From school to university

Mathematical Deficiencies in University Entrants

“…In the absence of tests, many first-year students are blind to their own difficulties (O'Connell 1970) and we have also noticed that, even if they are aware of them, they are often reluctant to divulge them.…”

Teaching and learning systems in a university physics course

“…The present investigation is the direct outcome of an earlier study (O'Connell 1970) into the problems facing students in the transition from school to university, which indicated that students needed most help in situations in which they were not in immediate and direct contact with a teacher. This in turn led to the realization that it was the learning situation, rather than the teaching situation, that should be the starting point for any investigation, and finally that innovations in teaching should spring from the demands of the learner.…”

“…From the start, the reaction of students to this new approach was considered very important. It was obtained not only through the normal route of tutorials and formal and informal discussions, but more specifically through a special study (O'Connell 1970) and through questionnaires. The &st of these was issued to students in the PEMS Mechanics of Particles course in 1967.…”