Research Machines Prize 1988

In 1988 the CALM Project team submitted a proposal to Research Machines for a project in which the computer would be used to model some sporting scenarios. The project sought to use the interactive approach favoured by CALM in situations like shot-putting, long jumping and running. The modelling involved different aspects of Mathematics including mechanics, differential equations and numerical analysis. CALM won second prize in the competition and used its prize money of £600 to buy the latest Research Machines computer.

Partnership Award for Mathematics 1993

Like many companies based in engineering and technology the British Nuclear Fuels PLC are interested in the skills of graduates. These skills are increasingly needed to deal with complex modelling situations, to help in the solving of real problems in the design, building and operation of sophisticated plant and equipment. Thus, the development of teaching and learning in Mathematics is of prime importance to the company. The BNFL Prize for Mathematics in the 1993 Partnership Award ceremony in London was given to the CALM Project team. The assessors were particularly interested in work that conveys the essential excitement in Mathematics to students and potential students; which establishes the utility of the subject in supporting other professional disciplines; and that shows Mathematics to be the basis of a rewarding career in schoolteaching. The CALM courseware also received the special recommendation from the assessors that ``The CALM materials are much liked by the students who are positive and enthusiastic about its use.'' The prize money was used to build up the CALM team.

Bank of Scotland Tercentenary Award to Higher Education 1995

Since 1992 part of the CALM Project group have been providing technical support to the United Kingdom Mathematical Courseware Consortium (UKMCC) of over 30 British Universities. The UKMCC is a £1million project funded as part of the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme and has the job of creating 250 hours of high-quality courseware under the tradename Mathwise. Part of the effort at Heriot-Watt University has gone into the construction of an assessment engine for end-of-module testing. This engine was used successfully in December 1994 to provide assessment by computer for a class of 82 students. This group was chosen out of the full CALM class of 400 students to provide an educational experiment in which the role of the computer in grading assessment was evaluated. The role of the computer in assessing mathematical ability has been a large feature of both CALM and Mathwise. This feature caught the judges' eye in the first Bank of Scotland Award to Higher Education. The prize of £30k has been given to the CALM group to help them take the assessment part of the CALM courseware to the schools. The computer can be used to give students plenty of practice and it helps them sharpen up their mathematical skills. This has now been achieved in the two CDs Interactive PastPapers for A Level/Higher Mathematics (published in April 1997) and Interactive PastPapers for GCSE/Standard Grade Mathematics (published in March 1998) both of which are available from Lander Educational Software of Glasgow (freephone 0800 403040 or 0141 226 5611).

Copyright (c) 1996-2001 Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics (CALM) Group, Department of Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University.