Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) 2010 Annual Conference

Date:14-16 March 2010

Venue: University of Oxford

From widening participation to employer engagement: lifelong learning in higher education

The WL LLN’s collaborative maths projects in West London has been short listed for the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) Award Scheme 2009-10.

Kerry Schutz, Sector Manager for STEM and Heathrow Business, will be presenting a poster session on Collaborative Maths Projects in west London at the UALL annual conference.

This conference focuses on employers, regions, communities, individual learners and further education colleges.

It includes:

• Keynote presentations from leaders on policy, practice and research in
  skills and employer engagement relating to lifelong learning
• Workshop sessions on CPD, work-based learning and widening participation
• Networking and sharing experiences
• International comparisons
• Conference Dinner in the Dining Hall, Kellogg College, University of Oxford

Collaborative Maths Projects in west London

Vocational learners often have significant knowledge gaps in maths. Coupled with poor past learning experiences and low confidence, their ability to progress to higher education is often inhibited.

After forming West London Maths Working Group (reporting to a Steering Group) and researching intervention methods, it was found these groups rarely attended support services.

To engage them and ‘get the drinking underway’ different approaches were needed, rather than providing ‘more of the same’.

Creating more informal settings to learn maths was felt to be a better platform of maths support for these groups.

A total of 17 projects (n=1096 learners) held between July 2007-November 2009, showed significant numbers reporting improved self efficacy, confidence and progression at 4 universities and 5 FE Colleges.

The first ‘Brunel Maths Café2008’ project was based on a model from Portsmouth University. We adapted it for Southall College, Kingston University, Acton College and West Thames College, the latter 3 having sustained it for 2 years.

The concept also proved adaptable as Careers Café. After revealing 62% of students wanting help with calculus (2008 n=352; 62%), solutions were sought to make learning this important topic easier (2009 n=325; 38.5%). One innovative solution was ‘Slow & Easy’ Maths workshops.

By partnering a maths tutor and 2 Maths Subject Learning Coaches from different institutions, the pedagogical approach took form for Level 4 & 5 engineering.

This duplicable model uses learning cards and informal facilitated discussion to bring forward ownership of ideas, with rich and memorable examples of differentiation in an engineering and environmental context.

Providing snacks and refreshments encouraged further informal interaction and exploration.

After 2×3hr workshops, only 1 learner reported no improvement in confidence (n=12). Within 3 months however, a noticeable overall shift was remarked upon by tutors.

All students were leading others in their respective classes, and have since become experts in this topic. Learner confidence led to exploring other areas of maths with enthusiasm. These individuals are now recognised as maths advocates, helping their peers to progress.

The ‘Slow & Easy’ method was successfully transferred into Level 2 & 3, using examples with less complexity. Lecturers, tutors and non-maths specialists observed sessions and became more flexible and responsive to learning and teaching methods.

The project contributed to significant change within, by fostering a culture of creativity and innovation for teaching and sharing maths learning experiences. The same methodology can be used for calculus in business/finance/economics subjects.

In a ‘key skills for statistics’ project (n=114), informal sessions over several weeks using psychology as the context, reported statistically significant confidence levels on a ten point scale, of 4.05 (pre), to 7.58 (post) (F(1, 113)= 361.25, p<.001).

Intervention projects were often small, but significant. For example, engineering students were failing the first year of their Foundation Degree (FdEng), despite being technically sound in areas other than maths.

They could not progress further. These students would not have been accepted to BEng programmes, as they lacked pre-requisite maths. Yet, they received the same diet of maths designed for BEng.

After providing a group (n=7) with a learner-centric patient tutor, 100% progression to Level 5 was achieved. Semi-structured interviews revealed 5 were intimidated by the previous math support offered, because they did not know what help to ask for.

Poor understanding and confidence in mathematical language proved an inhibitor. Progression to Level 6 by 6 of this group demonstrated that investing in intervention was worthwhile.

There is further social and economic impact, as these individuals are now more employable; they will contribute to deficiencies in the skills area as engineering technicians; their further career prospects as Incorporated Engineers and Chartered Engineer are sound, with a high need for skilled engineers in the UK and abroad; their confidence levels are much higher; their social and communication skills have improved; they are now able to identify and take responsibility for their further learning needs; can articulate their needs and seek help to continue professional development. A culture of self-management and lifelong learning was established.

Conclusions and outcomes of the 17 projects are higher confidence in learning maths; embedding the concept of Math’s advocates and Math’s PAL; improved retention and achievement; sustainability of differentiated maths support; informed pedagogy for intervention programmes and creating contextualised maths examples, as an aid to memorable learning.

Providing a friendly environment where students were not afraid to disclose what they did not know or understand was crucial to success, as was patient learner-centric tutors. Duplicable project plans enabled other institutions to avoid pitfalls when organising similar events.