SEMINAR: Mathematics Colloquium

It has been increasingly difficult to engage first year students, especially (but not only) in service units. Most first year service units are difficult to teach as students are not interested and cannot see the relevance to their chosen major field of study. This is especially true of Mathematics and Statistics. Additionally, students in such units are from a variety of backgrounds and mathematical abilities, and are enrolled in very diverse courses. This leads to other problems such as class control, motivation and performance. I will discuss my approach to one such unit, MATH1050, compulsory for all first years who come into Science (and Engineering) with the lowest level mathematics qualification. I tell the story of how I approached this unit over two semesters. The student engagement and enthusiasm was remarkable during this time.

(This talk was presented at the OZCOTS 2010 conference in December in Fremantle.)