We describe and evaluate a method to mitigate unwanted student collaborations in assessments, which we recently implemented in a second-year undergraduate mathematics module. The method requires a list of specific pairs of students to be prevented from collaborating, which we constructed based on the results of previous assessments. We converted…

Through the global pandemic, the single greatest challenge at universities has been the move towards digital assessment. In this classroom note, we describe our new no-exam assessment setup in a Statistics course for third-year bachelor Mechanical Engineering students. The main idea is to assess the students based on self-generated problems.…

We believe that developing cultural competencies can help students learn mathematics and conversely that learning mathematical content can help students learn about themselves and others. Using frameworks introduced by Rendón (2009) and Gutiérrez (2018), we present a five-part bundle of activities for undergraduate differential equations course…

A partially-automated method of assessment is proposed, in which automated question setting is used to generate individualized versions of a coursework assignment, which is completed by students and marked by hand. This is designed to be (a) comparable to a traditional written coursework assignment in validity, in that complex and open-ended tasks…

In this note, we report on an implementation of discovery-oriented problems in courses on Real Analysis and Differential Equations. We explain a type of task design that gives students the opportunity to conjecture, refute and prove. What is new is that the complexity in our problems is limited and thus the tasks can also be used in homework…

In this paper we present a pilot study to improve the learning process on distance learning Engineering master's degrees. We propose an activity where the students individually produce a video in which they explain the solution to one of their assignments. They then receive the teacher's feedback and are acquainted with the assessment rubric.…

This paper presents our experience of integrating technological tools into our mathematics teaching (in both disciplinary and didactic courses) for student-teachers. In the first cycle of our study, a variety of technological tools were used (e.g., dynamic software, hypertexts, video and applets) in teaching two disciplinary mathematics courses.…

This article presents an informed reflection on the evolution of teacher-to-learner feedback provided on written assignments in first-year university mathematics subjects. The feedback provided addresses not only mathematical accuracy and skills, but also the development of graduate attributes, such as discipline-appropriate written communication.…

Students approach learning in different ways, depending on the experienced learning situation. A deep approach is geared toward long-term retention and conceptual change while a surface approach focuses on quickly acquiring knowledge for immediate use. These approaches ultimately affect the students' academic outcomes. This study takes a…

We report on the implementation of a monitoring scheme by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. The scheme was introduced in an attempt to increase the level and quality of students' engagement with certain aspects of their undergraduate course. It is well documented that students with higher…

To ensure the competitiveness of the USA in the global economy, and its role as a leader in science and engineering, it is important to cultivate the next generation of home grown mathematicians. However, while universities across the USA offer calculus classes to thousands of undergraduate students each year, very few of them go on to major in…

Excel assignments were used as extra credit in an intermediate algebra course. Ninety percent of the students had a home computer and seventy per cent were familiar with Excel. There was not a significant linear correlation between the amount of Excel that the students performed and their achievement in algebra. One-third of the students did less…