News & Events

The opening of Ryerson's Math Assistance Centre marks a new era in support for learning and teaching in math, statistics and math-related skills.  

The centre was identified as a priority in the university's Academic Plan, and it will have an impact on student engagement and success by providing math support for those who need additional assistance. 
       
"Ryerson is committed to supporting math skills development on campus and the Math Assistance Centre will help in developing student capacity in math and math-related skills for a broad cross-section of students," said Alan Shepard, provost and vice president academic. "This is a truly exciting development and one that I believe will provide great benefits to students and faculty."

The centre is on the fifth floor of the Library, room LIB 549, and is more than a tutoring facility. It will also house the development and implementation of programming that is relevant to student learning needs in particular curriculum contexts. Funding for the centre was derived from the pool of funds reallocated from the 2010-11 base budget. This strategic reallocation has allowed new ideas and initiatives such as the Math Assistance Centre to be realized.

The coordinator of the Math Assistance Centre is Boža Tasić, an instructor in the Department of Mathematics. He has a record of excellence in post-secondary math teaching and was a nominee for the TVO Best Lecturer competition this year. For Tasić, teaching math is a passion. 

"It is really stimulating to help students improve their skills, and it's encouraging to see how students can make their lives better by overcoming challenges and finding success. Anything I can do to help in that process is exciting," he says.  

The goal of the Math Assistance Centre during the first year is to establish itself as part of Student Learning Support on campus, helping students make the transition from high school to university. 

While the majority of math courses at Ryerson are offered in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science, the centre will also support the math and statistics skills needed in every faculty across the university. For example, students in many programs take introductory statistics courses to facilitate research.

Inherent in the delivery of services by the centre is an awareness of how students work and access learning support. For example, the Math Assistance Centre plans to provide online tutoring during evenings and weekends. There will be peer and graduate tutors at the centre to meet one-on-one with students. 

In terms of supporting learning needs in particular curriculum contexts, the centre is behind the launch of math facilitated study (FA-ST) groups. This fall a major focus for FA-ST will be students in Calculus 1 (MTH 140), a first-year course that many students find particularly challenging. The 1,000 students across the university who are taking Calculus 1 this fall will have access to a FA-ST leader, assigned to the class of each professor who teaches the course. Six FA-ST leaders have been hired this fall. 

The Math Assistance Centre is also going to attract students who are interested in teaching. All students seeking work at the centre will get training in approaches to learning support and teaching with particular focus on math and math-related skills. Students can drop in or make appointments to see tutors or attend specific workshops.

Hear Alan Shepard talk about the Math Assistance Centre and student success here.