MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 13 JANUARY 1997 AT 12.00
NOON IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
LONDON

Present:  Graham Wilks (Keele) in the Chair, Chris Wright
(Middlesex), Ekkehard Kopp (Hull), David Larman (UCL), Adrian
Lepper (IMA), David Crighton (Cambridge), Alan Zinober
(Sheffield), Stephen Ryrie (West of England), Mike Atkinson (St
Andrews), Ken Houston (Ulster), Allan Norcliffe (Sheffield
Hallam) and Donald Davison (Queen's).

1. Apologies:  Alan Ryley, Ken Brown and Adrian Smith.

2. Minutes of Meeting, 16 September 1996: Approved.

3. Matters Arising from the Minutes:                     
 
        Item 6: No progress had been made with eliciting advice
        about regulations for MMaths degrees.  
        
        Item 9: The Chairman reported his response to the HEFCE
        Research Funding document, expressing disquiet at the
        unequal transfer of the funding base from HEFCE to the
        Research Councils, and other matters relating to the
        determination of subject quanta. 

        Item 15: The Chairman had seen the schedule of 
        programmes on mathematics proposed by the BBC, but it 
        was unlikely that HodoMS could make a contribution.   

4. MATHSKILLS Update.             

        Ekkehard Kopp reported on a workshop held on 14 December
        1996 and outlined a proposed programme of presentation at
        the HodoMS Annual Conference on 25 March.

        Minutes of the Discipline Network Steering Committee were
        tabled together with the Project Coordinator's Report. He was
        concerned that the industrial contacts were not as strong as
        they might be.

5. Diagnostic Testing.            

        Graham Wilks drew attention to a request for a wider
        programme of diagnostic testing as originally made by Dr
        Neville Hunt at Coventry University and passed by JMC to
        HoDoMS for consideration. It included a bid for stlg1000 to
        help set up a Web information site accessible to the whole HE
        sector by Easter 1997. In the longer term, it was proposed to
        develop a diagnostic test to be on line by September 1998.
        This was agreed subject to the condition that the Consortium
        should be asked to consult the wider community about current
        practice. (Note: there will be a MATHSKILLS update session
        built into the Annual Conference programme).

6. Annual Conference.  

        Graham Wilks outlined his draft programme. The Committee
        considered the extent to which the reception and banquet
        might be subsidised by HoDoMS. Ekkehard Kopp proposed to
        incorporate a discussion session on assessment methods within
        the MATHSKILLS update session.

7. AGM: Constitutional Amendments.                     

        It was agreed that proposals to amend the Constitution be
        circulated to membership for decision at the March AGM, that
        would additionally allow former Heads of Department to
        become members. In turn, former Heads would become eligible
        for election as members and officers of the Committee. The
        aim of the proposal was to facilitate the selection of a
        suitably distinguished past Head as Committee Chair who could
        devote more time to the job than was feasible for current
        Heads. Graham Wilks would also investigate the possibility of
        links with the various Conferences of Professors. (GW, CCW).

8. UK Mathematics Trust. 

        The Chairman asked Alan Zinober to approach Dr Neumann with a
        view to offering HoDoMS support. (AZ)

9. Mathematics Video.             

        Graham Wilks had obtained from Colin Fraser (University of
        Abertay) a copy of an early video promoting student
        recruitment to mathematics undergraduate courses. He would
        circulate copies to the Committee and a future meeting would
        consider whether to promote an updated version. (GW)

10. JMC.    

        Stephen Ryrie tabled copies of the 1996 Annual Report.
        Graham Wilks thanked him on the Committee's behalf for
        attending.

11. The Incorporated Engineer.   

        Chris Wright pointed out that the recent proposals of the
        Engineering Council to raise entry qualifications might have
        the affect of dividing engineering degree programmes into two
        classes. There would be a reduction in the number of
        accredited programmes with a corresponding growth in
        programmes aimed at the Incorporated Engineer from its
        present small base. This in turn could have an appreciable
        affect on the profile of mathematics teaching in many
        Universities.

        Chris Wright would table a paper at the next meeting setting
        out some of the issues, incorporating suggestions from Allan
        Norcliffe and other members of the Committee. (CCW, AN) 
        
12. Any Other Business.

        12.1. Graham Wilks reported his disquiet at the timescale
        over which recent modification to the Maths A-level core was
        being carried out, and tabled his letter to the DfEE drawing
        attention to the issues involved.

        12.2. HEFCE Funding for mathematics teaching: Graham Wilks
        had been approached by several members to formulate on behalf
        of HoDoMS a strong response to the withdrawal of the original
        HEFCE proposal to fund mathematics as a partly
        laboratory-based subject, and he tabled a draft letter. The
        committee strongly supported the letter, which would be
        amended before despatch. (GW) 

        12.3. It was agreed that the current annual membership
        subscription rate (stlg100) should be maintained for another
        year.

13. Date of Next Meeting: 12 noon on Monday 24 March, 1997,
at the Annual Conference at Keele University.

The meeting closed at 2.50 p.m.