Quantitative Methods for Geoscientists - 2021 entry

Mathematics is at the heart of all science and engineering subjects.  Provided the student has at least a good grade at GCSE mathematics, this module takes students of all levels of experience or confidence in mathematics and brings them up to a level required to use mathematics as a tool in their other chosen pathways and modules. As  well as providing a clear reinforcement of those areas of mathematics that will be required, the module has in place a number of levels of support for students who feel they need to address perceived weakness in the subject.

The module is suitable for non-specialist students. The module is recommended for interdisciplinary pathways.

The module is designed to deliver first year undergraduate Mathematics using the blended learning approach in learning and teaching. This online activity will be viewed as an educational platform to engage with students and guide their interactions within the course structure. Its primary object is to ensure the achievement of the learning outcomes in a way that helps facilitate the students' transition into Higher Education sealing the gaps they have in their mathematics educational background.

The online platform consists of packages, each package compounds a combination of learning and teaching activities such as recorded lectures which are enhanced by the use of visualiser/power-point presentations, e-summative assessments/quizzes counting towards the final grade of this course, lecture notes and tutorial sheets with model answers.

The following describes the functionality of each of these components:

Video records: Recorded lectures by the module convenor supported by the use of instructional designs that facilitate step-by-step attainment of increasingly complex competencies and skills ensuring the achievement of the expected learning outcomes; the lectures are supported by a variety of different examples rated as 2-5 of difficulty levels (where 0 is very easy and 5 difficult).

e-summative assessments: The course has two types of summative assessments, the first of which consists of 4 e-quizzes (total: worth of 40%), while the second one is an end of term exam (worth of 60%). The students must complete an e-quiz quarterly during the term (4 in total) to ensure their understanding before embarking on new challenges and topics (The student will not be able to start the next e-quiz unless achieves 90% in the current one); students will have a finite number of attempts for each e-quiz in this course set at five (5) chances at a maximum; the grades will automatically be released by the end of the e-quiz providing the students with a constructive feedback about the solutions that went wrong and how their performance can be improved for future assessments. The main exam will be attempted after the completion of the whole course at the end of the academic term during which the students' learning and performance levels will be assessed across the topics covered.

Tutorials and model answers: Each week an hour of interactive tutorial sessions will be conducted where the students will have the chance to work in groups, engage and acquire clarifications about any of the challenges they face while they prepare for the lectures (using the recorded videos: visualiser/power-point based presentations as components of the blended learning educational platform). It is also a chance for the students to discuss the outcome and the feedback of their e-quizzes with peers in groups with the help of the module leader and/or the teaching assistants.

Lecture notes and tutorial sheets: Prior to each teaching week, the students will have access to the lecture notes produced during the video recordings, as well as, the tutorial questions designed to cover the learning outcomes.

This module aims to;

a) consolidate key mathematical principles and methods in the areas of algebra, trigonometry, calculus and basic statistics;

and

b) introduce essential IT systems and software.

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:

1 Use fundamental Stage 1 (NQF Level 4) mathematical skills in algebra, trigonometry, calculus and statistics, ensuring that more advanced topics may be studied with confidence in later modules.

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:

2 Formulate in mathematical and statistical terms simple problems encountered in geo-scientific and energy related areas;

3 Take data from a range of sources and undertake simple modeling tasks with external guidance.

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and  Knowledge:

4 Apply given tools/methods accurately and appropriately to a well-defined problem and begin to appreciate the complexity of mathematical issues in the degree discipline;

5 Present mathematical work, and communicate conclusions to a wide audience in a clear and logical way;

6 Demonstrate familiarity with all essential IT systems to support personal study including a spreadsheet package to support the study and communication of mathematics.

1 coursework 40%, Exam 60%. 

Basic reading:

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Web based and electronic resources:

Croft, A. & Davison, R. Foundation Maths  Website                     

HELM & MathAid (UoP)

External resources:

MathCentre - www.mathcentre.ac.uk

Reading list for this module: