Using Flexible Learning to Cure
the QM Malaise
Michaela Cottee, Amanda Relph and Karen Robins
University of Hertfordshire Business School(UH)
Objectives
1
2
• Discuss which areas of quantitative methods
need urgent support;
• Consider student preference on the type of
flexible learning;
• Exchange views on how to provide formative
3
assessment, feedback and support to students
for quantitative methods.
What we have found so far
Student comments
“each new topic is always broken down well with plenty
of examples to be worked which I feel … is the easiest
way to understand numerical concepts”
“delivery and interaction with students during
lectures, could be improved in order to enable a
greater enjoyment and understanding relating to that
particular module”
“I think EVS is a good idea, as it makes students visit the
lecture slides again instead of leaving it all till revision”
What we have found so far
Students (from questionnaires)
• Are worried well, just need a supplement for
confidence and reassurance;
• are confident of their abilities and unaware of
their weaknesses;
• want dedicated support from their module
leader, but fail to ask for it;
• Wanted a variety of different support
mechanisms;
• 30% unaware of the numeracy test;
• Cannot use mathematical functions in Excel
What we have found so far
“what I find helps enormously are the tutorial sheets that
you can practice, and then go to the tutorial and go through
the calculations with the tutor … I found it was something
that didn't require extra reading, just practicing over and over
again”
“you may get stuck on a question and the only way of solving
this is by asking the tutor at the end of the tutorial, so in that
sense they are happy to support. In terms of extra support,
there could be a few maths classes prior to exam time.”
What we have found so far
“the length to learn numeracy for our modules was very
limited, i.e. three weeks, there was not enough support to
give us to give us confidence to succeed with the numeracy
module”
“lecturers should not rush while explaining what they want
us to do for Numeracy in our courses, as it has been a while
to catch up with our mathematical experience through school
and/or college”
What we have found so far
“My opinion of the delivery and material within my QM
module is that it was enough to meet the criteria of the
module but allowed no room for students to stand out, we
were being taught a relatively easy standard of statistics that
doesn't really give anything spectacular for me to put on
applications for internships next summer”
“Resources were limited to a vague textbook outline and
that's about it, I would prefer to be told about a really good
book external to the university which clearly explains
mathematical processes which I may use in a career; not
just in a numeracy module in first year”
What we have found so far
“make lectures more engaging, make more examples
when teaching a topic such as measures of location with real
life examples ”
“there are not many books that can explain topics that the
course covers. Our lecturer did suggest a textbook however
they did say it was worded poorly and so put me off looking
for the textbook”
What we have found so far
“the numeracy module was extremely useful, having not
studied ‘math’ or utilized the skills learnt from GCSE math’s
for exceeding 2 years”
“The only change I would make to the module, is to spend
more than 3 weeks on the topic, as having numeracy and
quantitative skills is one of the key skills which graduate
employers require in particularly during the recruitment
process where we would be required to take an aptitude
test”
Recent Quants Test Results
Can easily identify the questions/topics which
students struggle with, but many problems are
more fundamental and include:
• Applying BODMAS
• Expanding brackets
• Rearranging terms
• Attention to details (eg. signs and lines)
• Recognising the problem type
• Coping with mixed units (eg. £ and p)
Gaps in knowledge of provision
From staff
– Pre-knowledge
– No recall
– Unable to transfer
skills and knowledge
Topics
– Very hard to get one
list
– repetition and
terminology issues
Topics covered: skills modules
Topic
Basic analysis
Basic charts
Basic numerical techniques
Break-even
Budgets
Data gathering / sampling
Descriptive statistics
EXCEL
Graphical representations
Spreadsheets
4BUS1027
4BUS1040
4BUS1047
4BUS1061
4BUS1041
4BUS1023
4BUS1048
4BUS1045
4BUS1042
4BUS1027 4BUS1040 4BUS1047 4BUS1041 4BUS1023 4BUS1045
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Introduction to Management - BA Management
Introduction to Business and Management - JH
Professionalism in Event Management BA EM
Introduction to Business - BA BS
The Accounting and Finance Professional - BA Finance
Introduction to Human Resource Management- BA HRM
Professionalism in Tourism Management - BA TM
Professional Development For Marketers - BA Marketing
The Professional Economist
X
X
X
X
X
X
Topics covered: QM modules
•Basic numerical techniques
•Basic probability
•Calculus
•Chi-squared test
•Confidence intervals
•Correlation
•Descriptive statistics
•Equations
•EXCEL
•Forecasting / Time series
•Graphical representations
•Index numbers
•Investment appraisal
•Optimisation
•Probability distribution(s)
•Project management (CPA)
•Regression
•Simulation
4BUS1016
4BUS1017
4BUS1018
4BUS1019
4BUS1021
4BUS1022
4BUS1052
4BUS1016 4BUS1017 4BUS1018 4BUS1019 4BUS1021 4BUS1022 4BUS1052
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Tourism and Events: Data Analysis in Practice [Sem.B]
Quantitative Analysis for Accounting and Finance [Sem.B]
Quantitative Methods for Economics [Sem.B]
Methods and Systems for Business Decisions [Sem.B]
Marketing Data Analysis [Sem.A]
Quantitative Methods for Business and Management A [Sem.A]
Quantitative Methods for Business and Management [Sem.B]
Objectives
1
2
• Discuss which areas of quantitative methods
need urgent support;
• Consider student preference on the type of
flexible learning;
• Exchange views on how to provide formative
3
assessment, feedback and support to students
for quantitative methods.
Table discussion
• Discuss which areas of quantitative
methods need urgent support;
• Consider student preference on the type of
flexible learning.
Flexible Learning Opportunities at UH
• Modules
– regular assessment throughout the module
•
•
•
•
•
ASU website
Support tutors
Additional workshops
Numeracy support in core skills module
Distance / Blended Learning modules
Objectives
1
2
• Discuss which areas of quantitative methods
need urgent support;
• Consider student preference on the type of
flexible learning;
• Exchange views on how to provide formative
3
assessment, feedback and support to students
for quantitative methods.
Table discussion
Exchange views on how to provide formative
assessment, feedback and support to
students for quantitative methods.
Feedback from tables
•
We are hoping to gain
• Not to reinvent the wheel;
• Use reusable learning objects, free
educational software;
• Discuss what works well and what doesn’t.
Useful Websites
Mathcentre (OER)
– developed by a number of universities,
Quick reference leaflets, video tutorials, teach yourself
booklets, practice and revision, online tests
http://www.mathcentre.ac.uk
Maths Solutions – University of Leeds
Features experienced teachers demonstrating solutions to
a series of maths problems.
HEA JISC
Useful Websites
• Score (Support Centre Open Resources in Education)
http://www8.open.ac.uk/score
• FETLAR (OER) Finding Electronic Learning and
assessment resources. HEA/JISc/OER Project (£250K)
provides e-learning content and infrastructure to deliver
end-to-end electronic assessment to students within a
VLE http://www.FETLAR.bham.ac.uk
• eAA e-Assessment Association
www.e-assessmentgroup.net
HEA Event
• Multi-platform Open Educational Resources
(OER), Maths/Stats/Numeracy
University of Newcastle, 8th June 2012
Thank you!
Any questions?