Diagnostic testing for Scottish STEM students – A collaborative project скачать в хорошем качестве

Diagnostic testing for Scottish STEM students – A collaborative project

Emma Coutts, Heriot-Watts University, Edinburgh, Scotland The Scottish Qualification Authority’s (SQA) Higher Mathematics qualification is an essential entry requirement for most STEM undergraduate degree programmes at Scottish Institutions, therefore a good knowledge of the topics covered in its curriculum is the foundation expected in first year maths-based modules. This project, between Heriot-Watt University and University of Glasgow maths support services, developed a comprehensive diagnostic test based on the SQA Higher Mathematics curriculum using the NUMBAS platform. In the first 2 weeks of their first semester at university, students were asked to complete a short survey about their pre-university mathematics grades, experience and confidence alongside completing the diagnostic test. This talk will present the preliminary findings from the delivery of the test and survey, investigating the link between pre-university grades and confidence levels and the diagnostic results. As this is an ongoing project, I will briefly talk about the current work to investigate if the results of the diagnostic test are a reliable indicator of success in first year mathematics courses at university and a follow-up survey to assess whether students experienced anxiety surrounding the test.