An investigation into specialist and engineering students’ preparedness for and approaches to learning mathematics

There has been much debate regarding the “best” approach for students to learn Mathematics, although it has been acknowledged that this may vary between students and between specialised subject areas. In this study, we investigate similarities and differences in students’ self-perceived preparedness for their degree studies and their preferred approaches to studying mathematics between three different groups – specialist students of Mathematics, Aeronautical Engineering students and Civil Engineering students – all of whom have to study Mathematics as part of their degrees. We interviewed a number of students from each group, asking them about their previous Mathematical background, how much of the first year (level 4) material was new to them, whether resources provided where sufficient, the extent to which they found "MathsAid" drop-in support sessions useful and their preferred type of resources (lecture notes, text books, on-line, etc) for revision