The free online Transition to University Course 2024 is designed to support Year 13 students in studying at their own pace to consolidate key A level topics. It also introduces some new topics that will be valuable additional study in preparation for undergraduate degree courses in areas such as maths, engineering, or sciences.
Who is the course for?
The Transition to University Course 2024 course is designed for students who are:
- Currently in Year 13 or taking a gap year.
- Studying A level Mathematics.
- Planning to begin studying a degree in maths, engineering, sciences, or closely related subjects such as economics in 2024 (or choosing to defer their entry until 2025).
What does the course cover?
We’ve designed this free online course to help students revise some of the later content of A level Mathematics. It also offers the opportunity for an introduction to some topics studied in AS Further Mathematics, such as complex numbers and matrices. We’ve chosen topics which will be helpful to those progressing to degrees in maths, physics, engineering, and closely related subjects.
The course is comprised of presentations, notes, exercises, and other self-study resources. Students can complete formative assessments for each topic so that they can check their progress and understanding.
The video below contains more details about the course:
How is the course designed to be used?
The Transition to University Course 2024 has been designed to allow students the flexibility to opt into the most relevant topic areas for their chosen undergraduate degree course but, of course, we encourage students to study all of the topics!
How do students access the course?
To get an idea of what to expect on the course, you can view a sample of one of the topics below.
The course will begin in June 2024, with resources released weekly over a six-week period.
The sessions will be recorded, and students can continue to register for access until November 2024. They will receive access to the course until February 2025.
For over 40 years I have been teaching and supporting first-year university students studying mathematics or subjects which have significant mathematical and quantitative components, including engineering, physics & other sciences, and social sciences. I have seen how important the transition from school or college to university study is, and how navigating it successfully can be crucial in enabling students to make a good start and thrive in their studies.
Supporting Year 13 A level Mathematics students, and gap year students, with this transition has always been important, but this is even more important this year as many of these students have had their education disrupted over the last few years. For this reason, a course that focuses on the transition from A level to university level mathematics, developed by leading experts and practitioners from the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP), is most welcome.
I cannot recommend this course highly enough to all students currently in Year 13, or gap year students, who have studied A level Mathematics and are progressing to an undergraduate STEM degree programme, or a degree that has a mathematical component, such as engineering, physics, chemistry, biosciences, economics, geography, psychology, and others.
With its wealth of excellent materials and support, it will undoubtedly make a very valuable and important contribution to supporting all such students over the coming months in advance of their university studies. The course will also remain available until the end of February 2025 for those who register, which will be of immense value to university students, and those teaching and supporting them, in the first few months of their studies.
I also strongly encourage all relevant school and college departments to recommend the course to their students. Likewise, all relevant university departments and staff will benefit greatly by highlighting this course to students who might be studying with them in autumn 2024.
I wish every student the very best for their university studies.
Paul Glaister CBE, Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics EducationDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Reading