What We Do
Quantity Across the Curriculum is a faculty-driven program for quantitative reasoning at Bridgewater State University. QuAC's mission is to increase student and faculty engagement and success with numbers in all disciplines of higher education.
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Curriculum Development
Before students can "do the math right," they must "do the right math." A numerate curriculum engages students with numbers consistently, authentically, and critically.
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Faculty Development
Teaching with numbers is crucial — and any faculty member can do it, if the context is real and the level is appropriate. We're here to help.
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Numeracy Partnerships
Numeracy is everyone's responsibility, but no one should have to go it alone. Partnerships across disciplines and at all levels of education are vital to our work.
Events
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Working for Equal Pay:
Making Change, By the NumbersThursday 4/20/2017, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Burnell Hall, Room 132BWhat do we mean when we repeat statistics such as “women make 77¢ on the dollar compared to men?” Where do wage gaps come from, across lines not only of gender but also of race and sexual identity? What do the numbers say, and what is to be done about it?
Co-sponsored by GLBTA Pride Center and Women & Gender Studies
Facilitators: Lee Forest, GLBTA Pride Center; Dr. Kim Fox, Sociology; Dr. Meghan Healy-Clancy, History; Dr. Matt Salomone, Mathematics
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Interactive Technology for Quantitative Literacy Series:
Introduction to DesmosMonday 11/21/2016, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
DMF Science Center, Room 461Graphs and plots are essential tools not only for learning math, but also for understanding and communicating quantitative ideas across all disciplines. Desmos ( desmos.com ) is a free online graphing environment that makes it easy for teachers and students to create and share interactive graphs and engaging teaching tools.
In this workshop, participants will create their first Desmos interactive graphs and explore ways to use these tools for teaching and learning.Facilitator: Ms. Tina Palmer, South Shore Vocational-Technical High School
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Who Counts?: The Politics of Numbers
BSU Election Week Workshop
Open to the PublicThursday 10/6/2016, 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Heritage Room, Maxwell LibraryIn this 90-minute workshop, participants will discover the ways in which numbers shape the American political process. How are political groups characterized? What hidden assumptions, biases, and flaws exist behind these numbers? And what are the behavioral consequences of how political data are used and misused? Light refreshments provided.
Facilitators: Drs. Colby King, Sociology; Matt Salomone, Mathematics; and Madhavi Venkatesan, Economics
Previous Events
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Thursday 3/26, 2:00-3:15
RCC 210 Hanover/Duxbury RoomFriday 3/27, 11:00-12:00
RCC 119 Green RoomIn this workshop, participants will identify specific opportunities to increase their students' disposition, engagement, and success with quantitative reasoning in their courses. Interested applicants for QuAC's Course Redevelopment Summer Grant may find this workshop especially valuable. Box lunch provided.
Facilitators: QuAC Advisory Board Members
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"Storytelling with Numbers"
WAC Critical Literacies Series WorkshopThursday 10/23, 3:00-4:30
Co-sponsor: Writing Across the CurriculumExperienced numberphiles know that numbers tell powerful stories. Writing about numbers is critical to understanding them, and conversely, numbers can provide powerful evidence to improve a written argument. In this workshop, we explore how to design authentic quantitative writing assignments in a variety of courses.
Facilitators: Dr. Maria Hegbloom, Communication Studies; Dr. Laura Ramsey, Psychology; Dr. Matt Salomone, Mathematics
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Numeracy from Practice to Theory:
Using Interactive Case StudiesFriday 5/30, 11:00-12:00
Presented at Lilly International 2014Bethesda, MarylandTo teach for numeracy is to build number sense and statistical reasoning within the context of authentic problems. In this workshop we see how context helps, not hinders, students' ability to solve "story problems," and use an interactive tool to discover why Simpson's Paradox works in context.
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Northeast Consortium on Quantitative Literacy
Saturday 5/10, 8:30-4:30pm
Bridgewater State UniversityNECQL's XVIIth annual meeting was held at BSU in 2014. NECQL is a forum for the discussion of issues and the dissemination of information related to quantitative literacy.
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Quantitative Assignment Showcase
Luncheon WorkshopWednesday 4/2, 12:20–1:35pm
Location TBADesigned or redesigned a quantitative assignment lately? Whether you have, and want to share how it went, or whether you're just interested in seeing what other faculty are doing in their courses, join us for this informal collaborative workshop over lunch.
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Integrating Writing and Quantitative Research
WAC/QuAC Joint WorkshopTuesday 2/11, 12:30–2:00pm
RCC 209
If students can write about numbers, they can understand numbers. Practice techniques to get their pens and brains moving in this workshop.
Facilitators: Dr. Matt Salomone, QuAC Coordinator and Drs. Maria Hegbloom and Laura Ramsey, WAC Coordinators
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Seven Habits of Highly Numerate People
(And So Can You!) - Luncheon WorkshopMonday 10/28, 12:20–1:35pm
Science & Math Center 473
Thursday 10/31, 12:30–1:45pmWeygand 1047 (S. Multipurpose Room)Numeracy is an everyday habit. Find out how to build yours at this interactive workshop.
Facilitators: Dr. Matt Salomone, QuAC Coordinator and Dr. Roben Torosyan, Director, Office of Teaching & Learning
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Data Analysis in the Disciplines
Faculty Panel DiscussionThursday 11/21, 12:30–1:45pm
ECC 113 (Executive Dining Room)Applied data analysis courses can be stumbling blocks for students. Come share your strategies for helping them succeed.
Facilitators: Dr. Jing Tan, School of Social Work and Dr. Kimberly Fox, Department of Sociology
Panelists: Dr. Fox; Dr. Tina Jameson, Psychology Department; Dr. Michael Jones, Economics Department; Dr. Tan
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BSU's Core Skills
Faculty Panel DiscussionThursday 12/13, 10:00 - 11:30, Location TBA
OTL/FDLG Reading Day ConferenceBSU's Core Curriculum begins with the development of foundational critical reasoning skills: writing, spoken communication, logic, and mathematics. What do students do in these courses, and how can faculty build upon the Core Skills in later coursework in the major?
Featured
38%: The percent of first-year college students who say they have "used numerical information to examine a real-world problem or issue" often or very often.
44%: The percent of college seniors who say the same.
The National Survey of Student Engagement has asked students about their engagement with quantitative reasoning for the first time in 2013. Its results, reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education (11/14/2013) provide insight into college students' use of practical numeracy skills – and highlight the extent to which their engagement with quantitative reasoning increases (or doesn't) during their college career.
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