Summer Project

Welcome to the Summer Project page! You are probably here because you’ve been invited to take part in the Mathematics & Statistics Summer Project at Newcastle University during July/August 2019.

Each student taking part in the Summer Project will be randomly allocated to one of our workbooks (which will all be made available by Wednesday 26th June 2019 at the latest). Student allocations can be found below:

• Grammar School Nicosia
• Pascal English School

The workbooks can be obtained by clicking on the links below:

• Example workbook
• Workbook 1
• Workbook 2
• Workbook 3
• Workbook 4
• Workbook 5

Each workbook will contain five main sections of material (Workbook 5 is slightly different as this is aimed at GCSE students). Section 1 will include revision material related to some key concepts from the GCSE/A level syllabus (e.g. quadratic equations, differentiation, arithmetic progressions, trigonometry etc; the material included here could be different in each workbook). Sections 2 and 3 will then provide reading material for topics which will be new to most students (e.g. modular arithmetic, complex numbers, multivariable calculus etc; again, the topics covered will be different in each workbook).

Written Assignment

Students will be required to complete a written assignment of between 8-10 questions based on the content of their workbook. This written assignment can be found inside the workbook itself (Section 4), and has a 50% weighting to the overall grade for the project.

Solutions can be hand-written or typed. Hand-written solutions will need to be scanned and emailed to maths.physics@newcastle.ac.uk by no later than 4pm, Monday 9th September 2019 (UK time). Typed solutions can be emailed directly, but we recommend exporting any document to portable document format (PDF) first to preserve any formatting within the document.

Computer Based Assessment

Students are required to take a computer based assessment using Newcastle University’s NUMBAS system for online testing. Each student’s test will be based on the material provided in their allocated workbook (so each student may have a unique test). By 16:00, Friday 28th June (UK time) you should have received an email with instructions about how to access your NUMBAS test for the project. Once successfully logged in, you will find a short test introducing the NUMBAS system (not graded - it's just there to let you practice using the system!) and a test corresponding to your workbook.

The test will be available in two “modes”: “Practice” and “Assessed”. The practice mode will be available throughout the summer, and students can attempt this version of the test as many times as they like. Each time a test is started in practice mode, the numbers in the questions might change (although the general format and style of each question will stay the same). Once students are confident with the system, and the questions in the test, they can access the assessed mode of the test. The assessed mode will be available for a limited period only, from Monday 26th August–Monday 9th September 2019. At some point during this period, students must attempt the assessed version of the test and submit their work. Multiple attempts are not allowed, although there are no time restrictions and students can log out and log back in whenever they wish. The assessed mode of the test will switch off at 4pm, Monday 9th September 2019 (UK time). During the assessed period, the practice mode of the test will not be available.

Students can try our “Getting Started” test to familiarise themselves with the system. We also have an Example test available for students to try, linked to material in the Example workbook. The computer based assessment has a 30% weighting to the overall grade for the project.

Research Question

The third, and final, part of the Summer Project is a research-style question. Students choose one question from the list of questions given in their workbook (Section 5), and submit their solutions to this question in exactly the same way they do for the written assignment. The research question might require students to undertake some independent reading and/or research, and there might be lots of different ways to solve the problem or answer the question. The deadline for submission is 4pm, Monday 9th September 2019. Students can submit their solutions to this question, and their solutions to the written assignment, as a single document. The research question has a 20% weighting to the overall grade for the project.

Support, Grading and Feedback

One of the project faciliators - Jordan Childs - will be available for assistance via email during the week beginning Monday 26th August 2019, from 10:00 Tuesday 27th August until 16:00 Thursday 29th August (UK time). Participants can contact Jordan (J.Childs@newcastle.ac.uk) at any point during this time.

Students will receive their grade, and personalised feedback on their submissions, at some point during the week beginning 16th September 2019. Successful students will also receive a Newcastle University certificate in recognition of their efforts!

Data Statement

The project facilitators (Dr. Lee Fawcett, Jordan Childs, Jessica Murray, George Loughlin and Inbbavatie Ravi), and the Mathematics & Statistics e-Learning Team at Newcastle University, will have access to your submitted work, for the purposes of assessing your project and providing feedback, for a period of one month after the date on which you receive your grades and feedback. Your performance in this project will in no way inhibit your application to Newcastle University, or indeed any other institution; however, successful completion of this project could enhance your CV and your UCAS application!