Using student feedback to improve student attitudes and mathematical confidence in a first year interdisciplinary quantitative course: from the ashes of disaster!

Abstract

Today's scientist is faced with complex problems that require interdisciplinary solutions. Consequently, tertiary science educators have had to develop and deliver interdisciplinary science courses to equip students with the skills required to solve the evolving real-world challenges of today and tomorrow. There are few reported studies of the lessons learned from designing and delivering first year compulsory interdisciplinary science subjects at regional universities. Even fewer studies assess the impact that teaching interventions within interdisciplinary courses have on students’ attitudes towards mathematics and technology, and mathematics anxiety. This paper discusses the feedback received from the first student cohort of a new compulsory, first year interdisciplinary science subject at a regional Australian university which resulted in curricular revisions. These revisions included a greater emphasis on the subject relevance and increased student support in tutorials. Assessment practices were also dramatically modified. The change in student attitudes and anxiety levels a priori and a posteriori to the interventions was measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Post-intervention, female and non-mathematics major students had grown in mathematical confidence and were less anxious. It is important that positive and negative research findings are reported, so science educators can learn from one another, and can better prepare their students for the challenges they will face in bringing interdisciplinary solutions to contemporary real-world problems.

Keywords:

• mathematics
• anxiety
• confidence
• engagement
• interdisciplinary

Acknowledgements

Student feedback would not have improved without the dedication and support of all SC1102 teaching members (staff and tutors) and the guidance and support of the SC1102 consultative committee – all these parties are gratefully acknowledged especially by the first author. Thanks are also extended to Heather Gordon, Orpha Bellwood and Alison Cottrell for collating and disseminating structured feedback from students in 2010 and 2011. A special thanks go to all SC1102 students who provided feedback and participated in focus group interviews and to Ayla Gyuris for designing the course logo.

Notes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roses_of_Success.