Maths for Engineers: Key Success Factors
Thursday 13 December 2007Comment on this article Permlink
Recent STEM work has been conducted in the area of Maths for Engineers.
Our programme supported 7 students who were failing their Foundation Degree programme.
Although the level 4 material for the degree was fully covered, the pace and delivery was adjusted to allow learners to slowly grasp mathematical concepts.
Evaluation was carried out at 3 stages and showed key success criteria were as follows:
- Slow pace of delivery – the course was 5 days per week for 4 weeks in August/September 2007
- Small groups (7 in this case, but it was felt more than 10 would affect success rate)
- High commitment from the learner (7 learners would have had to give up their engineering programme if they failed this course, resulting in very high commitment)
- Very good empathy skills of the teaching staff and considerable patience during the delivery stage. This was noted as a critical success factor
- Consistency in teaching methodology (ie one person responsible for delivering the classes created trust and students felt more comfortable with this)
- Good material – not on-line!
- Several practical examples to explain how each mathematical concept would be used in engineering or the workplace, followed by informal discussion
- A consistent location and scheduled times to attend classes
- An expectation that all students would attend all classes was made very clear at the outset
- Opportunities for one on one tutorial assistance, particularly in the early stages
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