Podcast: The IDEMS Podcast

How do textbooks function differently across educational systems, and what happens when those systems operate in low-resource environments? Following on from previous episodes on the CBC open textbooks project in Kenya, Lucie Hazelgrove-Planel and David Stern discuss textbooks more generally. They discuss the different roles textbooks play in different educational contexts, and how a lack…

Students are increasingly turning to LLMs (Large Language Models) to solve maths exercises and get feedback. In light of this, is there still a place for deterministic online assessment tools like STACK? In this episode, Michele and David argue that this problem is an opportunity for educators and developers to build better alternatives, potentially embedding…

David interviews Michael Obiero on the challenges of implementing Kenya’s new Grade 10 Competency-Based Curriculum, such as resource shortages and unprepared teachers. To address these issues, they are developing digital resources, online courses, and a teacher support platform. Their grassroots initiative aims to create community-driven, context-sensitive solutions with the help of volunteers and limited funding.…

Lily and David discuss the significant influence of data collectors on survey variability and data quality, using examples from West Africa. They highlight the importance of thorough enumerator training to address issues like inconsistent definitions of household size.

In this episode Lily and David delve into the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) tables, focusing on the sum of squares. They discuss how it helps account for data variability, and the difference between sum of squares and mean squares. The episode also touches on the limitations of p-values and emphasizes the ANOVA table’s value as…

Lily and David discuss the application of ANOVA in agroecology research, focusing on its historical roots and its use as a descriptive tool. They emphasize the importance of understanding the degrees of freedom in the ANOVA table, highlighting its impact on effective data analysis and model fitting. This episode is part of the celebration of…

Lily talks with Roger about an agricultural experiment in West Africa that revealed the impact of termite mounds on crop yield data. The discussion focuses on handling unexplained variability and the importance of recognizing outliers. Roger explains the necessity of removing certain plots to reduce data variability and achieve clearer results.

In this episode, Lucie and David discuss the complexities of sampling in research. They explore common misconceptions, and introduce three levels of sampling complexity. The episode highlights the necessity of understanding population structure and the compromises involved in effective sampling.

In this episode, Santiago and David delve into David’s experiences at the Joint Maths Meeting. They highlight talks on applied category theory, reflecting on the importance of adapting presentations to different audiences. David shares insights on the role and impact of math camps in low-resource environments, comparing them to similar US-based initiatives. The discussion also…

In this episode, Santiago and David discuss David’s insightful experiences at the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM) in the U.S. They explore the significance of collaboration, the role of open educational resources like WeBWork, and the challenges and opportunities in both high-resource American universities and low-resource environments.