Transition to HE

Duncan Lawson,Professor STEM Education

Coventry University

Disclaimer

Avoid PTP duplication

Maths focus

Two key periods

After enrolment

Before application

They cannot transition if they

do not apply

Green shoots

Science is becoming sexy - Brian Cox

Increasing A level numbers

More Green shoots

Global challenges (climate change, sustainability, alternative energy) need STEM to address them.

Financial climate

Better employment prospects

STEM seen as safe haven in difficult times

But ....

Please, Sir – what job can I do with a maths degree?

Certificate in STEM Careers GuidanceM level, validated by

Glamorgan – IMA/Wales Spoke Collaboration

No room for complacency

Making maths more exciting

IMA developed MLOCK equipment for Outreach

and Careers Fairs

After enrolment

Research has shown the first few weeks are crucial for retention

Maths – the STEM ogre

Many students require some additional academic support, especially in the mathematical skills required in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. NAO Report Staying the course

RSA report Solving the Maths Problem led to newspaper headlines such asUniversity maths too difficult for British students

SCORE report:Maths topics assessed in a limited way or not at allCovered at a lower level of difficulty than requiredImpact on students’ ability to progress to STEM in HE

Boost your students with maths support

sigma is a fantastic example of institutions recognising genuine concerns in standards and acting in a positive way to address them. Students’ reports about the support they received were exceptionally positive.

Within HE-STEM, sigma has supported 22 new centres

Wales spoke has set up 8 new centres

Adopters programme: Enhancing Maths Support

Rob Wilson (Cardiff) winner of 2012 sigma prize

In conclusion:

It’s premature to believe transition is all sewn up

Much good practice

But ...