News
Friday 2 November 2007
METAL supports maths learning
An online resource bank designed to support the teaching and learning of mathematics to undergraduate economics students across the UK is being launched by Nottingham Trent University. The METAL (Mathematics for Economics: enhancing Teaching and Learning) project is the culmination of a three-year, £250,000 HEFCE-funded project that aims to improve student engagement and participating in mathematics for economics through the provision of an accessible and fully interactive toolkit of varied and flexible resources.
Since 1990, the teaching of mathematics to economics students has become increasingly challenging for universities across the sector. Many economics (or economics-related) programmes in the UK now have a mixed intake of students with either A-level or GSCE mathematics backgrounds (or equivalents) and the latter may lack practice in the use of mathematical concepts.
In addition, the widening participation initiative has led to a greater diversity of student backgrounds, particularly in relation to maths skills. Consequently, some students may not have the mathematical ability required to successfully complete their first year of study.
METAL resources will include fifty interactive video units, an online question bank that comprises of millions of question realisations, and ten teaching and learning guides that provide discussion topics, teaching and learning activities and problem sets. All resources will be available free of charge from the METAL website which can be used by lecturers for small and large group teaching sessions, or by students to facilitate distance learning and to foster students’ autonomy and ownership of the learning process.
The project is directed by Dr Rebecca Taylor, Head of Economics at Nottingham Business School, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth and Brunel University.
Dr Taylor said: “During the last three years we have consulted with the majority of economics departments across the university sector. We have listened to what they feel are the issues and challenges in raising the standard of maths in economic students and the result has been the development of a range of teaching tools to support the process.
“The project has been designed to provide a ‘pick and mix’ approach for tutors. We're not expecting people to replace their teaching with the materials we have wholesale. Instead, we hope they use what’s available and drop it in at points in their syllabus where they feel they might need something to help illustrate or re-invigorate concepts which they find students struggle with, or don't engage with as much as they would like.”
The METAL project team are now engaged in a series of regional workshops aimed at disseminating understanding and awareness of the resources. These sessions have enabled the team to work directly with economics lecturers and to obtain feedback that is helping to inform improvements to the resources and the website to be launched in December.
John Sloman, Director of the Economics Network, said: “This is a valuable and flexible set of resources that can significantly help to improve economics students’ learning of mathematics. The extensive bank of questions, videos and other teaching/learning materials can be used in lectures, seminars and workshops, for assessment and for both directed and self-directed private study. The resources are of high quality, in terms of both production and content, and should prove very attractive to students.”
For further information on the project please visit the METAL website.
ENDS
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