More Maths Grads was a three-year project run from 2007 to 2010 by a consortium of
British mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
organisations which aimed to increase the supply of
mathematical sciences graduates in England and to
widen participation within the mathematical sciences from groups of learners who have not previously been well represented in higher education.
History
The project was launched to address a perceived problem with numbers of students studying mathematics at university - that higher education participation had increased since 2001 but numbers studying mathematical sciences remained almost constant,
and had particular focus on encouraging participation from groups of learners who were not well represented in higher education. The project was initially called The Increasing the Supply of Mathematical Science Graduates programme before later being renamed More Maths Grads.
Funding of £3.3M was provided by the
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in Engla ...
under the 'Strategically Important Subjects' initiative.
More Maths Grads was led by the
Maths, Stats & OR Network on behalf of a consortium which also included the
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the
London Mathematical Society
The London Mathematical Society (LMS) is one of the United Kingdom's learned societies for mathematics (the others being the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the Edinburgh Mathematical S ...
, the
Royal Statistical Society, and
HoDoMS
HoDoMS (Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences) is an educational company that acts as a body to represent the heads of United Kingdom higher education departments of mathematical sciences. It aims to discuss and promote the interests of hi ...
, the Heads of Departments of Mathematical Sciences.
The project concentrated its activity on three regions: West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside and London. It worked in collaboration with
Coventry University,
University of Leeds,
Queen Mary, University of London and
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...
.
It was overseen by a steering committee chaired by
Duncan Lawson.
The project was managed first by
Helen Orr and later by
Makhan Singh.
Work areas
The More Maths Grads project ran four strands of activity:
* Careers theme, producing information about career opportunities with mathematics;
* Student theme, focused on enrichment activities;
* Teaching theme, professional development for teachers;
* HE Curriculum theme, research about the current higher education mathematical sciences curriculum.
The HE Curriculum theme was concerned with curriculum content and also issues around student experience and teaching practice
Legacy
The conclusion of More Maths Grads after three years was marked by a Parliamentary Reception 'Where will maths take you?' on 27 January 2010, hosted by
Charles Clarke MP, who claimed the project had made "an impact in improving standards of mathematics education and increasing the number continuing to study mathematics".
At the event, project manager Makhan Singh claimed the project had "touched the lives of tens of thousands school students, plus many more members of the wider public" and highlighted the resources and good practice generated by the project,
which included the ''Maths in a Box'' resource.
The project was followed by the
National HE STEM Programme, which built on its work.
References
External links
Project web site
{{Mathematics in the United Kingdom
2007 establishments in the United Kingdom
2010 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Education in England
Higher education organisations based in the United Kingdom
Mathematics education in the United Kingdom
University of Birmingham