STARMAST: a history

starmast.org

tdhc

2025-03-27

Why?

  • traditional textbooks

    • can be difficult to parse, particularly for non-specialists
    • can be technically inaccessible and also expensive!

  • pandemic!

    • sudden shift to online resources for self-study
    • inconsistent standards in pre-university education

  • diverse backgrounds

    • every country has their own curriculum

  • School need

Solution

  • creating a bank of free-to-use, high-quality bank of inclusive and technically accessible learning resources in mathematics and statistics.

    • in addition involving students gives learners agency in their resource creation, teaches transferable skills, obtains diverse perspectives on learning…

How?

  • inclusive: strict guide on use of language (‘you’ not ‘we’, nothing easy, simple terms, minimal jargon, avoid context)

  • technically accessible: available for use by all users (screen readable, printable, editable)

    • use of Quarto, outputs to html/word/pdf simultaneously

  • free-to-use: available anywhere at any time, with no cost

Structure

for each topic:

  • study guide

    • explains the key concepts
    • contains many examples
    • quick-check problems at the end

  • question sheet and answer sheet

  • printable pdf version and editable/screen-readable Word version provided as standard

[also other resources such as fact and proof sheets]

First go: STEP project

  • started summer of 2023, aiming for release September 2023
  • two teams of 7 students each producing 12 guides between them, working in smaller teams or individually
    • topics included rearranging equations, sigma notation, indices and logarithms, trigonometry, vectors
  • one graduate coach

Result

partial success

  • yes!

    • all requested resources created
    • students satisfied with impactful work
    • framework in place

  • but

    • inconsistent quality
    • some parts missing
    • some over-complications

What went right?

  • for me

    • something to work with!
    • plenty of questions and answers
    • basis for expansion
    • lots of student interest

  • for students

    • important and impactful project
    • good opportunity for transferable skills
    • won something(?) at STEP awards

What went wrong?

  • for me

    • disconnected from project
    • dissatisfied with outputs
    • took time to put things right

  • for students

    • little time to communicate with me about what was needed
    • long time to see publication (resources released May 2024)

Second go: VIP

perfect for a VIP!

  • small group, weekly meetings, supervisor involvement

  • attracting wide range of students

    • mathematicians, statisticians, economists, cell biologists, computer scientists…

  • assessment

    • 20% fortnightly reflective logs
    • 30% posters and group presentation
    • 50% final portfolio and reflective report

VIP inputs from students

  • website backend: domain name, security, search engine optimisation, hosting, custom website style, cookies, analytics, feedback boxes, emails…

  • branding and marketing: colour scheme, logo, outreach plans, social media account (follow us @starmast_ on instagram), ads and posters…

  • accessibility work: automatic narration of guides, interactive figures (flow-chart for hypothesis testing), built-in graphical calculators (desmos)…

  • more content: algebra, complex numbers, statistics, linear algebra, partial differentiation…

Future plans

  • more content

    • 30+ guides hopefully by end of summer (and then more than that).
    • videos, podcasts, interactivity…

  • get the site out there!

    • market inside the University (in presentations like this one, VIP conferences)
    • market outside the University (maths support networks [next Thu], schools, libraries…)

  • way off in the distance: funding, social enterprise(?)

Thank you for listening!