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Associate Professor

Tanya Evans

Senior Lecturer

Mathematics

Orcid identifier0000-0001-5126-432X
  • Senior Lecturer
    Mathematics
  • +6493737599 Ext.88783 (Work)
  • SCIENCE CENTRE 303 - Bldg 303, 38 PRINCES ST, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, AUCKLAND, 1010, New Zealand

BIO

Tanya is a senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics with a research focus on mathematics education. Her research interests include the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of novel forms of assessment and pedagogical innovations based on the latest research advances in cognitive sciences and educational psychology. After finishing her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Education, Tanya was awarded a graduate fellowship at Rice University in Texas, USA. She completed her PhD in Pure Mathematics with a specialisation in Low-Dimensional Topology. Seizing an opportunity while at Rice, Tanya also took MBA courses in Financial Mathematics, which remains an area of interest for her. After moving to New Zealand, Tanya's main focus shifted towards mathematics education as a focus for her research. Her current research area is school education (curriculum, pedagogy and pathways for underrepresented groups) and university education (delivery modes, assessment, explanation quality, and professional development).

Since 2016, Tanya has served as an Executive Committee member of HERDSA (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia), NZ branch. She is also a member of the International Steering Committee of the DELTA conferences on undergraduate mathematics and statistics teaching and learning.

Since 2017, Tanya has been a member of the executive committee of the New Zealand Mathematical Society Education Group, leading a special interest group on advocacy for improved teaching and learning of mathematics in New Zealand schools.

In 2023, Tanya, together with Valerie Sotardi (UC) and Robyn Caygill (MoE), founded a New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) Special Interest Group on Quantitative Studies in Education (QSE). QSE is a community of researchers, policymakers, and educators from diverse fields with a shared interest in promoting the NZARE’s broad research focus and who are committed to excellent research involving quantitative studies that are underpinned by the scientific method in Aotearoa New Zealand and the broader Pacific region with the core aims:
1. To cultivate an arena for the development and dissemination of high-quality, empirical and/or theory-based research in education that draws on causal and correlational methodologies;
2. To facilitate contact and collaboration among our members, including advanced and early career researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students; policymakers and the Ministry of Education; and other interested parties such as educators, principals, and community members;
3. To organise relevant activities (e.g., conference presentations, thematic symposia, and workshops) that support excellence in education research using quantitative research; and
4. To participate in and contribute to education policy changes in Aotearoa New Zealand through evidence-based, larger-scale, and more generalisable research.

The SIG adopts a lens under which empiricism is the basis for acquiring generalisable knowledge. It advocates for the rigorous collection and quantitative analysis of data, focusing on objectivity, replicability, and generalisability. Its mission is to foster systematic and scientific investigation of educational phenomena and processes.


Distinctions/Honours:

Rice University graduate fellowship (fully-funded Masters and PhD)

Nomination for the ‘Lecturer of The Year’ award, Massey University, 2009

Member of the team awarded the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence, Faculty of Science, UoA, 2015

Centre for Learning and Research (CLeaR) Fellowship (2016) on the theme of e-learning

Opening Plenary speaker at the 12th Delta conference – the Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics, November 24-29, 2019, Fremantle, Perth, Australia. Her presentation titled "Who is tasked with the modernisation of university mathematics education? Research mathematicians and mathematics education researchers bridging the disciplinary gap" can be viewed on Tanya's YouTube channel.

Plenary speaker at the New Zealand Mathematical Society 2023 Colloquium, December, 3-6, 2023. Her presentation titled "Mathematics Education Paradigm Wars: Unapologetic Critique and Reflection" is available on her YouTube channel.

Fellow of the New Zealand Mathematical Society (elected in December 2022)

Responsibilities: Head of the Mathematics Education Unit (since 2021); Teaching Professional Development Advisor (since 2018)

Committee/Professional groups/Services:
- Assistant Dean Curriculum Framework Transformation (Faculty of Science);
- Founding member and co-leader of the NZARE SIG on Quantitative Studies in Education (since 2023);
- Member of the New Zealand Executive Committee of HERDSA (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia) (since 2016);
- Member of the International Steering Committee of the DELTA conferences on the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics and statistics (since 2016);
- Member of the executive committee of the New Zealand Mathematics Society Education Group, leading a SIG on advocacy for improved teaching and learning of mathematics in New Zealand schools (since 2017);
- Member of the Internal Reference Group for the STEM Online NZ project. This project was initiated with the aim of supporting classroom teaching and learning in NZ schools. It has been developed as a blended solution combining traditional and e-learning practices with content tailored to appeal to New Zealand teenage students. The key course components include online learning materials, interactive learning content, videos, avatars, animations, quizzes, game-based content, classroom-based experiments and activities, online tutoring and support by the University of Auckland students, and an online community with social media interaction;
- Reviewer for Educational Studies in Mathematics, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, Learning and Individual Differences, Higher Education Research and Development, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, Journal of Mathematics Behavior, Mathematics Education Research Journal, STEM Education (American Institute of Mathematical Sciences), Educational Research and Evaluation, AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples.

UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND APPOINTMENTS

  • Senior Lecturer
    Faculty of Science, Mathematics, New Zealand

MEDIA

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ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Assistant Dean Curriculum Framework Transformation
    University of Auckland, New Zealand1 Jul 2023 - 31 Dec 2024
  • Lecturer
    University of Auckland, Mathematics, Auckland, New Zealand11 Jun 2018 - 1 Feb 2022

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Spinning instructor
    University of Auckland, Recreation Centre26 Jul 2017 - 1 Dec 2018

DEGREES

  • PhD, Mathematics
    Rice University, United States

FACULTY / INSTITUTE

  • Faculty of Science

GRADUATE SUPERVISION

  • PhD/Doctoral Accredited Supervisor
  • Has Current Supervision Opportunity

FIELDS OF RESEARCH