A brief history of the Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University

Loughborough University has a long-standing and proud tradition of mathematics education. Indeed, the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology was founded in Loughborough by Professor Avi Bajpai in 1970 and the Editorship of that journal has remained at the University since.  In the ensuing years the mathematical education of Loughborough’s large cohort of engineering students (so-called “service teaching”) remained an important focus of the work of academics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences (DMS). In the mid-nineties, two academics in particular, Dr David Green and Dr Peter Armstrong, aware of the challenges faced by many undergraduate engineers, and by those who were trying to teach them mathematics, sought solutions to this so-called “mathematics problem¹”.  In 1996, Tony Croft, then a Principal Lecturer in Mathematics at De Montfort University, was recruited to establish and then lead the Mathematics Learning Support Centre from a purposely-refurnished facility in the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Initially the centre targeted engineering students, offering drop-in support, resources, and workshops. But it soon became apparent that other groups of students, including specialist mathematicians, could benefit from the centre’s facilities and services. Shortly after its inception, with numbers of users growing steadily, Clare Trott was appointed as a tutor, later going on to acquire and develop expertise and a national reputation in the support of students with additional needs including learning differences such as dyslexia. In those days there were not the health and safety regulations we observe today, and many a student would visit support centre tutor Geoff Simpson in his smoke-filled office adjacent to the centre. Geoff’s exceptionally deep knowledge and experience of students’ mathematical difficulties contributed significantly to the writing of the “Facts & Formulae” leaflets developed in Loughborough and now widely used in mathematics support centres around the UK and beyond.

Increasingly, academic staff from the Department of Mathematical Sciences worked as tutors in the drop-in centre, enabling the service to be offered for longer hours and drawing in more expertise, particularly supporting specialist students studying more advanced modules. Through a carefully planned strategy, strong links were nurtured with all the other parts of the University that had some interest in the mathematical, statistical and numeracy skills of their students – academic departments, academic registry, disability service, careers service, Library. In turn this effort meant that there was tremendous support around the University for the work of the centre.  In 2002 the senior management of the University decided that a new structure was needed if the full potential of the support centre was to be realised and the needs of students around the University were to be met. The Mathematics Education Centre (MEC) was established and Tony Croft was its founding director. The Centre sat outside the Department of Mathematical Sciences, yet within the School of Science (visitors sometimes ask why this was; the answer was complex and involved a mix of politics, finance, individuals and internal wranglings as so often found in universities). A small number of additional staff were recruited, particularly Dr (now Professor) Carol Robinson, who later went on to become Director of the MEC and a Learning Technologist – Dr Aruna Palipana. We had the good fortune to employ a dedicated secretary, Clare Bivins (now Clare Wright), who along with Joan de Souza provided, inter alia, outstanding “front-of-house” management and ensured a welcoming environment for all students and the flocks of visitors who would soon start to come. The MEC had a very “flat” management structure with staff at all levels encouraged to attend staff meetings and contribute fully to the centre’s operation and development. I believe that this gave all concerned a sense of ownership and pride and enabled this small group and thereby the MEC to thrive. The MEC was responsible for the support centre, but its wider brief included responsibility for the large volume of service teaching to engineers, the support of students with additional needs, and the provision of advice to any other parts of the university requesting it. Importantly, the MEC provided a focus for those staff in the Department of Mathematical Sciences who had a strong interest in teaching and teaching innovation. It was through this focus that initiatives such as the Open Learning Project in Engineering Mathematics² and LUMEN (Loughborough University Mathematics for Engineers – an open learning course for gap year engineers) (Dr Joe Ward) and the HELM³ (Helping Engineers Learn Mathematics (Dr David Green and Dr Martin Harrison)  flourished and the MEC became known nationally for its provision of resources to help engineering students in any institution. During this period, the influence of the Mathematics Learning Support Centre grew, particularly through its association with the Learning & Teaching Support Network (LTSN) Mathematics and Statistics Subject Centre based at the University of Birmingham. Its Director, Professor John Blake, was a keen advocate of mathematics support and the LTSN funded the publication and wide distribution of many resources originally developed at Loughborough. The websites mathcentre and mathtutor became essential portals for free dissemination of the learning resources, advice and expertise. 

2002-2005 was a period during which considerable time and energy was put into various forms of outreach work, and importantly the MEC was one of the first Further Maths Support Programme⁴ Centres, offering the opportunity to local school students to study for Further Maths A level at the University with key players being Dr Tony Kay (DMS), Dr Rod Bond, and Barbara Rundle.

With this substantial and highly-regarded pedigree it was no surprise that in 2005, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) made a substantial award  of £4.85m to Loughborough University, in partnership with Coventry University, as part of its CETL programme, to establish sigma – centre for excellence in university-wide mathematics and statistics support (2005-2010). This funding enabled far-reaching developments on many front including significant enhancement of the statistical advice services offered to both students and staff, led by Dr Alun Owen, Richard Buxton, Richard Gadsden and Rosie Cornish.

The Centre’s expertise and success was recognised by the 2011 Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Student Support. 

With further continuation funding from HEFCE and from the National HE STEM Programme the funded work of sigma continued until 2016. A key part of the funded project was to develop a sustainability strategy that would ensure the future growth of the community of practice that had developed around mathematics and statistics support in higher education, and protect the reputational capital built up by sigma over the years.  Thus the work and spirit of sigma was continued and upheld by the sigma network established as a professional association. The sigma  Network is now managed by an elected Steering Group, who are all involved in mathematics and statistics support and who have the support of their institutions to carry out this task on behalf of the sector. The current Chair is David Bowers (chair@sigma-network.ac.uk).

As part of the University’s pursuance of a rigorous research agenda in all of its work, funding was made available to appoint a leading Professor of Mathematics Education to drive forward those aspects of the MEC’s work concerned with research. In 2007 Professor Barbara Jaworski, who would go on to lead the MEC, was appointed.  This began the process of raising research aspirations and taking the MEC to what it is today, one of the most successful groups of mathematics education researchers in the UK.

¹ Hawkes, T. and Savage, M. (2000) Measuring the Mathematics Problem, London: Engineering Council

² Croft, A.C., & Ward, J.P., (2001) A modern and interactive approach to learning Engineering Mathematics. The British Journal of Educational Technology, volume 32, issue 2, pp 195-207.

³ Helm past, present and future web page

⁴ Advanced Mathematics Support Programme website