Quantity Across the Curriculum

Quantity Across the Curriculum (QuAC) is a faculty learning community dedicated to supporting faculty to increase their and their students' engagement and skill with quantitative reasoning in their discipline.

This effort is being facilitated by Dr. Matthew Salomone, Department of Mathematics. It is supported in part by a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation.

Fall 2012 Events (Flyer)

In Fall 2012, QuAC is sponsoring two faculty workshops:

Face the Facts: The Politics of StatisticsHide resources Thursday, October 11 — 2:00-3:15 — RCC 106 (Plymouth County Room) Friday, October 12 — 1:00-2:15 — RCC 210 (Hingham Room) Workshop Activity Sheet Face the Facts USA (George Washington Univ.) What is Statistical Literacy? Beyond the FormulaShow resources Friday, November 9, 2012 — 12:15-2:00 Resources.

Spring 2012 Events (Flyer)

In Spring 2012, QuAC hosted three workshops and a plenary event.

Election 2012: By the Numbers 1. Framing a Quantitative QuestionShow resources Tuesday, February 28, 2012 — 1:00-2:30 Workshop outline The U.S. Economy in Charts (full PDF), U.S. Department of Treasury report 2/29/2012 Poor numeracy 'blights the economy and ruins lives', BBC News report, 3/2/2012 Likely voters prefer lower individual, business tax rates, The Hill (data sourced), 2/27/2012 2. Building a Quantitative AssignmentShow resources Tuesday, March 13, 2012 — 1:00-2:30 Workshop outline How to Use Quantitative Writing, John Bean, Seattle University, et al. QuIRK example assignments of electoral interest inspired by: Political science Economics 3. Using "Just-In-Time" MathematicsHide resources Friday, March 30, 2012 — 11:00-12:30 Workshop outline Hughes-Hallett, D. (2001) Achieving Numeracy: The Challenge of Implementation in Mathematics and Democracy: The Case for Quantitative Literacy, Mathematical Association of America, prepared by NCED. Steele, B. and Kiliç-Bahi, S. (2008) Quantitative Literacy Across the Curriculum: A Case Study. Numeracy Vol. 1, Issue 2, Article 3 Just-in-Time Teaching Home, at IUPUI

Beyond the Formula QuAC 2011-2012 Plenary (Program) Friday, April 27 — 11:15-2:00

Fall 2011 Events (Flyer)

In Fall 2011, QuAC hosted four learning community discussions. You may click on the links below to access discussion materials after each is held.

Teaching Numeracy with Writing-to-Learn Thursday, September 29, 2011 Discussion Notes Discussion Slides from S. Sheriff Writing-to-Learn Handout from Dr. Michelle Cox Using Writing to Teach Mathematics, slides from M. Salomone's 2008 talk	Numerate Research and Capstone Courses Thursday, November 17, 2011 Discussion Notes Building Toward Mastery: an undergraduate research skill scaffold, developed by J. Shanahan
Engaging First-Year Students with Numbers Thursday, October 27, 2011 Discussion Notes Articles, books, and other links	Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Discussion Notes Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum initiative at Carleton College The Learning Network Blog from The New York Times (QR- and current events-oriented lesson plans)

Faculty Workshops

Resources from QuAC faculty development workshops may be found below. Click on the workshop name to access its materials.

Engaging Students with Quantitative Reasoning
Visiting Lecturer Development Day — Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Classroom Practice	Assignment Design
Followalong Worksheet Writing-To-Learn Suggestions (M. Cox) QR Skill Scaffold	Followalong Worksheet VALUE Rubric The High Price of Being a Gay Couple (NY Times) Exploring the Math of the Debt Crisis (NY Times) No Rest for the Weary? Analyzing Sleep Habits (NY Times)

The Common Core State Standards: Transition from Secondary School to College Writing
Writing Across the Curriculum Panel — April 26, 2012

Using Writing to Teach Mathematics, A. Sterrett, ed. MAA Notes #16, ISBN 0883850664

Math Journaling Overview and Lesson Plans, part of TOFU (Tools for Understanding), U. Puget Sound

Examples of Math Writing Assignments, MAA guidelines for developing mathematical communication

A Short Guide to Writing Mathematics, S. Maurer, Swarthmore College

Writing, Reasoning, and Mathematics, M. Salomone, speaker's slides from event

Source Materials, Readings, and Handouts

The following are materials the QuAC learning community might find especially useful in thinking about quantitative coursework, here at BSU and beyond.

General Links, Articles, and Resources

Organizations

• The QuIRK Project (Quantitative Inquiry, Reasoning, and Knowledge), Carleton College's vast QR initiative and resources
• The National Numeracy Network, a paraprofessional organization devoted to increasing quantitative engagement and skill in higher education
• The Learning Network: Mathematics, a New York Times blog devoted to quantitative lesson plans surrounding current events

Readings

• The Case for Quantitative Literacy, excerpted from the MAA's Mathematics and Democracy
• Quantitative Literacy VALUE Rubric, developed by the LEAP project's curriculum team
• Quantitative Reasoning Skill Scaffold, including learning outcomes and fundamental questions, developed by M. Salomone.
• QR Skill Requirement Draft Recommendations, prepared by M. Salomone for the BSU Core Curriculum steering committee.