Opinions differ about the nature frequency and relative assessment weight of coursework in a mathematics degree. Short frequent coursework may aid week by week engagement while a smaller number of longer tasks may be better linked to real applications and give more opportunity for open ended questions. What should be the mix between assessment types? To what extent is copying a problem and how should this be balanced against the opportunity coursework can afford for investigation and originality? Given the heavy dependence on marks for motivation the award of some credit to formative assessment encourages students to engage with course material. Colleagues see the advantages of frequent small tasks with rapid feedback as aiding students both to keep up with material delivered at a far faster pace than at school and in encouraging attendance at tutorials.
