Louise Dennis: Teaching Portfolio

Home The Six Areas of Competence Support of Learning Design and Planning of Learning Activities Assessment and Giving Feedback Developing Learning Environments Evaluating Practice Using Research to Inform Teaching Role as a Professional Access Disability Diversity Accountability and Quality Critical Appraisals Group Project Individual Project Other Teaching Philosophy Mapping Document Reflective Statement Reference (Word) Statement of Intent Evidence	Using your research, scholarly activity or relevant professional work to inform and impact on your teaching Research and scholarship has interacted with my teaching in a variety of ways. It is difficult to place these into general categories rather than considering them as specific examples. Paper on Plagiarism As part of my Individual Project I performed a study on student attitudes to plagiarism and collusion. This arose out of my teaching concerns on G51SWT. This project ultimately led to a publication in the 2004 Plagiarism: Prevention, Practice and Policies conference. Proof Planning My main research area is a technique for automating mathematical proof called proof planning. A major topic within this area is the automation of proof by mathematical induction which is also a major topic area for the G51MC2 module. Automation requires the proof process to be broken down into precise steps and this has helped inform my teaching of the technique to students since I have a more explicit theoretical understanding about how the technique should be applied than can be obtained by the traditional teaching method of showing lots of examples. My experience with computer-assisted proof in general has, I think, caused me to be much more exact when I present formal proofs to students and I think the lack of ambiguities and stages where details are glossed over is actually of help to them in understanding a very complex and difficult area. 3rd Year Module I'm in the process of creating a third year optional module based around my research interests in automated reasoning. Unfortunately the students have complained about the number of "theoretical modules" available as part of the degree and teaching load is such that it is unclear that I will receive any relief from 1st year modules if this is introduced. I'm therefore seeking ways the material might be included in other modules, where appropriate, although still taught by myself. 3rd Year Projects In my time at Nottingham I have supervised very few 3rd Year projects that were relevant to my own areas of research and none that have contributed in any meaningful way to my personal research area. This is partly because my own area is very mathematical and therefore not particularly appealing to undergraduates and partly because I teach no modules concerned with my area and so students are not generally aware of my interests.

Using your research, scholarly activity or relevant professional work to inform and impact on your teaching

Research and scholarship has interacted with my teaching in a variety of ways. It is difficult to place these into general categories rather than considering them as specific examples.

Paper on Plagiarism

As part of my Individual Project I performed a study on student attitudes to plagiarism and collusion. This arose out of my teaching concerns on G51SWT. This project ultimately led to a publication in the 2004 Plagiarism: Prevention, Practice and Policies conference.

Proof Planning

My main research area is a technique for automating mathematical proof called proof planning. A major topic within this area is the automation of proof by mathematical induction which is also a major topic area for the G51MC2 module. Automation requires the proof process to be broken down into precise steps and this has helped inform my teaching of the technique to students since I have a more explicit theoretical understanding about how the technique should be applied than can be obtained by the traditional teaching method of showing lots of examples.

My experience with computer-assisted proof in general has, I think, caused me to be much more exact when I present formal proofs to students and I think the lack of ambiguities and stages where details are glossed over is actually of help to them in understanding a very complex and difficult area.

3rd Year Module

I'm in the process of creating a third year optional module based around my research interests in automated reasoning. Unfortunately the students have complained about the number of "theoretical modules" available as part of the degree and teaching load is such that it is unclear that I will receive any relief from 1st year modules if this is introduced. I'm therefore seeking ways the material might be included in other modules, where appropriate, although still taught by myself.

3rd Year Projects

In my time at Nottingham I have supervised very few 3rd Year projects that were relevant to my own areas of research and none that have contributed in any meaningful way to my personal research area. This is partly because my own area is very mathematical and therefore not particularly appealing to undergraduates and partly because I teach no modules concerned with my area and so students are not generally aware of my interests.

Louise Dennis: Teaching Portfolio

The Six Areas of Competence

Role as a Professional

Critical Appraisals

Other

Using your research, scholarly activity or relevant professional work to inform and impact on your teaching

Paper on Plagiarism

Proof Planning

3rd Year Module

3rd Year Projects