Some problems associated with running a Maths Support Service

There exist a number of reports that offer examples of good practice in setting up and providing mathematical support in Higher Education. In many cases a standard model of drop-in or surgery classes supplemented by online learning resources is adopted. This paper examines the problems associated with such a model following a critical review of the provision of Maths Support at Cardiff University. Key features of the support such as the effectiveness of drop-in support, the flooding of the service by groups of students, and the provision of a statistical consultancy are discussed. Commentary is also provided on the attempts made to manage these problem areas and investigations into possible alternative approaches. In the study by Perkin and Croft [1], it is recorded that of the 106 universities in the United Kingdom, 62.3% offer some form of mathematics support. It is also highlighted that a predominant feature of many of these services is the provision of drop-in or surgery classes along with supplementary learning resources. Given the reliance of this approach to deal with the so called ‘Maths Problem’ in Higher Education, this paper attempts to outline some of the practical problems inherent in such a model following a review of the key elements of the Maths Support Service (MSS) at Cardiff University. A terse description of the MSS will be given, before detailing some of the problems encountered thus far and what might be done to nullify such problems in the future. These will include an examination of the role of the tutor (and student) within a drop-in session, the problem of being overrun or ‘flooded’ by a particular student group during a session, and the need or otherwise of setting up a formal statistical consultancy. Some of the positive practices and unexpected bonuses of running the service will also be presented, along with a small number of typical student profiles (see Appendix) to give benchmark scenarios for open-ended discussion.