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The brief of the Teaching Committee is to monitor all aspects of the undergraduate Tripos. It meets regularly in the first four weeks of the Michaelmas Term to review the lecturing and examinations of the previous year, and meets later in the year as appropriate. It presents its findings in reports to the Faculty Board.

Click here for the constitution of the Teaching Committee, as approved by the Faculty Board on 23/02/17. The following paragraphs are extracts from this constitution.

Terms of Reference

The purpose of this committee is to monitor the teaching and examining of the Faculty of Mathematics for Parts IA, IB and II of the Mathematical Tripos, to check its effectiveness and fairness, and to make suggestions for, or take steps to implement if appropriate, improvements.

The committee is required to:

  • consider the reports of the Examiners, together with statistical analyses of the marks, and report to the Faculty Board at its second meeting of the Michaelmas term, recommending actions where appropriate and responding to all the points made by the External Examiners;
  • review the results of student questionnaires, together with the pattern of examination questions attempted and any other material the Committee deems relevant to assessment of the effectiveness of courses and the quality of teaching;
  • communicate with each Head of Department (including the Director of the Statistical Laboratory) about the teaching provided by his or her staff, and in particular draw attention to any action the Committee deems appropriate;
  • discuss lecturing in the Mathematical Tripos with new members of staff, and discuss lecturing with other members of staff as appropriate;
  • organise meetings for students, from time to time, as the Committee deems appropriate or requested by the Faculty Board, such as induction sessions or sessions on examination technique;
  • maintain an easily accessible system through which students can make complaints or suggestions,and respond to urgent complaints from students, supervisors or Directors of Studies on the teaching in progress;
  • give advice on the lecture and examination timetable;
  • report to the Faculty Board annually, and otherwise as appropriate.

Membership

The Teaching Committee is a committee appointed by the Faculty Board of Mathematics. Its membership consists of:

  1. a Chair,
  2. two members of DAMTP and two members of DPMMS,
  3. two college teaching officers
  4. the Chair of the Curriculum Committee
  5. the Director of Undergraduate Education
  6. two junior members of the Faculty

Members of the Committee are appointed to serve for two years, from 1st October, and may be reappointed. A volunteer to serve as a new Junior Member is sought annually in September from the up-coming Part IB students by an open process.

The Committee may co-opt an additional Junior Member if it decides that would be appropriate.

The current members are:

Name End date Email address
Professor T Fisher (Chair) 30/09/2026 teaching-chair@maths.cam.ac.uk
Dr H Latter (Chair of Curriculum Committee) Ex Officio curriculum-chair@maths.cam.ac.uk
Dr M Tehranchi (Director of Undergraduate Education)  Ex Officio undergrad-director@maths.cam.ac.uk
Professor R Kerswell (DAMTP) 30/09/2025  
Dr P O'Donnell (DAMTP) 30/09/2025  
Professor U Sperhake (DAMTP) 31/12/2025  
Professor H Wilton (DPMMS) 30/09/2026  
Professor C Warnick (DPMMS) 30/09/2026  
Dr A Zsák (DPMMS) 30/09/2025  
2 student representatives, appointed by the Committee
M Osmova (N) 30/09/2025  
TBC 30/09/2025  
Co-opted student member    
TBC 30/09/2025  

Reports (internal access only, Raven authentication required)

Teaching Committee Reports on Tripos examinations:

Examiners Comments on Undergraduate Examination Questions

Teaching Committee Annual reports to the Faculty Board: