The goal of the project is to incorporate Quantitative Literacy (QL) learning materials and teaching strategies in courses throughout the curriculum. It is improving the ability of students at the college to formulate, evaluate, and express conclusions and inferences from quantitative information using analytical arguments, reasoning, and fundamental mathematical skills. Faculty expertise with QL educational innovations is being developed through two workshops (involving nearly 50% of the faculty) and the participation of national QL experts. A project evaluator is working with the college to evaluate student learning and the implementation of faculty innovations to ensure quality, relevance and impact.
Intellectual Merit: QL offers a quantitative habit of mind that can be applied in nearly any discipline and responds to a lack of relevance that students often see in traditional mathematics courses. The project has a clear student focus with opportunities for students to advance their QL skills in newly designed mathematics courses, liberal education courses, and courses for majors. Expected measurable outcomes include improvements in attitudes and QL skills for both faculty and students. Permanent institutional reform of the project ensures long term impact.
Broader Impact: College students are facing an increasingly complex global society, and they need to apply quantitative knowledge and reasoning, yet many graduates seem poorly prepared to do so. This initiative promotes an effective QL program that prepares college graduates for their professional and personal lives and responds to a national call for an increased understanding of mathematics as the language of science. Faculty from all disciplines are engaged in revising and designing courses with QL content and exploring ways to integrate QL in interdisciplinary undergraduate research projects and digital-media learning portfolios. Project workshops involve faculty from other institutions, providing opportunity for QL education community-building and the dissemination of project results. It also serves as a model for similar institutions.
COLBY_SAWYER COLLEGE PI: Semra Kilic-Bahi, skilic-bahi@colby-sawyer.edu Co-PIs: Ben Steele, Cheryl Coolidge, Joe Carroll, Peter White Senior Personnel: John Callewaert, Randy Hanson, Lynn Garrioch, Laura Alexander The main purpose of the quantitative literacy initiative at Colby-Sawyer College(CSC) is to improve students' ability to understand and use quantitative information in every aspect of their lives. We believe students need to be constantly exposed to the proper use of quantitative skills across the curriculum and in many aspects of their college life to develop that habit of mind. Activities completed: Faculty Development Workshops Held At CSC "Weasel Words: Writing and Quantitative Inquiry," facilitated by Dr. Nathan Grawe, Carleton College, Summer 2011, 31 participant (18 CSC faculty) "Financial Literacy", facilitated by Dorothy Wallace and Kim Rheinlander, Dartmouth College, Summer 2010, 7 participant (5 CSC faculty) A two-day workshop "QL and Climate Change," facilitated by Dr. Robert Brecha, University of Dayton, OH, and "QL and Sustainability, Summer 2010, 24 participant (20 CSC) QL Experience, organized by Faculty Development and Research Committee, 14 participant A four-day workshop including Northeast Consortium on QL Annual Meeting XII, "QuIRK" Faculty development workshop, National Numeracy Network 4th Annual Conference organized by PIs, QuIRK project leaders, and NNN, Summer 2008 79 participant (28 CSC) Colby-Sawyer QL Faculty Development Workshop, Summer 2008, 28 participant 10. Colby-Sawyer QL Faculty Development Workshop, Summer 2007, 23 participant 11. Three faculty development workshops on Excel©, 2007-2008, 15 participant. CLASS ACTIVITIES Developed Colby-Sawyer faculty have developed 59 class activities. These activities are developed by faculty representing 13 different disciplines. Class activities posted at www.colby-sawyer.edu/academics/experience/quantitative/activities.html http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/ssac_home/general/index.html http://serc.carleton.edu/nnn/quantitative_writing/examples www.middlesex.mass.edu/math/projects.asp Presentations 2011 QL: Literacy Redefined, S. Kilic-Bahi, C. Coolidge, Keynote Speakers, St. Anselm College Center for Teaching Excellence Faculty Development Conference, NH Measuring the Effectiveness of QL, Semra Kilic-Bahi, Invited Panelist, CIHE Panel Session, NEASC Annual Meeting, Boston, MA Assessment and QL, Semra Kilic-Bahi, Invited Panelist, MathFest 2011, KY 2010 Assessment: Tensions, Opportunities, and Outcomes, Beth Crockford, Cheryl Coolidge, Semra Kilic-Bahi, NEean Forum, College of the Holy Cross, MA QL Across the Curriculum, Semra Kilic-Bahi, Invited Speaker, ATMNE Conference, NH Spreadsheets and QL Across the Curriculum Workshop, Gary Franchy, Semra Kilic-Bahi, ICTCM, IL QL Across the Curriculum in a Liberal Arts Setting, Poster presentation, NH-EBSCOR 2009 Quantitative Literacy Across the Curriculum, Semra Kilic-Bahi, NEMAA Western New England College, MA QL Across the Curriculum in a Liberal Arts Setting, Poster presentation, JMM Infusing QL Across the Curriculum, Semra Kilic-Bahi, Cheryl Coolidge, Maryann Allen, Middlesex Community College, MA 2008 "Building Quantitative Literacy and Data Analysis Skills In Student Designed Ecology Labs", Nick Baer & Ben Steele, Ecological Society of America, 93rd Annual Meeting "QL Across the Curriculum in a Liberal Arts Setting", Poster presentation, Joe Carroll, Semra Kilic-Bahi, CCLI-PI Meeting, Washington, DC "QL Across the Curriculum in a Liberal Arts Setting", Poster presentation, Lavonne Batalden, Semra Kilic-Bahi, and Ben Steele, Joint Mathematics Meeting An Across the Curriculum Approach to Quantitative Literacy in Environmental Studies, Ben Steele, Nick Baer, Leon Malan, Laura Alexander, Harvey Pine, JMM Contributed Paper Session, CA 2007 "Spreadsheets as a Tool to Implement QL," Semra Kilic-Bahi, American Sociological Association, Joint Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society and the North Central Sociological Association "Visual Display of Quantitative Data," a workshop organized by Semra Kilic-Bahi, American Sociological Association Joint Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society and the North Central Sociological Association "Mapping Tools for the Display and Analysis of Demographic Data," John Callewaert, American Sociological Association Joint Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society and the North Central Sociological Association "Organizing Data to Extract Information," Maryann Allen, American Sociological Association Joint Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society and the North Central Sociological Association, Chicago "QL Initiative at a Small Liberal Arts College," Semra Kilic-Bahi, Cheryl Coolidge, & Ben Steele, Vassar College "Using Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum," Semra Kilic-Bahi, Cheryl Coolidge, & Ben Steele, Johnson State College Co-organized and co-presented a mini-course "A Tool to Implement Quantitative Literacy: Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum," Cheryl Coolidge, Bill Thomas, Semra Kilic-Bahi, and Gary Franchy, AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meeting, New Orleans, LA ASSESSMENT In order to evaluate the impact of this initiative, the assessment instruments consisting of two attitude surveys (10 questions each), and two exams, Basic Skills and QL Skills (25 multiple choice questions each) administered to freshmen and seniors in the following semesters. Freshmen: fall 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Seniors: spring 2008, spring 2009, 2010, and spring 2011 We also evaluated the faculty development workshops through surveys given before and after the workshops. The assessment data is analyzed by an external evaluator.
