Previous TF 2019-20
Organiser for 2021-2022: Dr Samuel Touchard
2021-2022 Sessions
• Date: 2-3pm, 9th March (Wednesday)
Location: Teams
Presenter: Dr Ian Jones (Loughborough University)
Title: Assessing high-order learning in mathematics: a comparative judgement approach
Abstract: Comparative judgement methods for assessing learning have been gaining traction for the past decade, and various online tools are now available to support their use. In this talk I will describe how comparative judgement can be used to assess high-order learning, such as conceptual understanding and problem solving. Key to the approach is the use of genuinely open-ended test questions, and enhancing student learning through peer assessment activities. I will also present evidence that peer assessment methods based on comparative judgement can produce outcomes that are valid and reliable enough for summative assessment applications. The talk will involve a workshop component where delegates can have a go at judging students' work, and reflect on the types of test questions and peer learning activities that comparative judgement can enable.
Slides Comparative Judgement - Ian Jones
Literature review - Ian Hamilton
2020-2021 Sessions
• Date: 3-5pm, 11th December (Friday)
Location: Teams
Presenter: Dr Ioannis Kosmidis (Warwick)
Title: Enhancing the accessibility of teaching materials: structure, content and colours
Abstract: In this presentation, we discuss simple steps to increase the accessibility of teaching content to individuals with sight or colour difficulties.
We will focus on HTML content generated using R Markdown because that framework and derivative software like, e.g., the bookdown R package are getting more and more pervasive when it comes to authoring and exchanging teaching and other content in the Data Science ecosystem. R markdown will also get even more pervasive now that Python integrates so nicely with R via the reticulate R package!
Many other people have dealt with aspects of what I will present here, so I do not claim that there is anything particularly original or novel in the content here. What is perhaps useful is having it all in one place.
http://ikosmidis.com/post/blog-accessibility/
• Date: 2-3pm, 22nd January (Friday)
Location: Teams
Presenter: Dr Rachel Hilliam (Open University)
Title: Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Statistics online? What lessons can we take away?
Abstract: In this presentation I’ll give an overview of some of the resources that the mathematics and statistics community have shared through TALMO workshops and share some initial feedback on the resources.
I will show you how my students at the OU use (or fail to use) different resources and where it might be wise to direct limited staff resource. We will discuss how this might be different in different institutions.
Finally, we will discuss whether there are aspects of online learning that we might want to incorporate into our teaching provision when we return to a predominantly face to face environment.
• Date: 3-4pm, 12th March (Friday)
Location: Teams
Presenter: Dr Elinor Jones (UCL)
Title: Active learning for undergraduate statisticians post pandemic
Abstract: The pandemic has forced us to rapidly transform the way we teach and, in particular, has been a catalyst for rethinking our attachment to the traditional lectures. This year, many of us have adopted a more "active learning" approach where students learn through activities designed to encourage participation and engagement with the course material. Now that we are (hopefully) nearing a post-pandemic world, how do we put education back together again? What online learning strategies may survive, and which will we gladly drop?
In this talk, I describe aspects of online active learning that have worked well this year and how these observations may shape teaching in future.
• Date: 3-4pm, 7th May (Friday)
Location: Teams
Presenter: Dr Shahin Tavakoli (Warwick)
Title: Some reflections from my personal experience
Abstract: I will talk about some tools I’ve used in my teaching experience, and reflect on whether they worked or not.
• Date: 3-4pm, 28th May (Friday)
Location: Teams
Presenter: Dr Jérémie Houssineau (Warwick)
Title: Technology enhanced learning in Statistics
Abstract: Statistics has the distinctive feature of relying on both pure mathematical skills and intuition about data and models. While technology enhanced learning (TEL) has a role to play in supporting the former, it has the potential of being transformative when teaching the latter. This fact has been recognised early on by the Statistical community and a number of tools have appeared in the 2000s for supporting learning, especially for 1st-year statistics and probability courses. However, a number of these tools are becoming outdated while new opportunities for developing modern visualisations are emerging.
In this talk, I will show some of the tools I have been using for Statistics-focused TEL and I will discuss the corresponding opportunities and challenges. As there are surely many tools that I am not aware of, I would like to make this session collaborative and let colleagues demonstrate the tools they have been using themselves. If you are interested in sharing about your experience, please let me know in advance in order to organise the session effectively.
2019-2020 Sessions
• Date: 2-3pm, 8th November (Friday)
Location: MB2.22
Presenter: Dr Martyn Parker (Warwick)
Title: Recognising and developing those that `teach’.
Abstract: Recent research shows a slowly changing HE landscape that is more explicitly orientated towards valuing education and teaching alongside research. Several reports highlight the need for relevant developmental opportunities for staff at all career stages. Nevertheless, teaching-focus staff can find it difficult to engage with these opportunities or even know they exist. The purpose of this talk is to highlight a personal journey that will hopefully raise awareness of how staff can develop and gain recognition for their practice.
• Date: 2-3pm, 11th December (Wednesday)
Location: MB2.22
Presenter: Prof Duncan Lawson (Coventry)
Title: Excellent teaching in mathematics and statistics.
Presentation slides here.
Abstract: Excellent teaching in higher education takes many forms. Ways of identifying and measuring excellent teaching are even more numerous. This talk will scratch the surface of some of them. Since we cannot reflect on excellent teaching in the mathematical sciences in isolation from the subject, during the course of this presentation we will also do some mathematics - so make sure you bring a pencil and some paper.
The Government has recently introduced a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) to measure the quality of teaching in higher education. So far, this has formally only been used at institutional level, but a subject-level framework has been piloted and is waiting to be rolled out.
The focus on excellent teaching pre-dates the TEF and there has been a considerable body of research carried out in trying to determine what constitutes excellent teaching. One conclusion of this research is that there is still “contention around the definition of teaching excellence” (Gunn & Fisk, 2013). Nonetheless, there is broad agreement in the literature about some of the characteristics of excellent teaching.
One such characteristic is active learning. We will spend some time thinking about what active learning is, what it might look like in the mathematical sciences, if it is practical to implement it and what the barriers might be to such implementation.
This talk will not give a definitive answer to the question “What is excellent teaching in mathematics and statistics?” but hopefully it will generate some discussion which may enable us to learn from each other how we might improve our own practice.
• Date: 2:30-3:30pm, 17th January (Friday)
Location: MB2.22
Presenter: Prof Elena Nardi (East Anglia)
Presentation slides here.
Title: Synergy between mathematicians and mathematics educators: A story of many, and potent, facets.
Abstract: I draw on my experiences as a mathematics education researcher collaborating with research mathematicians in order to tell, and celebrate, a story of paths crossing at four points: in research, teaching, professional development and public engagement. I discuss these four tiers of examples to propose a re-imagining of this story, not merely as a story of paths crossing – but as a story of paths ‘meeting’ at a vanishing point, a point where the boundaries between the two communities fade into insignificance, recede and may even be replaced by a strong sense of joint and multi-faceted enterprise. I conclude with indicating how this joint enterprise may look like in the near future and for action that may bring about positive and lasting change. The session will start with a brief lecture and conclude with a mini-workshop in which participants will engage with a mathtask Link opens in a new windowan activity that involves: solving a mathematical problem; considering a university mathematics teaching and learning situation relating to this problem; and, discussing possible reactions to this situation.
• Date: 2-3pm, 14th February (Friday)
Location: MB2.24
Presenter: Dr Elke Thonnes (Warwick)
Title: Student engagement through partnership.
Abstract: The UK Quality Code sets out the expectation that all higher education providers “take deliberate steps to engage all students, individually and collectively, as partners in assurance and enhancement of their educational experience”. In this teaching forum we will explore the concept of “students as partners” both within the wider HE context but also more specifically with regards to Warwick’s plans for operationalising student engagement. I will also share first experiences with a department pilot scheme for students-as-partners in enhancement projects. At the end of the teaching forum we (Zorana and Elke) would like to invite you to fill out an anonymous questionnaire to evaluate the session. This questionnaire is entirely voluntary. The information collected will provide input into a research study that hopes to contribute to the enhancement of education at the Department of Statistics.
Link to jisc webpage:
• Date: 2-3pm, 1st May (Friday)---POSTPONED FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR
Location: MB2.22
Presenter: Dr Ioannis Kosmidis (Warwick)
Title: TBC
Abstract: TBC
• Date: 2-3pm, 15th May (Friday)---POSTPONED FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR
Location: MB2.22
Presenter: Dr Elinor Jones (UCL)
Title: TBC
Abstract: TBC