“QR at Wellesley College” Corri Taylor, Director Quantitative Reasoning Program

Timeline 1990:Faculty express concerns about students’ QR skills 1991:First pilot QR assessment administered in 3 courses :Trial years of assessment 1997:Assessment given for real! Two-part QR requirement begins and continues to this day.

Two-part QR Requirement 1. QR Basic Skills Requirement (FY) – Pass QR Assessment (18 open-ended questions – samples in book on NNN Web site) or pass Basic Skills Course in first year 2. QR Overlay Requirement (Any year)– Take a designated QR-overlay course that emphasizes the analysis of data in a specific discipline. (Note: this rqmt is in addition to our Mathematical Modeling Rqmt.)

The QR Assessment Study packet sent in summer Administered during Orientation Test is 90 minutes; 18 questions; 9.5 to pass Most questions are NOT multiple-guess No calculators allowed

Sample Assessment Question Summer sublets tend to be expensive in the Cambridge area. This table from a local housing office advertises the monthly rental costs for two-bedroom apartments. For example, the table indicates that there are six apartments available for $1200/month. Use the table to answer the following questions.

Assessment Question Continued 1. What percentage of these apartments sublet for more than $1,200 per month? 2. What is the mean (average) monthly rent for a two- bedroom apartment?

Intro to QR Course Lectures and computer labs (mainly using Excel) Emphasis on practical uses of logic, math, statistics often with QR skills taught “just-in-time” Topics include: *Education data *US demographics *Astronomically large to microscopically small – a physical sense of space physical sense of space *Personal finance Using & Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach, by Bennett & Briggs

QR Overlay Courses in…. AstronomyBiologyChemistry Computer Sciences GeologyMathematicsPhysicsEconomicsEducationPhilosophy Political Science Psychology and andSociology

“Celebrating QR Connections” Series at Wellesley College QR & Art (Spring 2004) QR & Biology (Fall 2005) QR & Forensic Evidence (Spring 2007) QR, Polling & Predictions (Fall 2008) QR & Women’s Health ( Spring 2010 ) QR & Sustainability (Fall 2011) Three or four lectures in each series….

Assessing How We’re Doing - Student Attitude Assessment – developed at Dartmouth – on four scales: utility, personal growth, ability, interest - Pre- and Post- Assessments of Skills - OIR analyses and surveys on course-taking behavior - New study: “Regression discontinuity analysis” – examines students at margin on QR assessment - QuIRK rubric tested on sample papers - Continuous feedback from quantitative faculty