Alverno College, a women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a 25% minority- student population, is beginning the next phase of a project called "Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning Across the Curriculum." In the early 1990s, Alverno undertook the thorough revision of its introductory-level general-education mathematics curriculum, with the result that more first-year students, including more women of color, now successfully complete the College's quantitative-reasoning requirement in a more timely manner. However, at the sophomore through senior levels, there is growing concern that students who are not mathematics/science majors are generally unable to apply what they learned in their introductory classes to classes in their disciplines where they are expected to think and express themselves adequately and effectively in quantitative terms. Alverno is building on the success of its earlier curricular reform by expanding the quantitative-reasoning requirement for all students, not only mathematics and science majors, beyond the introductory level. This is being accomplished through the integration of appropriate quantitative reasoning and application experiences, as well as quantitative assessment activities, throughout the Alverno curriculum. Non-mathematics/science faculty are receiving training in how to make more public to their students the quantitative dimensions and applications already inherent in course content, and how to design appropriate quantitative instructional and assessment strategies, including the use of technology. The project ensures that all Alverno students will demonstrate quantitative reasoning in non-mathematics/science courses beyond their freshman year and, it is expected, in their personal, professional, and civic lives after graduation. In particular, this integration serves as a model for the many Alverno students who go on to teach at the K-12 level. Project information is being actively shared with other institutions.
