Undergraduate students – Teaching & Learning Research Initiative

Investigating the Impact of Non-Routine Problem Solving on Creativity, Engagement and Intuition of STEM Tertiary Students

1. Introduction In 2012 the New Zealand Government identified as a priority the need to address the undersupply of students studying STEM subjects for delivering its Business Growth Agenda.[1] Low engagement and retention rates in STEM subjects contribute to the shortage of STEM graduates, producing a negative impact on the New Zealand economy. A significant number of STEM tertiary students drop out during the first year, not because the courses are too difficult but, anecdotally, because they are too dry and boring. There are specific terms to describe this, such as academic disengagement and disinterest (Blondal & Adalbjarnardottir, 2012). In addition to specific subject-based knowledge, many high-tech companies require good generic

Making mathematical thinking visible

1. Mathematical parts and wholes Of all the subjects in the New Zealand school curriculum, mathematics is perhaps the most strongly associated in students’ minds with expectations of conformity, accuracy, and rule-following. Yet mathematicians describe mathematics as a source of intense aesthetic pleasure, creativity, and play (Lockhart, 2009; Sinclair, 2004). Chevallard (as cited in Eisenberg & Dreyfus, 1991) attributes this difference to “didactical transposition”, a process whereby academic mathematical knowledge is broken down and sequentially ordered into atomistic units that are easy to teach and assess. As a result of this transposition, students often experience instructional mathematics as components or building blocks: small, explicitly presented pieces of knowledge and skills to

Capturing learning in undergraduate mathematics: a Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics: The Outcome Spectrum (LUMOS) report

Dedication Judy Paterson sadly passed away during this research project. However, her contribution was a major one, co-leading the design and grant application team, taking responsibility for the Team-Based Learning innovation, conducting interviews, and contributing strongly in several of the learning output observation groups. We dedicate this report to her memory. – Bill Overview of the project The LUMOS Project had two parts: the development of three innovative methods of undergraduate mathematics course delivery, and the identification and observation of a wide range of desired learning outcomes. This project sought to link these aspects. The research questions were: What practical, pedagogical, administrative and curricular barriers need to be overcome to establish