Fine tuning the teaching methods used for second year university mathematics

Second year mathematics is a compulsory course for all students enrolled in engineering and mathematics programmes at the university, and it is taken by approximately 120 students each year. The pass rate of the course had been below expectations in the past years. In order to improve the predicament, quizzes which provided a mark incentive were introduced in 2009 as a pilot study. The pass rate was improved compared to the previous year. Hence, quizzes were added to the course assessment in 2010. This article compares and reports the outcome to the 2009 and 2010 quizzes based on the students’ feedback and results at the end of the course. From the data of the surveys, students welcomed the regular quizzes, although the pass rate still did not meet the expectation.