Date: Wednesday 4 March, 12pm–1pm (GMT)
Where: Online via Zoom (link will be circulated nearer the time)
How are innovative teaching approaches reshaping the way we teach mathematics to economics students?
This online INERME seminar explores a range of approaches to teaching maths in economics, focusing on pedagogical innovation, practical classroom experience, and the use of new tools and strategies to enhance learning in quantitative subjects.
Register here to attend (free)
Speakers/Abstracts:
Panagiotis Giannaraki (City St George’s, University of London)
Teaching Mathematics to Economics Students at Scale: Diagnostics, Design and Engagement
Teaching mathematics to economics students presents persistent challenges, particularly in large cohorts with highly diverse quantitative backgrounds. In this seminar, I will share how I redesigned Mathematics for Economists, a first-year core module that I taught and developed for more than ten years at the University of Southampton, enrolling between 200 and 500 students annually, to improve engagement, confidence, and progression. This work has been repeatedly recognised through student-led nominations and shortlisting for VLE Awards, as well as winning the Economics Teaching Awards in 2024 (Best Engaging Module, Best Learning Resources) and 2025 (Most Engaging Lecturer), alongside consistently strong midterm feedback.
The session focuses on three interconnected elements: the use of diagnostic tests to identify students at risk early and target support; inclusive curriculum and assessment design, including structured online tests, scaffolded problem-solving activities, and clear feedback; and scalable support mechanisms such as blended learning resources, demonstrator training, and peer-supported learning. I will discuss what worked well in practice, what required adjustment, and how student feedback and performance data informed iterative improvements.
I will also reflect on the new challenges I now face teaching a different cohort at City St George’s, University of London, where students arrive with different educational backgrounds, expectations, and support needs. This transition has required adaptation of diagnostics, assessment design, and learning resources to respond to a new institutional context.
The seminar is practice-focused and aimed at colleagues teaching mathematics or quantitative skills in economics, with transferable insights across institutions and cohort sizes.
Dr Alex Savu (Loughborough University)
Levelling the Playing Field: Trialling Adaptive Learning in a First-Year Mathematical Economics Course
Heterogeneity in cohorts’ level of mathematical skill when starting their study of university economics poses an important challenge for curriculum design. In the 2025-26 academic year at Loughborough University, to help address this challenge, we trialled ALEKS, an adaptive learning system which provides learning paths tailored to each student and allows them to progress at their own pace. The basic idea is simple: at the start of term, students undergo an initial knowledge check. ALEKS then uses the results of this check to set a starting point and to create level-appropriate exercise sheets which students tackle throughout the semester in order to develop their mastery. In this session, I wish to introduce ALEKS, discuss what I found to be the major benefits (some unexpected) of using this platform in a first-year mathematical economics course, but also touch on a couple of caveats that might be helpful for instructors who are thinking of using ALEKS.
inerme.org 