This is a draft of the presentation that will be given at the HEA Social Sciences annual conference - Teaching forward: the future of the Social Sciences. For further details of the conference: http://bit.ly/1cRDx0p Bookings open until 14 May 2014 http://bit.ly/1hzCMLR or external.events@heacademy.ac.uk Part of the 'Apocalypse Now' conference theme, which requires the presenter to imagine their own future world scenario. IMAGINED WORLD Quantitative methodologies are becoming increasingly important in the world of social sciences. The availability and accessibility of datasets of all kinds is growing at a phenomenal rate. For many academics in social sciences this is not a welcome development. For some it is a philosophical question about the value of different paradigms. For others, it is a more personal reason – they do not feel confident using quantitative methods. The 2012 RSA report “Solving the maths problem” highlighted this in its key findings “English universities are side-lining quantitative and mathematical content because students and staff lack the requisite confidence and ability” (our emphasis). However, it is seems clear that what might be termed “the march of quants” is gaining unstoppable momentum. Some might not like it, but it is a fact of life that quantitative approaches are becoming a necessity in most social science disciplines. In the face of this irresistible change, burying one’s head in the sand is not a particularly productive option. Accepting the inevitable and “going with the flow” are more likely to produce positive outcomes. This paper will point to ways in which this might be achieved. ABSTRACT This paper will outline how mathematics support has grown over the last 20 years from a focus almost exclusively on working with students from STEM disciplines to its current manifestation of supporting students from a wide range of disciplines, including many in the social sciences. Mathematics support is one mechanism by which universities are attempting to facilitate the transition into an increasingly numerate world for those who have not studied mathematics since GCSE, many of whom made a positive decision to avoid the subject in the future.

1. Quants:
nirvana
or
nightmare
?
Ruth
Fairclough
(University
of
Wolverhampton)
Duncan
Lawson
(Newman
University)
Tony
CroC
(Loughborough
University)

2. Outline
• Increasing
quanHficaHon
• “The
maths
problem
in
the
UK”
• The
role
of
mathemaHcs
support
• The
sigma
network
• Freely
available
resources
• InteracHve
session:
discuss
your
own
needs
• How
could
sigma
evolve
to
help
your
students
?

3. Increasing
quanHficaHon
(STEM)
• It
has
always
been
the
case
that
students
in
STEM
disciplines
needed
a
good
foundaHon
in
mathemaHcs.
Over
the
last
20
years
or
so
this
has
become
parHcularly
problemaHc:
In
2006,
the
Royal
Society
argued
that
the
gap
between
the
mathema;cal
skills
of
students
when
they
entered
HE
and
the
mathema;cal
skills
needed
for
STEM
first
degrees
was
a
problem
which
had
become
acute.
…
The
evidence
we
received
suggested
that
the
problem
remains.
House
of
Lords
Select
CommiVee
on
Science
and
Technology
report
Higher
Educa;on
in
Science,
Technology,
Engineering
and
Mathema;cs
(STEM)
subjects
(2012).

4. Increasing
quanHficaHon
(BioSci)
• As
bioscience
becomes
increasingly
quan;ta;ve,
there
is
also
an
urgent
need
to
raise
the
mathema;cal
and
computa;onal
skills
of
biologists
at
all
levels.
Biotechnology
&
Biological
Sciences
Research
Council
The
Age
of
Bioscience:
Strategic
Plan
2010-­‐2015
hVp://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/web/FILES/PublicaHons/strategic_plan_2010-­‐2015.pdf

5. Increasing
quanHficaHon
(SocSci)
• The
UK
is
weak
in
quan;ta;ve
skills,
in
par;cular
but
not
exclusively
in
the
social
sciences
and
humani;es….
another
reason
for
the
poor
skills
of
undergraduates
is
the
dearth
of
academic
staff
able
to
teach
quan;ta;ve
methods
BriHsh
Academy
posiHon
statement
Society
Counts:
QuanHtaHve
Skills
in
the
Social
Sciences
and
HumaniHes
(2012)
hVp://www.britac.ac.uk/policy/Society_Counts.cfm

6. The
“maths
problem”
in
the
UK

7. The
“maths
problem”
in
the
UK
• We
es;mate
that
of
those
entering
higher
educa;on
in
any
year,
some
330,000
would
benefit
from
recent
experience
of
studying
some
mathema;cs
(including
sta;s;cs)
at
a
level
beyond
GCSE.
• At
the
moment
fewer
than
125,000
have
done
so.
ACME
–
Advisory
CommiVee
on
MathemaHcs
EducaHon
–
June
2011

8. So
what
is
mathemaHcs
support
?
• acHviHes
and
resources
provided
to
support
and
enhance
students’
learning
of
mathemaHcs
and
staHsHcs,
in
any
discipline,
at
any
level
of
higher
educaHon
and
which
are
provided
in
addiHon
to
tradiHonal
lectures,
tutorials,
examples
classes,
personal
tutorial
sessions….
• Non-­‐judgmental,
informal,
not
credit-­‐bearing
• Pleasant
and
non-­‐threatening
• SupporHve

9. The
role
of
mathemaHcs
support
The
one-­‐to-­‐one
approach
was
essen;al
as
was
the
non-­‐judgmental
aWtude
of
the
lecturer
who
took
pains
to
explain
what
would
no
doubt
have
been
ordinarily
an
elementary
point
with
pa;ence
and
understanding.

10. sigma:
network
of
pracHHoners
• There
is
an
established
community
of
mathemaHcs
support
pracHHoners
• www.sigma-­‐network.ac.uk
• JISCmail
list
sigma-­‐network
• Quarterly
newsleVer
• One
of
the
most
open,
friendly
and
welcoming
academic
communiHes
you
will
experience
• free
maths
and
stats
support
resources
17
January
2014

11. Chetna
Patel
(Sheffield)
David
Bowers
(University
Campus
Suffolk)
Noel
Anne
Bradshaw
(Greenwich)
Leslie
Fletcher
(LJMU)
Emma
Cliffe
(Bath)
Ruth
Fairclough
(Wolverhampton)

12. Tapping
into
resources:
statstutor

13. Tapping
into
resources:
mathcentre

14. Reflect
on
your
own
students’
needs
• Do
you
come
across
students
who
need
to
develop
beVer
maths
skills
?
• Do
some
of
your
students
choose
quanHtaHve
project
work
?
• What
about
when
they
start
looking
for
jobs
?
What
sort
of
jobs
do
they
do
?
• How
could
sigma
evolve
to
help
your
students
?

15. Keep
in
touch
• Join
the
JISCmail
list
• Subscribe
to
sigma
newsleVer
• AVend
CETL-­‐MSOR
conference
8/9
September
2014,
Cardiff
• Take
advantage
of
mathcentre
community
project
for
resource
sharing
17
January
2014