on Swinburne Commons and iTunes U and for the design of the MathsCasts logo! And to the tutors who are recording MathsCasts!