Improving Mathematical Confidence in Biosciences Through Contextualised Support: A Two-Year Initiative

Source abstract

Many undergraduate biosciences students enter university with limited mathematical preparation, often having last studied mathematics at GCSE level and perceiving it as irrelevant to their discipline. This case study describes a two-year teaching initiative at Queen Mary University of London designed to improve mathematical confidence and competence among biochemistry, biology, zoology, and medical genetics students. Following diagnostic testing and collaboration with laboratory instructors, contextualised mathematics workshops were developed and aligned with laboratory experiments covering unit conversions, molarity, dilutions, and data interpretation. The programme evolved from bi-weekly sessions in Year 1 to weekly, lab-aligned workshops with scaffolded resources in Year 2. Results demonstrated improvements in diagnostic test performance and suggested improved confidence among workshop attendees, though attendance patterns revealed challenges with student engagement during assessment-heavy periods. The findings highlight both the benefits and challenges of voluntary contextualised mathematics support within biosciences education.