Mathematics learning support centres in Germany—an overview

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Schürmann ◽  
Lara Gildehaus ◽  
Michael Liebendörfer ◽  
Niclas Schaper ◽  
Rolf Biehler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Teacher Students ◽  
National Perspective ◽  
The Uk ◽  
German Universities

Abstract Mathematics learning support centres (MLSC) are widely established and evaluated in English-speaking countries (such as the UK, Ireland and Australia). In most of these countries, several national surveys on MLSCs exist. They give an overview of the number of MLSCs as well as their characteristics in these countries. In Germany, there is a lack of studies on MLSCs and the landscape of MLSCs has not been described yet. This article presents basic information concerning counts of MLSCs and their characteristics at universities. Based on a three-step approach of analysing university homepages and additional personal contact via email or phone calls, we gathered typical MLSC features (e.g. staff quantities and qualification, opening and support hours, supported study programmes). We analysed 190 universities from a web-based register on study programmes. In total, we found 61 MLSCs located at 51 German universities. Another 16 support centres were specialized on mathematics didactics, which means they focussed on didactical and methodological support for preservice teacher students and often provided different teaching materials. Thirty-eight centres were located at universities (62.3%) and 23 MLSCs at universities of applied sciences and comparable universities (37.7%). The MLSCs were different in their sizes of staff and opening hours, and both the numbers of staff and the service hours differed greatly. The student groups MLSCs at German universities focus on differ concerning characteristics like study programme or semester. We will provide the main categories describing these groups. We seek to answer research questions concerning the characteristics of MLSCs in Germany and discuss the results compared to international findings. This information is useful for further international collaborative research, for example a standardized international survey. From a national perspective, these findings support networking and collaborations between the MLSCs as well. As some German MLSCs are facing financial cuts, these results might help in gaining additional funding.

scholarly journals Professional development opportunities for tutors of mathematics learning support

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15
Author(s):  
Michael Grove ◽  
Ciarán Mac an Bhaird ◽  
Ciarán O'Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Mathematical Skills ◽  
Teaching Role ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Making A Difference ◽  
The Uk

Deficiencies in the mathematical skills of students entering university study are having a negative impact on their education, and more broadly have serious consequences for society as a whole. Research demonstrates that extra initiatives established to give these students an opportunity to succeed are making a difference, and that the staff who provide these supports play a fundamental role. Here we review two different models of structured training that were developed for these tutors, via two cases studies drawn from within the UK and Ireland. We discuss the key and transferrable skills that these tutors require, skills that are often not typically needed in a more ‘traditional’ teaching role. The majority of tutors remain in this crucial support role for only a short period of their careers, and so a fundamental question remains as to how they can receive appropriate recognition for their academic endeavours. Such recognition is important for both the institution, in demonstrating its commitment to teaching quality, and for the career progression of the tutors themselves.

scholarly journals Mathematics instructors’ awareness of accessibility barriers for disabled students

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 184-200
Author(s):  
Emma Cliffe ◽  
Ciarán Mac an Bhaird ◽  
Eabhnat Ní Fhloinn ◽  
Clare Trott
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Disabled Students ◽  
Barriers To Participation ◽  
Student Difficulties ◽  
Accessibility Barriers ◽  
Mathematics Instructors ◽  
The Uk

Abstract In this paper, we discuss the results of a staff survey on accessibility barriers to participation and success for disabled students in higher education in the UK and Ireland. We focus on the range and complexity of student difficulties encountered by staff involved either in the lecturing of mathematics or the provision of Mathematics Learning Support. We report on the range of supports available to both staff and students in these situations and their varying levels of awareness and implementation of these supports. We close with a brief overview of how we intend to use the results of this survey to both increase awareness of existing appropriate supports and develop additional services to improve student accessibility.

Concerning the Representativeness of Psychiatric Catamnestical Studies - The Influence of Various Approach Strategies on the Response of Former Patients

1986 ◽  
Vol 25 (03) ◽  
pp. 171-175
Author(s):  
I. Steinhart ◽  
G. Bosch ◽  
Th. Muhr ◽  
E. Mohlfeld
Keyword(s):  
Total Population ◽  
Social Psychiatry ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Registration Procedure

SummaryThe possible conclusions reached by catamnestical studies are often significantly restricted because of the lack of representativeness of the sample. The example of an investigation of former patients of the Department of Social Psychiatry proves that positive responses to an interview are influenced by various factors. As expected, patients were more inclined to participate in the research project the closer their discharge was to the time of the project itself. Further, it became clear that various different approach strategies, such as letters, enquiries with the registration authorities, phone calls and house visits, effectively increased the motivation of former patients, and that only this kind of graded registration procedure guarantees motivation leading to a sample representative of the total population. Personal contact plays an especially important role. These empirical findings indicate the necessity of careful planning and implementation of sample collection in catamnestical studies. Without this approach, representative results cannot be expected.

scholarly journals A platform trial in practice: adding a new experimental research arm to the ongoing confirmatory FLAIR trial in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena R. Howard ◽  
Anna Hockaday ◽  
Julia M. Brown ◽  
Walter M. Gregory ◽  
Susan Todd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia ◽  
Type I Error ◽  
Lymphocytic Leukaemia ◽  
Experimental Therapy ◽  
Type I ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
Trial Structure ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background The FLAIR trial in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia has a randomised, controlled, open-label, confirmatory, platform design. FLAIR was successfully amended to include an emerging promising experimental therapy to expedite its assessment, greatly reducing the time to reach the primary outcome compared to running a separate trial and without compromising the validity of the research or the ability to recruit to the trial and report the outcomes. The methodological and practical issues are presented, describing how they were addressed to ensure the amendment was a success. Methods FLAIR was designed as a two-arm trial requiring 754 patients. In stage 2, two new arms were added: a new experimental arm and a second control arm to protect the trial in case of a change in practice. In stage 3, the original experimental arm was closed as its planned recruitment target was reached. In total, 1516 participants will be randomised to the trial. Results The changes to the protocol and randomisation to add and stop arms were made seamlessly without pausing recruitment. The statistical considerations to ensure the results for the original and new hypotheses are unbiased were approved following peer review by oversight committees, Cancer Research UK, ethical and regulatory committees and pharmaceutical partners. These included the use of concurrent comparators in case of any stage effect, appropriate control of the type I error rate and consideration of analysis methods across trial stages. The operational aspects of successfully implementing the amendments are described, including gaining approvals and additional funding, data management requirements and implementation at centres. Conclusions FLAIR is an exemplar of how an emerging experimental therapy can be assessed within an existing trial structure without compromising the conduct, reporting or validity of the trial. This strategy offered considerable resource savings and allowed the new experimental therapy to be assessed within a confirmatory trial in the UK years earlier than would have otherwise been possible. Despite the clear efficiencies, treatment arms are rarely added to ongoing trials in practice. This paper demonstrates how this strategy is acceptable, feasible and beneficial to patients and the wider research community. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN01844152. Registered on August 08, 2014

scholarly journals Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement: Effects on Finance, Policy and Public Discourse

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noam Bergman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Fiduciary Duty ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Finance Industry ◽  
Fossil Fuel Industry ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The fossil fuel divestment movement campaigns for removing investments from fossil fuel companies as a strategy to combat climate change. It is a bottom-up movement, largely based in university student groups, although it has rapidly spread to other institutions. Divestment has been criticised for its naiveté and hard-line stance and dismissed as having little impact on fossil fuel finance. I analyse the impact of divestment through reviewing academic and grey literature, complemented by interviews with activists and financial actors, using a theoretical framework that draws on social movement theory. While the direct impacts of divestment are small, the indirect impacts, in terms of public discourse shift, are significant. Divestment has put questions of finance and climate change on the agenda and played a part in changing discourse around the legitimacy, reputation and viability of the fossil fuel industry. This cultural impact contributed to changes in the finance industry through new demands by shareholders and investors and to changes in political discourse, such as rethinking the notion of ‘fiduciary duty.’ Finally, divestment had significant impact on its participants in terms of empowerment and played a part in the revitalisation of the environmental movement in the UK and elsewhere.

scholarly journals Maximizing the impact of digital supports in Mathematics Learning Support in Higher Education – An overview of the 9th Annual IMLSN Workshop

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Gerard Cronin ◽  
Cormac Breen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Short Description ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Successful Event

In this article we give a short description of the 9th Annual Workshop of the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN) Workshop. The workshop theme was ‘Maximizing the impact of digital supports in Mathematics Learning Support in Higher Education’. We briefly describe the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN) and outline the factors that motivated this workshop theme. We will also discuss the presentations, some of the issues that were raised during the workshop and we close with some brief conclusions on this very successful event.

Supporting delivery of diagnostic assessments for apprentices with undiagnosed additional needs

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-641
Author(s):  
Alistair Catterall
Keyword(s):  
Funding Agency ◽  
Minimal Amount ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Apprenticeship Training ◽  
Additional Funding ◽  
The Government ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Learner Needs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the fact that under current Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funding guidelines, diagnostic assessments for apprentices with additional learner needs are deemed an ineligible cost, which has the potential to reduce access to additional funding and support. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this paper is to critically evaluate the surrounding literature, government reports and Mencap review produced since the apprenticeship levy and present the implications of these funding guidelines relating to access to apprenticeships and the practical effects of apprentice’s experience and development. Findings The finding presented by this paper is that the definition of diagnostic assessments as an ineligible cost reduces the quality of training delivered by providers and assurances to apprentices that they will be fully supported from the start of their training. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this research was the minimal amount of government/ESFA documentation addressing this subject within apprenticeships. Practical implications The practical implications of this paper relate to the on-going delivery of apprenticeship training in the UK, and the detrimental effect of reducing access to diagnostic assessments for apprentices with undiagnosed additional learner needs under the current wording of the Education Skills Agency guidance. Social implications The government policy is currently under review to address this area which is considered an ineligible cost for supporting apprentices with recognised additional learner needs. Originality/value The value of this paper is to align with recent Mencap review and collaboratively readdress the ESFA’s current positioning of diagnostic assessments for apprentices with undiagnosed learning difficulties and disabilities as an ineligible cost and non-standardised requirement.

scholarly journals 8. Sessional Teaching Staff and Learning, Teaching, and Assessment: Engaging the Marginalised

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Sally Ann Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Professional Development Needs ◽  
Framework For Teaching ◽  
The Uk

This paper discusses the issues around the professional development needs of sessional teaching staff in the UK. The introduction of the UK professional standards framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education in 2006 raised the issue of engaging the wide range of staff, faculty, and learning support in professional development. Sessional teaching staff present a challenge when their main employment is outside of the institution.

scholarly journals The key role of tutors in Mathematics Learning Support – A report of the 10th annual IMLSN workshop

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Pfeiffer ◽  
Anthony Cronin ◽  
Ciarán Mac an Bhaird
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Short Description ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Post Secondary Education ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Successful Event

In this article we give a short description of the 10th Annual Workshop of the Irish Mathematics Learning Support Network (IMLSN) Workshop. The workshop theme was ‘The key role of tutors of mathematics and statistics in Post-Secondary Education’. We briefly describe the aim of this workshop, discuss the presentations, and we close with some brief conclusions on this very successful event.

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