Update to this post: Due to its success in attracting students throughout the Michaelmas Term, the Maths & Stats Support Centre has now moved to larger premises and can be found on the first floor of the Library. The new venue provides more study tables for students to work at during clinic hours, which have remained unchanged. (18 January 2016)
Just six weeks after its launch, the Maths & Stats Support Centre has established itself as the go-to source of advice for students on LSE’s core quantitative courses. Academic developer Mark Baltovic reports.
The idea for a dedicated centre of support for students of core courses in the departments of Mathematics and Statistics arose last year, in conversations between Professor Jan van Heuvel, other academic staff in the departments and LSE’s Teaching and Learning Centre. Those conversations led eventually to a Teaching and Learning Development Fund bid to help set up and run a new quantitative study support initiative at LSE, which in turn resulted in the School’s first Maths & Stats Support Centre (MSSC) – a drop in clinic staffed by faculty and class teachers that is open 9 hours each week throughout term. The Centre is situated in the LSE Students’ Union building and can be used by students past and present of core first year Mathematics and Statistics courses.
Why a support centre?
A support centre is a very direct and visible way for departments to support student learning, and something that has appeal for those students who do not take advantage of the offerings housed within departments. Moreover, by locating it within a student space it was hoped that the Maths & Stats Support Centre would enhance students’ perceptions of the level of support and potential contact time that is available to them, and encourage more of them to take advantage of such support.
The courses that the Centre supports – MA100, MA103, MA107, MA110, ST102 and ST107 – are taken by students from many departments and degree programmes across the School, and there was a concern that students outside of the Mathematics and Statistics departments may not feel comfortable in approaching teachers in those departments for extra help. Such students may also not realise their need for support until well into their second year of study, when they may not have direct access to the relevant teachers. By making itself open to all current and past students, the Centre offers a visible, welcoming and flexible source of support to students.
The Centre also offers the opportunity for academic staff to enhance or even relocate their office hours. One member of staff who runs one of the Maths & Stats Support Centre sessions reported that he enjoyed offering his office hour in the Centre rather than in his office as he found that those who came along were engaged with their studies and clearly valued the opportunity to work through concepts or problems they had in an open, informal and supportive environment. He considers it to be a mutually beneficial arrangement and enjoys the dynamic of the sessions.
How is it doing?
So far, student response has been overwhelmingly positive, as can be seen in some of the quotes below. Feedback is requested at the end of each session on a short ‘feedback postcard’ on which students indicate, anonymously, their degree programme, year of study and which course they were asking for help with, as well as any additional comments they want to make about the Centre.
“Helpful advisers willing to go the extra mile.”
“Prof. [name removed] was really welcoming, even though I probably asked what were really basic questions.”
“Extremely helpful and a very learned teacher.”
“Really good with walking me through the problem.”
What comes next?
The project was originally conceived as a 2 year pilot scheme. However, just mid-way through its first term sessions are regularly fully attended and are even over-subscribed at times. While it has been gratifying for all involved to see the Centre achieve such success so quickly, it is recognised that, to avoid being a victim of such success, the problem of over-subscription must be looked at. Currently, staff in the departments and Teaching and Learning Centre are jointly exploring other venues for the Centre so that demand can be accommodated, as well as additional ways to staff it so that a consistent level of support for its visitors can be provided.
Find out more …
about the Teaching and Learning Development Fund
about the Maths & Stats Support Centre
