Philip Aston’s article on computer-based assessment appears in Mathematics Today

Aston_figureFollowing on from his talk at the HEA STEM Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Philip Aston has written an article for the IMA publication Mathematics Today about the challenges associated with teaching Matlab programming to Mathematics students. Programming is an essential skill that many students will use when they enter employment, but many of them find it difficult when they first encounter it. The article describes how he has used Matlab worksheets together with the computer-based assessment package Maple TA to give students the skills and practice that they need to become competent and confident in using Matlab. One student commented at the end of the module: “Good use of Maple TA. I think this is probably the best way to consistently give feedback on how we were doing.”