Making a maths degree work for the workplace

Figures & data

Table 1. Programme structure for Single Honours and Combined Honours students.

	SINGLE HONOURS
	Semester One	Semester Two	Skills Modules
Year 1	Students take four modules, all compulsory	Students take two compulsory modules and two optional modules, which can be elective choices from a range of different departments across the university	Skills strand module is available as an option in Semester Two
Year 2	Students take four modules, all compulsory	Students take three compulsory modules and one optional module from a choice of three	Skills strand module is compulsory in Semester Two
Year 3	Students take four optional modules from a choice of seven	Students take four optional modules from a choice of eight	Skills strand module is available as an option in Semester One
	COMBINED HONOURS
	Semester One	Semester Two	Skills Modules
Year 1	Students take two compulsory modules	Students take two compulsory modules	None
Year 2	Students take two modules, one compulsory and one optional module from a choice of three	Students take two optional modules from a choice of six	Skills strand module is available as an option in Semester Two
Year 3	Students take two optional modules from a choice of seven	Students take two optional modules from a choice of eight	Skills strand module is available as an option in Semester One

Table 2. Assessment structure for the final-year module.

Assessment Component	Description	Outputs	Intended Learning Outcomes
Group Projects (70% of module mark)	Three group projects: Project 1 (3 h) Time-restricted project Project 2 (2 weeks) Client project Project 3 (6 weeks) Formal mathematical research project	Written reports (for either client reader or a more mathematical audience), group presentations (again to be aimed at specific audiences)	Identify appropriate techniques and apply mathematical knowledge to solve problems related to real-world phenomena Produce tailored reports based on the development of a piece of work aimed a specific intended audience Communicate mathematical results to audiences of differing technical abilities using a variety of methods
Individual Assignments (20% of module mark)	Four individual assignments set at regular intervals throughout the module	Short reflective essays (300–500 words) or brief mathematical reports related to project work	Reflect on skills and identify areas for development Communicate mathematical results to audiences of differing technical abilities using a variety of methods
Management of group projects (10% of module mark)	Formal record of group management of the group projects	Record of group meetings and associated documents (agendas, minutes and actions)	Reflect on progress of tasks over an extended period of time and determine appropriate actions Communicate mathematical work and results in suitable formats Reflect on skills and identify areas for development

Table 3. Assessment criteria used in the final-year module.

UG Award	Example Descriptors	Possible Outcomes (%)
First	In-depth understanding of the underlying concepts and significant signs of originality Well-structured, robust and persuasive argument in accordance with relevant theories and concepts Demonstrates the ability to interpret and present concepts in a critical and constructive manner	100, 90, 80, 75, 72
Upper Second	Develops and analyses the core issues while dealing with some advanced aspects of the assessment topic Good communication skills with clear presentation of argument/analysis Good analysis and well-organised argument, supported by relevant evidence	68, 65, 62
Lower Second	Knowledge of a sufficient number of core materials Arguments are well constructed but do not develop sufficiently some significant issues Clear style with satisfactory presentation	58, 55, 52
Third	Some knowledge of a restricted range of issues relevant to the assessment Some development or illustration of points Arguments are poorly constructed with weak/simplistic presentation	48, 45, 42
Fail	Poor/inappropriate presentation Significant errors or misconceptions with respect to a core issue covered by the assessment Little evidence of coherent thinking or organisation of arguments	38, 30, 20, 10, 0

Figure 1. Costed emails to the domain expert.

Table 4. Median student self-assessment scores from week 2 and week 11.

Professional Skill	Median Score (Week 2)	Median Score (Week 11)
Self-management	4	4
Working as part of a team	4	4
Communicating with others in a group	4	4
Understanding and explaining how groups operate	3	4
Business and customer awareness	3	3
Problem solving	4	4
Applying mathematics to real-world problems	3	4
Being flexible and adapting to unfamiliar problems	3	3
Making and giving presentations	3	4
Writing reports	3	3
Confidence communicating complex mathematical ideas and results	3	3
Discussing your skills	3	3