Mathematics & Statistics hosts IMLSN Workshop 16
On Monday 17 June the IMLSN held the hybrid workshop ‘The Use of Technology in Mathematics and Statistics Support’ via Zoom and at TU Dublin on the Grangegorman campus.
The workshop featured three 30-minute talks that reflected on staff and student use of technology, especially post COVID-19, with an interest in both the challenges and success stories that arise from technology use (including AI). Details of these talks can be found below and all talk were recorded and can be found here: IMLSN - IMLSN Workshop 16.
The first talk by Declan Manning on “Generating Maths Solutions with ChatGPT”, was about the uses of ChatGPT for answering questions in mathematics assignments and exams and the challenges of it and potential strategies to overcome them.
Our second talk by Pádhraic O’Hanrahan on “Demonstrating the use of digital tools in the blended instruction of Mature Students”, where Pádhraic showed how he teaches Certificate in Science for mature students, using filled-in lecture notes via OneNote, the ability to attend lectures remotely via Microsoft Teams, and being able to watch timestamped recorded lectures via YouTube.
Lastly, the talk by Aisling McGlinchey on “Incorporating online resources into traditional Mathematics Learning Support”, gave details on ‘Shared Mathematics Resources Project’ which aims to provide easily searchable, reliable and targeted selections of notes, videos and interactive exercises in key topics in mathematics that are available on the IMLSN website. As a part of this talk, attendees of the workshop were challenged to find notes, videos and interactive exercises that could be used in the IMLSN website.
Titles and Abstracts
Declan Manning - Generating Maths Solutions with ChatGPT
Abstract: In the domain of natural language processing, ChatGPT has shown a remarkable proficiency in understanding and generating text. However, using it in the context of mathematics introduces several unique challenges. In this talk, we explore these challenges and discuss potential strategies to overcome them.
Pádhraic O’Hanrahan - Demonstrating the use of digital tools in the blended instruction of Mature Students
Abstract: At Maynooth University, my job consists of two roles. On the one hand, I am a tutor in the Mathematics Support Centre (MSC) and on the other, I am the lecturer for the one-year, pre-degree, Certificate in Science for mature students. Students on this course typically do not have the required mathematical background to make the successful transition into third level and therefore require significant support.
During the pandemic, I had to experiment with how I delivered my lectures and assessments in an online environment, as well as explore options to support my students, like I would in the MSC. As a result of this experimentation, an online ecosystem for this program evolved where the best parts of the traditional instruction methods have now been blended with digital tools to aid in the instruction of students. Recognising the barriers to education with mature students, I have decided to keep a number of these tools alive post pandemic.
Currently, every student has the following digital tools available to them: access to filled-in lecture notes via OneNote, ability to attend lectures remotely via Microsoft Teams, and being able to watch timestamped recorded lectures via YouTube. While these tools were developed with lecturing in mind, I believe they would be applicable in a Maths Support context in the form of workshops.
In this presentation, I will show how I setup each tool, demonstrate how they are used, and explain how these different digital tools are incorporated into a coherent space for students to navigate.
Aisling McGlinchey - Incorporating online resources into traditional Mathematics Learning Support
Abstract: To support the Irish maths learning support community, the IMLSN ‘Shared Mathematics Resources Project’ aims to provide easily searchable, reliable and targeted selections of notes, videos and interactive exercises in key topics in mathematics and make them available on the IMLSN website. Resources are chosen with the Irish context in mind, quick and easy to find, and for most topics, interactive exercises with feedback are provided. It is an ongoing project, from and for the IMSLN community, and we encourage colleagues to participate in the project, and to use it in maths support centres and other teaching.