This paper by ROSS CUTHBERT and HELEN MACGILLIVRAY discusses analysis of data on initiatives to improve retention rates on engineering degree programmes at Queensland University of Technology in Australia. The paper was presented at Delta 07 - the Southern Hemisphere Symposium on Undergraduate Mathematics Teaching. The Mathematics Access Centre at QUT offers optional extra support and examination workshops. The paper reports that students accessing these are nearly twice as likely to complete the course as the whole cohort, and half as likely to discontinue engineering.

Recruitment to post-graduate mathematics programmes and to lecturer positions in mathematics departments in UK universities has become dominated by international students and staff. Although mathematics is generally regarded as ‘the universal language’, the reality is that different countries have very different cultures when it comes to the teaching and learning of mathematics. There are significant variations in the pre-university mathematical experience, in terms of the curriculum content, learning styles, levels of abstraction, and assessment methods. Even within the UK, a considerable number of pre-higher education mathematics qualifications are available and, it is not always clear what mathematics can be expected when students commence their degree programmes. With increasing numbers of international students and academic staff in UK HE, the scene is becoming more complicated. Students enter degree courses with a wide range of backgrounds and bring with them very different experiences. At the same time, academic staff, having experienced different education systems, may have some unrealistic expectations from their students. With an HEA Teaching Development Grant (Individual Scheme 2012 -2013), this research by Aiping Xu, Coventry University has investigated the mathematical cultures of a range of the main international suppliers (of students and staff) to UK HE mathematics departments. Using semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires, personal experiences of academic staff who have studied or taught more than two educational systems have been drawn upon. Some examinations have also been studied in detail.

"Just the Maths" authored by the late Tony Hobson, former Senior Lecturer in Mathematics of the School of Mathematical and Information Sciences at Coventry University, is a collection of separate mathematics units, in chronological topic-order, intended for foundation level and first year degree level in higher education where mathematics is a service discipline e.g. engineering.

FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS YOU MAY BE UNABLE TO ACCESS THIS LINK DIRECTLY. This paper, by Helen MacGillivray, Queensland University of Technology, describes learning support in mathematics and statistics in Australian universities. Analysis of data for students studying mathematics and statistics contributes to growing evidence that such learning support is fulfilling needs across the range of student capabilities, including students choosing mathematics degree programs. It is published in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology: Volume 40, Issue 4, First published 2009, Pages 455-472, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/.VC0o4b4r8rc

In this unit, we explain what it means for a function to tend to infinity, to minus infinity, or to a real limit, as x tends to infinity or to minus infinity. We also explain what it means for a function to tend to a real limit as x tends to a given real number. In each case, we give an example of a function that does not tend to a limit at all.

In this unit, we explain what it means for a function to tend to infinity, to minus infinity, or to a real limit, as x tends to infinity or to minus infinity. We also explain what it means for a function to tend to a real limit as x tends to a given real number. In each case, we give an example of a function that does not tend to a limit at all. (Mathtutor Video Tutorial) The video is released under a Creative Commons license Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works and the copyright is held by Skillbank Solutions Ltd.

In this unit, we recall what is meant by a simple sequence, and introduce infinite sequences. We explain what it means for two sequences to be the same, and what is meant by the n-th term of a sequence. We also investigate the behaviour of infinite sequences, and see that they might tend to plus or minus infinity, or to a real limit, or behave in some other way. (Mathtutor Video Tutorial) This resource is released under a Creative Commons license Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works and the copyright is held by Skillbank Solutions Ltd.

This is a complete workbook introducing the solution of a single linear equation in one variable. It contains plenty of examples and exercises. It can be used as a free-standing resource or in conjunction with the mathtutor DVD.

Some of the most important functions are linear. This unit describes how to recognize a linear function, and how to find the slope and the y-intercept of its graph. (Mathtutor Video Tutorial) This resource is released under a Creative Commons license Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works and the copyright is held by Skillbank Solutions Ltd.

Some of the most important functions are linear. This unit describes how to recognize a linear function, and how to find the slope and the y-intercept of its graph. (Mathtutor Video Tutorial) The video is released under a Creative Commons license Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works and the copyright is held by Skillbank Solutions Ltd.

Questions on linear programming techniques, with interactive graphics. Numbas resources have been made available under a Creative Commons licence by Bill Foster and Christian Perfect, School of Mathematics & Statistics at Newcastle University.

We use logarithms to write expressions involving powers in a different form. If you can work confidently with powers, you should have no problems handling logarithms