Bridging the Gap Dr Vivien Easson Executive Officer (Teaching and Research) School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary 1

Bridging the gap… between A-level/equivalent maths and university maths between expectations of university and the reality between university and later employment or development 2

Dr Vivien Easson Grew up in Dundee Studied maths at Cambridge then Oxford, worked as a postdoctoral researcher Joined the More Maths Grads project at Queen Mary Currently manage student administration and teaching/learning strategy

Diversity in maths at QMUL The School of Mathematical Sciences has over 700 undergraduates, with 18% Indian 17% White (combined) 14% Chinese 14% Pakistani 12% Bangladeshi 11% Asian (other) 6% Black African 8% other / refused to say Around 45% are female.

Pre-university maths and university maths First year BSc Mathematics: eight compulsory 15-credit modules Calculus I, Calculus II, Differential Equations Geometry I, Introduction to Algebra Introduction to Probability, Introduction to Statistics Introduction to Mathematical Computing 5

Calculus I, Calculus II, Differential Equations (courtesy of http://www.wordle.net)

Geometry I, Introduction to Algebra (courtesy of http://www.wordle.net)

Introduction to Probability / Statistics (courtesy of http://www.wordle.net)

Quotient rule: “What’s u?” Students need to be able to differentiate quotients even when not expressed in terms of “u” and “v” – and similarly for other situations.

Abstraction / interview questions What is the final digit of 22010? Sketch the curve sin(x) then, on the same axes, sketch (sin(x)) 2 . If a, b and c are integers whose sum is zero and the sum of whose cubes is 252, what is the product of a, b and c?

Mathematics enrichment sites http://plus.maths.org online mathematics magazine http://www.mathscareers.org.uk lots of careers articles, for 11-14, 14-16, 16-19, … http://www.nrich.maths.org thousands of free mathematics enrichment materials (problems, articles and games) for teachers and learners from ages 5 to 19 years

Expectations of university Students choose to do maths because they enjoy it and are good at it. They expect to be taught in lectures – although it can be a shock! They can find it hard to adapt to having more independence. We can help encourage students to develop social support groups. We can try to understand pre-university maths/environment better. 12

Beyond university 70 applicants/place for graduate jobs Graduates need good communication skills Graduates in numerate disciplines have an advantage Numbers taking A-level maths, further maths and mathematics degrees all rising

Bridging gaps… Aiding understanding not teaching rules Motivating and explaining subtleties Recognising language barriers Using rich maths tasks and adding context Avoiding stereotypes: using ambassadors Working with other organisations and disciplines 14