Quantitative Reasoning (QR) defined by the Association of American Colleges and Universities

A "habit of mind," competency and comfort in working with numerical data. Individuals with strong QR skills possess the ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide variety of authentic contexts and everyday life situations. They understand and can create sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence, and they can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as appropriate).

A few ways the QSC can assist you with your courses

  • Sample Statement to add to your course syllabus.
  • Email your syllabus and/or assignments to us so that we can better support your students!
  • Schedule a brief class visit so that we may introduce our services to your students.
  • Schedule a meeting with the director (Erin Hill) to discuss ways to integrate quantitative reasoning into your course and/or to collaborate in the development of classroom activities! A few examples:
            - How to Graph: effective visualization of data
            - Unpacking a Scientific Article - collaboration with the Writing and Communication Center
            - Viewing and Discussion of Flatland
            - Excel Workshop(s)

QR Teaching-Related Resources

  • The National Numeracy Network an organization dedicated to increasing quantitative literacy for all citizens.
  • SIGMAA QL A special interest group of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) focused on QL.
  • Quantitative Writing (on the NNN website) Information on how to integrate quantitative writing across disciplines. 
            Assignment Examples:
            Understanding exponential growth in the context of population models
            Writing about numbers we should know
            Comparing journalistic reports to primary sources of research
  • Radical Math a resource for educators interested in integrating issues of social and economic justice into their math classes and curriculum. Also a resource for educators wanting to integrate QL into their courses dealing with issues of social and economic justice!
  • Mathematics and Democracy A book (available electronically) prepared by the National Council on Education and the Disciplines. Attempts to define quantitative literacy (QL) and argues for the need for QL.