Overview
Students must complete one (1) mathematics course beyond Mathematics 100 and also take one (1) additional course that carries a Quantitative Reasoning designation. Assignment to or exemption from the mathematics course is based upon a placement inventory administered by the University or a transfer credit evaluation. Courses throughout the university carrying the Quantitative Reasoning designation devote significant attention to exploring and developing student’ abilities to ask and act on questions related to the analysis of data, the application of data, the application of mathematical models, or the cultural and political roles of mathematical thinking.
The Quantitative Reasoning Intellectual Practice is coordinated by the Quantitative Reasoning Coordinator.
Learning Goals
Quantitative Reasoning courses enable students to achieve all or several of the following goals:
- Students will be able to design experiments, compose problems, draw conclusions, or make predictions based on methods of quantitative reasoning, including statistical analysis of data, and applications of algorithms, geometry or logical systems.
- Students will be able to choose among multiple approaches to posing and solving problems, and to drawing conclusions.
- Students will be able to describe how a mathematical/quantitative interpretation of a situation or ideas may or may not be appropriate to its context; or, they will be able to describe how the framing of a question may include undesired or unexpected assumptions.
- Students will be able to elaborate on examples, relevant to their academic major or everyday life experience, of how quantitative reasoning constrains and enables cultural assumptions of rationality.
Course Development Criteria
Quantitative Reasoning courses must meet several of the following criteria:
- Quantitative Reasoning Courses provide opportunities for students to increase their sophistication in applying the analysis of data to the solution of real-world problems.
- Quantitative Reasoning Courses focus on both the interpretation of mathematical models and communication using mathematical representations such as formulas, graphs, and tables.
- Quantitative Reasoning Courses engage students in active, project-based mathematical problem- solving in which quantitative tools and methods need to be selected, utilized, explained, and justified.
- Quantitative Reasoning Courses require students to examine the analytic strengths and limitations of mathematical models, and to compare these mathematical modes of inquiry with others.
Common Practices
Quantitative Reasoning Courses often use the following pedagogical practices, among others:
- Quantitative Reasoning courses refine students’ abilities to describe an experiment or problem, and to interpret its results or solution in writing, through multiple assignments with feedback, revision of written assignments through multiple drafts, and attention to audience.
- Quantitative Reasoning courses engage students in discussion and written assignments in which mathematical/quantitative reasoning is used to explicate ideas across disciplinary boundaries.
