Students direct from high school seem to have problems with organisation. The less directed nature of the study gives them the 'freedom to fail' that may not have been given to them at high school. For the mature aged student, who may well have a family and even a job to cope with, time management is more of a problem. These problems apply to both internal and external students. However, since the external students lack any set lecture and tutorial times this means that they have to be responsible for the total organisation of their studies.
External students are also more likely to be in full time employment.
Motivation for taking the course Murdoch University's 'open door' policy of not requiring specific prerequisites for programmes of study, whilst requiring prerequisites for specific courses, means that students often enrol in programmes without being fully aware of the required background knowledge. This is especially true where a background knowledge of mathematics is required, for example in programmes such as biological or environmental science, psychology, economics and commerce. Many students take Fundamentals of Mathematics because they have to, rather than because they want to. Thus they may lack the motivation associated with courses in their specific area of study. The teaching of mathematics to internal students Our main area of concern is associated with the problems students have in learning mathematics given their past background and experience in trying to learn mathematics.