Talking about maths. It would seem an obvious thing to do as a mathematics student, but it is something that some students find difficult in the formalised setting of the classroom. Yet verbalising mathematical problems with fellow students is an effective way of solving those problems and the peer mentoring scheme established by our Department of Mathematics in the mid-1990s is one of the innovative ways that we enable our students to learn.

“I enjoy giving peer support, explaining things that I learned two years ago, that now seem as if I had always known them," says Mariam Pirashvili, a third year Maths student. "It’s a good feeling when you realise that those exercises that seemed so difficult when I had to do them myself now seem so easy. In my first year I found it reassuring to know that if I needed it, I could go to surgeries and peer support sessions.”

Clearly, we must be doing something right. In the 2009 National Student Survey the University of Leicester was equalled only by Cambridge in terms of student satisfaction. So we’ve left defining what this is to our students.

Modern languages student Katherine Fairburn puts it down to the enthusiasm of the teaching staff, whose "passion for all aspects of the language and culture encouraged me in my studies and readiness to help out was truly inspiring."

Meanwhile, Geology student Kaushika Mistry praises the fact that "there is help around every corner, be it academic or on a personal level."

• Department of Mathematics

Next story >>