Facing Challenges in Remote Mathematics Education and Support by building a Community of Practice around Student-Staff Partnership

Abstract

Our active community of practice, developed from a weekly book club, formed through a shared interest in student-centred learning. Inspired by the book The Power of Partnership, this interdisciplinary group fostered and nurtured two practical mathematical applications through a partnership approach. In Munster Technological University academic support, including Mathematics and Statistics support, is offered to students through the Academic Learning Centre (ALC). Project 1 explored, through student-staff partnership, how best to promote the ALC. The project challenged our assumptions of how students would like to interact with the service. Project 2 focused on teaching mathematical analysis to a large cohort of year two students at the University of Southampton during the Covid-19 pandemic, elaborating on how small study groups, facilitated by student partners, were utilised to maintain a sense of connection and belonging, when possibilities for in-person teaching were extremely reduced. This paper discusses how a dispersed community of practice collaborated to enhance learning and teaching of mathematics.