Increase student engagement with help from the MLC
In the courses you teach, I am sure you can call to mind particular students or groups of students who you know are capable but you wish you could help to engage at a higher level. For many students, their relationship with mathematics might be a key factor in how well they engage and how well they perform.
Maths has an impact on all students
For almost all students at the university, mathematics intersects with their experience of their courses in many big and small ways. It appears in many places, from a percentage in a law case, to a chart in a government report, to a p-value in a journal article, to a formula in a science lab, to a calculation in a design assignment, to a whole mathematics course. How students feel about mathematics and its relationship to both the course content and their identity as learners has a big impact on how they engage in the course and with their university experience.
The MLC supports all students engage with their courses
At the Maths Learning Centre, we love talking with all students about mathematics and their relationship with it, and how it intersects with their experience of learning at university. We believe everyone is capable of learning and using maths, and that all students can be encouraged to imagine themselves succeeding and supported to succeed in practice. We organise many opportunities to do this talking: visiting them in their labs and tutorials, designing and teaching guest classes within their courses, and thousands of discussions in the MLC Drop-In Centre every year both face-to-face and online.
Students receiving help at the MLC
Students value the MLC’s support
Students truly value talking with us about their maths. Here are some comments from our yearly student survey.
“I have newfound confidence in mathematics, thanks to the MLC.”
“At the start of the year I had very limited understanding of mathematics. Going to the math learning centre helped me flourish and achieve a HD in my advanced math class. They helped me discover potential that I did not know I had. I cannot thank them enough.”
“I loved the friendly and welcoming environment and it was the first time I felt like part of something since beginning Uni.”
“They are so willing to take the time to help, they never make you feel like any questions are too simple or silly.”
“The emotional comfort of having a human to talk about an overwhelming maths problem and have them take you calmly through the problem solving process, it’s invaluable for mental health and meta learning.”
Have a chat to the MLC about helping students to engage
We love talking to teaching staff about how we can work together to help our students succeed. I encourage you to email us at mathslearning@adelaide.edu.au to organise a time to chat to us.
Story by Dr David K Butler - Coordinator, Maths Learning Centre