Mathematics by Distance Education

Title

Mathematics by Distance Education

Author(s)

Dr Danijela Ivkovic

Presentation Goals

• Learn about technologies used to effectively deliver handwritten mathematics via video conferences
• Hear ideas for structuring units to support students regardless of study mode or campus and foster a sense of community in geographically dispersed student cohorts.

Subtheme

UTAS Blended Learning Model

Presentation Type

Spotlight on Practice

Keywords

video conference, handwritten maths, distance, technology facilitation, student interaction

Room

Social Sciences 210

Time

12.45-13.45

Abstract

Mathematics foundation unit is taught simultaneously in Sandy Bay, Newnham and Cradle Coast campuses and is offered via internal or external study modes. The enrolments for the unit range from 50-100 students per delivery and the student cohort is diverse in age, mathematical background, and location, including students stationed on ships during the unit delivery. In order to effectively teach such a diverse cohort we have created a unit which aims to utilise the available technology to deliver mathematics content via "distance" whilst maintaining the community sense of a classroom offering support to all students regardless of the campus or mode of study.

We conduct lectures via video-conference, which are live-streamed and recorded. The main challenge in teaching mathematics via video-conference is in finding appropriate technology to replace the traditional hand-writing on a whiteboard. I wish to share with colleagues the technologies we have used to create a virtual whiteboard and what challenges and benefits we encountered. I will also discuss how availability of live streaming and recorded lectures affected lecture attendance.

We found that students who are learning mathematics at this level need interactive contact with staff and other students. We offer face-to-face tutorials for the student cohort on each campus, online tutorials via Blackboard Collaborate and face-to-face workshops for students with weaker background.