Writing Mathematics

As an Open University student, I was surprised to discover, that for many of the OU Maths courses; it is a requirement, that all maths course work be handwritten, and not done electronically or on word processed documents.

Before I started studying, I assumed that maths work would be done electronically.  However, apart from the odd use of Mathcad to complete some modelling work; the OU insist on the old pencil and paper methods.

I can only assume, that they don't want to cause confusion for adult learners, who may be less computer literate, than those younger University students who have grown up in the last 15yrs, with computers being used for everything.

I know, at the age of 35yrs, that my computer skills have nearly all been learnt, since 1997, when I first started using the internet.  It wasn't until 2002, that I started using email at work.  From previous experience of humanities study with the OU; I know that many of the courses only started to move from using tape cassettes and VHS videos, in about 2004; which is many years after the digital revolution, began in earnest.

The OU is a forward thinking institution and they are involved in some rather ground-breaking research and innovation, especially in astrophysics and planetary science; so they are certainly not stuck in their ways!

This perhaps suggests, that the reason for a lag in the use of computers, to complete science or maths based coursework; is a symptom of them having to cater for a largely adult student population, who are trying to play catch up with technology.

Alternatively, many distance learners generally need to be able to scribble down their answers, in short bursts of study to fit around their family or professional lives.  I know that much of my coursework is done on my lunch breaks at work, or in short bursts of 10mins, when I get a chance to sit down.  So as an adult distance learner, I know that if I needed to fire up the laptop, every time I wanted to write some maths; then I may be less inclined to study the high volume that I currently do.

Perhaps by not using computers to write maths, the OU are allowing more freedom for busy people, who are not full time students that would be otherwise too busy, to follow a course of University study.