Studying mathematics
Studying mathematics at university level is different compared to upper secondary school. It may become as a surprise to students that good grades are not so easy to achieve in university where student success takes hard work. The teaching and learning of mathematics at university level is different, because the overall goal is to develop an in-depth mathematical understanding. A long break from performing routine calculations may also cause some extra challenges.
Finding the best methods and practices that work for you will take some effort but is well worth it. We are all different in terms of our personality traits and previously learned skills, so what works for one student may not work for another.
Regardless of how courses are delivered, it is important not to fall behind, and to make sure you meet the learning outcomes set for each week. Our courses may be delivered as follows:
Courses may combine lectures and exercise sessions.
Courses may be fully online. These are mainly self-study courses.
Courses may combine lectures, videos, online materials and different exercises.
How to facilitate the study of mathematics?
If you are having trouble studying mathematics alone, you could set up a study group, schedule a meeting and complete the calculations together. If you get stuck on a problem, someone else may already have it figured out and vice versa. When you teach others, you usually learn things on a deeper level and your own thoughts become clearer. By looking at the solutions devised by your fellow students, you will learn new ways to address problems.
Your study group could be composed of some of your fellow students that you are familiar with. You can also put together a study group through the course-specific Moodle discussion forum or by asking around in your student guild room. One thing is certain: there are others who are sharing the same struggle!
Support provided by Tampere University
- The basic skills test ensures that the student has sufficient prerequisite knowledge to complete the required mathematics courses and indicates which topics should be reviewed in particular.
- Some mathematics courses in English have had their own practice groups called Laskutupa. The practice groups Laskutupa and Reenamo are workshops that will help students through the early stages of their studies in mathematics. These practice groups bring students together to work in small teams, with help provided by coaches (staff at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences). These sessions will explore mathematical concepts in everyday language, enable you to revise the math skills you learned back in secondary school, and support your studies in mathematics at university level.
- You can find more information on Laskutupa Moodle platform.
- You can consult your mathematics teacher and ask about the possibility of support, for example books, instructional videos, online exercises or links to learning materials.
- If you want to improve your high school math skills, then the course Introduction to University Mathematics (5 cr) is recommended to you. This course is given as an online course. You can complete a part of this course in advance by taking the Revision of high school mathematics (2 cr) online course described below.
Revision of high school mathematics
Do you want to ensure a smooth start to your studies? The Revision of high school mathematics online course helps you revise the fundamentals of the advanced mathematics syllabus before your studies begin.
The course is completed independently by studying the course materials and completing assignments. The first materials will become available on 15 July.
You can preview the course without logging in by selecting “Access as a guest”
If the course page appears in Finnish, you can change the language from the platform’s language settings
If you have any questions, please contact the course instructor:
Neea Mutanen, neea.mutanen [at] uef.fi