network for excellence in
    mathematics and statistics support

Author Archives: Janette Matthews

Promoting and Evaluating your Maths Support Service – 25 April 2016

The sigma Eastern England Hub is hosting a free networking event – ‘Promoting and Evaluating your Maths Support Service’ at the Silberrad Student Centre, University of Essex on Monday 25th April 2016 starting at 12:00.

If you are involved in the provision of mathematics and statistics support in higher education, this event will give you the opportunity to share your experiences on the promotion and evaluation of your service. Our aim is to inspire you and ensure that you leave with an “action plan” for the development of maths support in your institution.

12:00 Lunch and Welcome – Prof Abdel Salhi, sigma Eastern England Hub co-ordinator

12:30 Show and Tell: How do you promote and evaluate your service?

Each attendee will have a few minutes to show and tell about the promotion and evaluation practice in institution. We will focus on:

– The variety of promotional material and tools used

– Collaboration with departments, students union or other support services

– Key performance indicators in evaluation 

– Use of quantitative data and qualitative feedback 

– Challenges in collecting meaningful student feedback

14:00 Tour of the Silberrad Student Centre

14:30 Coffee break

14:45 Exchange: What would you include in your action plan?

Based on the earlier show and tell session, locate a group of people to follow up with, exchange knowledge and experiences

15:45 Closing Summary – David Bowers, Chair of the sigma Network

This is a free event including lunch and refreshments

Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the University of Essex new Silberrad Student Centre (SSC). The SSC opened in August 2015 and is the focal point for all student services, including registration, finance, accommodation, SU Media, IT services, Student Support and our Talent Development Centre. In addition there is a learning hub and reading room, as well as a magnificent Board Room – Lakeview Room where our meeting will take place. To register for this event or for further information, please contact: Hansa Bissoondeeal hobiss@essex.ac.uk

For those working towards HEA Fellowship, attendance at and engagement with this event, and reflection on its implication for practice, could help to provide evidence towards elements of the UK Professional Standards Framework: A1, A5, K5, K6, V2, V3.

sigma Midlands Hub event :Introduction to LaTeX – 21 March 2016

The sigma Midlands Hub is holding a free Introduction to LaTeX training day on Monday, March 21st 2016 at the University of Wolverhampton, City (i.e. Wolverhampton) campus. Note that this is the Monday before Easter. This free training day from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm is for those who wish to learn the basics of the document preparation system LaTeX. The course willContinue Reading

sigma Eastern England Tutor Training – 2 March 2016

The sigma Eastern  England Hub is holding a free new tutor training session on Wednesday March 2nd  2016,  from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, at the University of East London,  Docklands campus. This free training day is for tutors who work in mathematics and statistics support centers or who otherwise support students to enhance their mathematical skills. The course will be delivered by membersContinue Reading

Pocket Guide to Resources for Statistics Support Tutors

Your views requested! Ellen Marshall (University of Sheffield), Alun Owen (University of Worcester) and Jonathan Gillard (University of Cardiff) are engaged in a sigma-funded project to develop a “Pocket Guide to Resources for Statistics Support Tutors”. The aim is to produce a “pocket-sized” (A5) guide to give tutors working in statistics support quick access toContinue Reading

Embedding Maths and Statistics support into Sports and Exercise Science degrees – 10 February 2016

The sigma North West and North Wales Hub and the Sports and Exercise Science Dept at LJMU are arranging the first sigma event focused on the Sports and Exercise Science community. The event will be held at Liverpool John Moores University on Wednesday 10th February, starting at 10am.The aims of the day are To acquaint the sigmaContinue Reading

Preparing Students for Numerical Psychometric Tests – 15 January 2016

The next sigma meeting organised by the South East Hub is taking place on Friday 15th January from 10:30-3pm at the University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, London, SE10.  The focus is on Preparing Students for Numerical Psychometric Tests. Venue: Queen Anne Court, QA063 Greenwich Campus, University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, Park Row, SE10 9LS Directions: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/about/travel/greenwich Speakers: EleContinue Reading

sigma Midlands Tutor Training – 14 January 2016

The sigma Midlands Hub is holding a free new tutor training session on January 14th 2016 at the University of Wolverhampton Walsall campus. This free training day is for tutors who work in mathematics and statistics support centres or who otherwise support students to enhance their mathematical skills. The course will be delivered by members of sigma, based around the sigma guide “Tutoring in aContinue Reading

sigma Tutor Training – 15 December 2015

Place: Lancaster University Date: Tuesday 15th December 2015 Time: 10.00  –  16.00 A free training day is being held on Tuesday 15th December 2015 for tutors who work in mathematics and statistics support centres or who otherwise support students to enhance their mathematical skills. The course will be delivered by members of sigma, based around the sigma guide “Tutoring in a Mathematics Support Centre“. The training is idealContinue Reading

sigma Annual Report 2014/15

The sigma Annual Report 2014/15 on activity during the second year of a three-year tranche of funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to support, enhance and develop the sigma Network has been published. To access the report, click here

R Day: Delivery of Statistics Support using R – 2 December 2015

 Place: University of Essex  Date: Wednesday 2nd December 2015  10:30 am refreshments for a 10:45 am start.To finish by 4:30 pm. The popular and free software termed “R” is already well used by academics across various disciplines. The R Day, to be held at the University of Essex Campus near Colchester, will focus on howContinue Reading