sigma Newsletter – Autumn Edition 2020
2020-09-07 00:00 - 23:59 UTC
Due date

Coffee Morning and “One year on – what have we learnt?
2021-05-07 10:00 - 13:00 UTC | Coventry University
The sigma Mathematics and Statistics Support team at Coventry University would like to invite you to a series of events that we are planning to run in May. The first will take place on Friday 7th May between 10am and 1pm (BST) and will be an informal coffee morning. We invite you to attend to discuss any matters regarding mathematics and statistics support over the past year and to reconnect with colleagues. There will be no formal agenda, just simply an opportunity for the community to get together and discuss any lessons that have been learnt over the past year, what you would like to see from future events, and anything else that you feel would be beneficial for the community. To join this meeting, you can simply click on this link here on the day, joining at any point and leaving at any point (a reminder will be sent nearer the time!).
The discussion in the coffee morning will also inform a more formal event we plan to run on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st May which will be entitled: “One year on – what have we learnt?” and coincides with the 1st anniversary of the online event we ran in May 2020. Here we will invite colleagues to present any work they have conducted over the past year, drawing on the lessons learnt from running online mathematics and statistics support sessions for a whole academic year. Furthermore, we will aim to include presentations on topics that arise from the discussion in the coffee morning. We will provide more details regarding the more formal event nearer the time

One Year On – What have we learnt? A Virtual Two-day event by Coventry University
2021-05-21 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Virtual
Dear colleagues,
Thank you to all those who came along to the coffee morning on Friday. I hope you found it useful and a good chance to catch up with people you may not have been able to connect with for a while. There was positive feedback, and it may be something we can continue with into the future. An aim of the coffee morning was to determine what colleagues would find most useful going forward in terms of workshops and presentations. Some of the key elements suggested were how can we improve engagement with students when working remotely, what are universities looking to do going forward from September, and what successful methods of online support have colleagues discovered over the last year. With these in mind, I would like to invite you to participate in our more formal 2-day meeting: “One Year On – What have we learnt?” on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st May from 10am – 1pm BST each day. Although it would be good to see presentations and discussions around the topics suggested, we are interested in hearing about any experiences that colleagues think would be useful to share from the past year.
If you would like to offer a 20-25 minute presentation, please complete the short form here: https://forms.office.com/r/GzaGAgntGF by Friday 14th May 5pm (BST). Presentations will take place on Microsoft Teams so you will need to ensure you have a log in for Teams to do so.
If you would like to attend the event, please complete this short form here: https://forms.office.com/r/jciWqMuttk by Wednesday 19th May 5pm (BST). Those presenting do not need to complete this form.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Kind regards,
Mark

Virtual sigma-Network “Coffee” Morning 17th May
2022-05-17 10:30 - 12:00 UTC | Virtual
The agenda for the 17th is roughly as follows:
10.30-11.00am – Welcome, hello’s and an informal group discussion for themes/ideas/thoughts you would like to be explored/discussed etc.
11.00-11.40am – Smaller group meetings in breakout rooms to discuss particular themes/ideas emerging from the earlier discussion
11.40am-12.00pm – Reporting back with ideas for the Steering group and other volunteers to develop into an action plan.
Please refer to related email for joining link.

Coffee Morning – 20 Oct 2022
2022-10-20 10:30 UTC | Virtual
Dear all,
We would like to invite you all to join us online on the morning of Thursday October 20th from 10.30am until 12pm for an informal “coffee” morning. This will be held on Teams and the link to join is here. Come along any time between 10.30 and 12 if you wish or join us for the full hour and a half:
Click here to join the meeting
The aim is to have these as a regular feature in the calendar as a chance to see some friendly faces and a have catch up.
The rough theme for this October coffee morning will be “This is how we do it”, so be prepared for lots of discussion on how various departments and institutions are now operating. Bring with you your success stories from the past few years, and some of the ways your style of work has changed to the benefit of students.
We will have breakout rooms for part of the session so you can join a room of your choice to meet with specific colleagues about topics you want to discuss or generally network with.
The agenda for the 20th is roughly as follows:
10.30-11.00am – Welcome, hello’s and catching up after the CETL-MSOR conference
11.00-11.40am – Smaller group meetings in breakout rooms to discuss particular themes/ideas emerging from the earlier discussion
11.40am-12.00pm – Checking in and reporting back from the small group discussions
We look forward to seeing you all there.
Sam
On behalf of the sigma-Network Steering Group
Samuel Walton (he/him)
Learner Developer
Centre for Academic Success
Education Development Service
Birmingham City University

The new normal: What does maths and stats support and teaching look like post pandemic?
2022-12-01 14:00 - 16:30 UTC | Online
Online Event

14:00
Sue Pawley
The Open University
Welcome & Introduction.

14:05
Holly Gilbert
Coventry University
Maths and stats support in the ‘New Normal’: The practitioner and student perspective

14:20
Inna Namestnikova
Brunel University London
Maths and stats support and teaching at Brunel: back to campus? Overview of the new reality after returning to campus.
Slides

14:35
Robert Wilson
Cardiff University
Revitalising the mathematics community.

14:50
Lesley Davis
University of Leicester
Trying to reinstate our pre-pandemic offering of drop-in support within our new normal.
Slides

15:05
Alun Owen
Coventry University
The future of Maths and Statistics Support Post-Pandemic: The Coventry University Experience
Slides

15:30
Tea Break

15:45
Discussions
1. How to effectively combine online and in-person support.
2. How to increase student engagement in all forms of support.

16:30
Close

December Coffee Morning
2022-12-16 10:30 - 12:00 UTC | Online
We would like to invite you all to join us online on the morning of Friday December 16th from 10.30am until 12pm for an informal “coffee” morning. This will be held on Teams and the link to join is here. Come along any time between 10.30 and 12 if you wish or join us for the full hour and a half:
Click here to join the meeting
The aim of this coffee morning is to:

Catch up with each other.
Have a go at some maths puzzles for Christmas.
Share anything that went well this last semester.
Or have a chat about anything else you want!

The agenda for the 16th is roughly as follows:
10.30-11.00am – Welcome and hello. Show off any Christmas jumpers. Have a go at some maths puzzles.
11.00-11.40am – Smaller group meetings in breakout rooms to show off anything that went well over the last semester.
11.40am-12.00pm – Checking in and reporting back from the small group discussions
We look forward to seeing you all there.
Emma, Ed and all of MASH at Bath

Supporting Students with Meta-Analysis and Qualitative Analysis
2023-01-27 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | Coventry University
Free In-Person Workshop
Supporting Students with Meta-Analysis and Qualitative Analysis
Coventry University, Friday 27th January 2023 10:00am – 4:00pm
Organised by the sigma Network Statistics Special Interest Group (SIG)
This free in-person event, aims to offer staff CPD opportunities to develop a basic working knowledge of meta-analysis and qualitative analysis, in order to support students with these topics in the context of a maths and statistics support service. In addition, it offers the opportunity to network in-person with others working in statistics support and the event will close with a discussion around issues relating to statistics support. The programme for the day is attached and you can register at:
https://coventry.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/sigma-network-workshop-meta-analysis-and-qualitative-analysis
Spaces are limited so early registration is recommended.
There is no charge for this event and lunch and refreshments will be provided.
This is an in-person workshop, hosted by Coventry University and organised by the sigma Network’s Special Interest Group in Statistics Support,
The event is intended to be a hands-on staff development workshop with computer-based and group-based activities and so unfortunately can’t be offered online.
Information about travelling to Coventry University can be found at:
https://www.coventry.ac.uk/the-university/travel-directions-info/
Any further questions about the workshop should be directed to Alun Owen at: aa5845@coventry.ac.uk

Mathematics and Statistics Anxiety – 31 March 2023
2023-03-31 10:30 - 15:30 UTC | Coventry University
This workshop will explore what Mathematics and Statistics Anxiety is and how to support students and staff who may suffer from them, as well as opportunity for discussion on your own experiences. The day will run from 10am to 3pm and lunch will be provided. Speakers already confirmed include:

Sue Johnston-Wilder, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Warwick, a world-leading expert on maths anxiety and building mathematical resilience through coaching
Janet Baker, School of Digital Education, Arden University, who completed a PhD investigating mathematics anxiety, particularly ways in which learners can cope with their negative emotions and learn mathematics successfully
Ellen Marshall, Sheffield Hallam University, investigating Statistics Anxiety
Telma Pará and Karina Lumena, PhD exchange students from Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil, researching into mathematical anxiety and resilience in Brazil and the UK
Farhana Gokhool, PhD student, Coventry University, researching into engagement with mathematics and statistics support and the impacts of maths anxiety and resilience on engagement.

Sigma Coffee Morning
2023-04-26 10:30 - 12:00 UTC | Virtual
You are invited to join us for our online sigma coffee morning using the link below. Possible discussion topics might include:

those proceeding from the recent successful Maths and Statistics Anxiety event held at Coventry University
continuing the discussion on running Maths/Stats CPD for academic staff for whom these subjects are not their qualified area of expertise.

Any other topics? Drop Anthea Cowen a line at anthea.cowen@beds.ac.uk or bring them along on the day.

Embedding Maths & Stats Support
2023-05-17 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | Online
We will be hosting an online event on Embedding Maths & Stats Support on Wednesday 17th May from 1pm to 4pm.
As a loose definition ‘embedded’ sessions sit somewhere between 1-1 appointments or drop-in support and the teaching of a whole module – but what you mean by the term might be an interesting starting point.
The aim is to share our experiences and to learn from each other. What do you do? What works? What are the challenges?

13:00
Welcome & Introduction
Lois Rollings
Middlesex University

13:10
Setting up a Maths and Statistics teaching service
Evi Papadaki &
Tamsin Smith
University of Bath

13:25
Embedding statistics in biology practicals and assessments
William Kay
Cardiff University

13:40
Working with Nursing lecturers
Anthea Cowen
University of Bedfordshire

13:50
Embedding maths support – getting started.
Emma Coutt
Heriot Watt University

14:05
Self-Selecting Statistics Support to Enhance Learners Experience
Victoria Herod
Manchester Metropolitan University

14:20
Break

14:40
Embedding “Math eg” links for practice
Dr Samira Al-Moustafa
Brunel University London

14:55
Embedding Maths and Stats support at Coventry University
Alun Owen
Coventry University

15:10
Discussion

15:45
Feedback and Closing remarks

sigma Coffee Morning Connect and Discuss “speed dating” style
2023-07-26 10:30 - 12:30 UTC | Virtual
We would like to invite you to the next Sigma coffee morning on Wednesday 26th July 10:30am-12:00pm. There is an MS Teams link below (for you to add to your own calendars).
After a recent coffee morning we asked Sigma members to complete a questionnaire providing feedback including the reasons for attending. The two most popular reasons given were:

To hear about and discuss topical issues in our network
To connect with colleagues across institutions

The aim of this coffee morning is to allow attendees to do these two things.
“Speed dating” – how will the coffee morning work?
Initially all attendees will arrive in the main room using the link above. We will then randomly allocate you into a breakout room with two or three other attendees, where you can introduce yourself and talk about current issues. After 15 minutes all groups will return to the main room and be reallocated into different random groups for the next 15 minutes (and so on). By the end of the session, we hope you will have had the chance to get to know (or know better) several other Sigma members and have insight into what they do and the issues they have.
The following questions may be good starting points or helpful prompts to get the conversation flowing in each room (if this is required), but please take the conversation wherever you want it to go:

What’s your name and where do you come from?
Favourite parts of your job?
What is the biggest issue you are faced with at your institution?
What do you think maths support will look like in 5 years?
Where are you going on holiday?

If you want more details on how the event will work, what the purpose of it is and if you should attend, please drop an email to Susan Pawley at susan.pawley@open.ac.uk.

Maths Support Tutor Training
2023-09-05 09:30 - 13:00 UTC | Virtual
The University of Greenwich, in conjuction with the sigma Network, is holding an online maths support tutor training session on Tuesday 5th September, 9:30am-1pm. The session has been arranged to train PhD students at the University of Greenwich who will be maths support tutors in the coming term, but we are very happy to accommodate any others who would like to attend. The session will use sigmamaterials and will be delivered by experienced maths support practitioners.
If you are interested please email Tony Mann at A.Mann@gre.ac.uk.

Accessibility SIG meeting
2023-11-03 10:00 - 10:45 UTC | Virtual
The Accessibility SIG meet regularly to discuss the cognitive and affective barriers to maths learning and accessing maths support. We welcome new members.

Coffee Morning: Students’ Engagement with the Service & Service Marketing
2026-01-22 08:30 - 10:00 UTC | Online
sigma Coffee Students’ Engagement with the Service & Service Marketing
Thursday, 22nd January 2026, 8:30 – 10:00
Time zone: Europe/London
Hosted virtually by Monica-Cristiana Hess and Noel Parnis at Brunel University of London

The January coffee morning will focus on exchanging experiences regarding students’ engagement with the service & service marketing.
Participants are invited to reflect on key points such as:

Type of attendance
Type of enquiries
Ways of capturing students’ engagement with the service
Ways of promoting the service
Ways of highlighting the relevance of the service

Doing research in Maths and Stats Support
2026-02-26 09:00 - 10:30 UTC | Online
sigma Workshop: Doing Research in Maths and Stats support
Thursday 26th Feb
9 am – 10:30 am UK time
Hosted virtually by Mark Hodd at Coventry University
Contact: ab7634@coventry.ac.uk
Link: join via Teams
This workshop will discuss how to conduct research in maths and stats support, from developing an idea to running a project and submitting a write up. We will look at places to discover current work, where to potentially obtain some funding, and how to disseminate results. The 1hr 30 minute workshop will be of particular use to PhD students or those in the mathematical sciences who may not have conducted educational research before. Please come along with ideas of research you may wish to do or any projects you have been working on so we can discuss them.

sigma Reading Group Coffee Morning
2026-03-23 10:00 - 23:30 UTC | Online

R Markdown workshop
2026-04-27 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | Microsoft Teams

sigma Coffee Morning: Evolving tools, resources and trends
2026-05-19 08:30 - 10:00 UTC | Microsoft Teams
The next sigma Coffee Morning will take place on May 19th
sigma Coffee Morning: Evolving tools, resources and trends
Tuesday 19th May
8:30 – 10:00 BST
Hosted virtually by Evi Papadaki at UCL Institute of Education
Contact: P.Papadaki@ucl.ac.uk
Link: Join on Teams
What’s changing in maths and statistics support and what’s driving those changes? Which tools, resources, and trends are shaping current practices? This coffee morning will focus on sharing experiences, reflecting on emerging developments, and considering how our support models are evolving in response.

Workshop: What's new in Maths and Stats Support?
2026-06-17 10:30 - 12:00 UTC | Microsoft Teams
A series of short presentations and discussions on what you’ve tried this year. Please sign up for the workshop here.
More details TBC.

Joint sigma-Network / FYiMaths coffee and cocktails: Sharing Experiences
2026-07-15 08:30 - 10:00 (Europe/Paris) | Online
We are pleased to invite you to our next joint UK–Australia meeting, which will also be the final sigma event of the academic year in the Northern Hemisphere.

To enable participation across both regions, the session will begin at 8:30 am (UK BST), corresponding to 5:30 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time). We appreciate that this timing may not suit everyone perfectly: colleagues are very welcome to join or leave at any point.

Joint sigma-Network / FYiMaths coffee and cocktails
Sharing Experiences
Wednesday 15th July
8.30am -10am BST and 5.30pm -7.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time

Hosted virtually by Jenny August (University of Glasgow) and
Don Shearman (University of New South Wales)
Contact: Jenny.August@glasgow.ac.uk or d.shearman@unsw.edu.au
Link to join: TBC
If you are joining us from a different time zone, you can confirm your local time using the Time Zone Converter – Time Difference Calculator

CETL-MSOR 2026 Workshop Day
2026-09-02 10:30 - 15:30 UTC | Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS, United Kingdom

CETL-MSOR 2026
2026-09-03 00:00 - 2026-09-04 23:59 UTC | Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
