Tony Watkins was first appointed to the University in September 1989 for one year as a "School Teacher Fellow", working in the Centre for Teaching Mathematics towards his MPhil degree.Tony had obtained an honours degree in Mathematics, Physics and Psychology from the University of Bristol in 1971 and also trained as a secondary school teacher at the same university, gaining his PGCE in 1972. Tony then worked at Exmouth Community College where he grew in experience of teaching mathematics to all ability levels of the 11 to 18 age range in a genuinely comprehensive institution. In course of time he became responsible for the management of all Sixth Form mathematics provision at the College and for community access to the entire spectrum of mathematics which the College offered. In the mid-1980s he was a "Fulbright Scholar" working in the school district of Anchorage, Alaska in the USA. His secondary school, community and international experiences all contributed to his desire to ‘move on’, and thus he arrived at Plymouth.

Tony has stayed at Plymouth for more than one year! In September 1990 he was appointed Programme Manager for the Foundation Technology Programme which acts as an access to stage one of BEng(Hons) and BSc(Hons) degree programmes, computing HNDs and foundation degrees across the Faculty of Technology. He was additionally appointed Faculty Partnerships Manager in 1994 after successful completion of his MPhil. In this role he has responsibility for the quality assurance of University of Plymouth engineering and computing HNDs operating in Colleges of Further Education throughout the South West Peninsula. During 1999 he became involved in the international recruitment activities of the Faculty and in September 2000 was promoted to Principal Lecturer. Since October 2003 Tony has been the Technology Subject Forum Chair in the new University of Plymouth Colleges Faculty.

Research Interests

Tony’s MPhil was about the use of computer algebra systems, especially DERIVE, in the teaching and learning of mathematics. He was one of the first academics to gain a post-graduate degree in this subject area which was then in its infancy. Tony continues this research interest through membership of the Editorial Board of the International Journal for Computer Algebra in Mathematics Education which is based at Plymouth, and as Co-Chair of the International Speakers Committee of the International Conference for Teachers of Collegiate Mathematics (ICTCM) which is an annual conference held at a venue in the USA. From September 1996 to January 2001 he was Chair of the International Council for Computer Algebra in Mathematics Education (IC-CAME) and is still a member of its committee. Tony is also interested in widening participation in higher education which he pursues through the the University of Plymouth Colleges Faculty.

Teaching Interests

Tony’s background leads him to be especially interested in teaching non-traditional students, i.e. students whose backgrounds do not allow them direct progression to stage one of a degree. He wants to make mathematics accessible and interesting to all who need to use it. This he achieves within the University through his management of and teaching in the Foundation Technology Programme, his national and international links with ICTCM and IC-CAME and his activities with the University’s Partner Colleges of Further Education. From 1994 to 1999 Tony was External Examiner for BSc(Hons), BSc(QTS) and BEd(Hons) Degrees in Mathematics at University of Southampton New College (formerly La Sainte Union College). Currently he is External Examiner for the Mathematics in Education Modules of the BSc(Hons) Initial Teacher Education (Primary) degree at the University of the West of England.

Projects and Other Interests

In 1996 Tony developed research interests in computer algebra with the Technical University of Sofia in Bulgaria and continues to visit and work with them. He has authored and co-authored a number of text books and papers on the use of technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Tony is currently involved in fostering academic links between the University of Plymouth and universities in China.