What is FYiMaths?

The FYiMaths project aimed to examine, promote, and support the unique leadership role of first-year coordinators and education specialists by:

• identifying characteristics of national first-year culture;
• providing professional-development opportunities and mentorship;
• disseminating outstanding practices and support mechanisms.

The project grew out of interest in understanding how the decline in students studying mathematics is linked to the difficulties in transition betweeh high-school and first-year university mathematics. Some factors of interest included diversity in student backgrounds, varying expectations of academics, approaches to teaching, and mathematics support. The FYiMaths project team sensed that the role of first-year subject and program coodintators were key to addresing these challenges.

How did we achieve this?

FYiMaths Academic Network
We created a mathematics education focussed network which supports academics through sharing information, teaching resources, expertise, collaboration opportunities, news and networking events. The project worked with academics teaching and coordinating first-year mathematics in order to build a picture of first-year culture in mathematics, define their role and identify key challenges.

FYiMaths Workshops
These were held throughout the project to provide a forum for networking and information-sharing, as well as developing mentoring connections and a focal point for advocacy.

FYiMaths Website
This website provides access to teaching resources, teaching and learning experts, as well as links to quality information sources about events, resources and new initiatives in teaching first-year mathematics.

Case Studies of First Year Mathematics Coordinators  
​A Handbook for First Year Mathematics Coordinators is currently being developed and will include position profiles and case studies.

Data Collection

Since April 2013 the FYi Maths project team has conducted interviews with 39 academics in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand who are involved in teaching and coordinating first-year mathematics and statistics programs and subjects.  The institutions represent the diversity in universities and include:

• urban and regional areas
• traditional and technology-focused teaching
• student cohorts made up of mature age, overseas, domestic at all socio-economic levels.

The interviews have proved to be a rich source of data about the way first-year programs are organised and delivered.  We have identified clear patterns and themes in the challenges facing academics in meeting the needs of a diverse student cohort.  The interviews have also provided us with opportunities to encourage engagement with the project, such as meeting colleagues of interviewees, inviting them to participate in future workshops and, in one case, presenting an overview of the project to a group of staff.

Project Report

Early 2013 We conducted interviews with over 30 academics involved in teaching and coordinating first-year mathematics subjects and programs. These interviews have produced a wealth of information about the role of first-year program and subject coordinators and the issues they face in teaching and supporting first-year students.

June 2013
We ran our first workshop for over 40 academics, focusing on identifying the main challenges and how a network could address these.

February 2014 
We held a national forum, in partnership with the Institute of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education at the University of Sydney. This forum focused on the impact of assumed knowledge entry requirements for science degrees, which has been identified as a key challenge in teaching mathematics at first year, as well as having broader impact on teaching across STEM disciplines.

Final Report

First Year Coordinator Guide