QuIRK's NSF Project

Project Abstract

With support from the NSF, QuIRK is adapting for dissemination its innovative protocol for assessing quantitative reasoning (QR) in student writing. Toward that end, QuIRK will work with six partners--Iowa State, Morehouse, St. Olaf, Seattle Central Community College, Welesley, and Yale--to consider revisions of QuIRK's scoring rubric for application at a broad variety of institution types. We will then conduct feasibility studies at Iowa State, Morehouse, Seattle Central, and Welesley.

At the same time, QuIRK will be exploring the usefulness of the rubric in summative assessment. Our assessment protocol has proved invaluable in motivating faculty discussions of the connections between QR and written argument and in guiding subsequent faculty development. But we are still unsure whether the data generated by our rubric is fine enough to tease out the differential effects of alternative curricular strategies. Using transcript analysis along with student attitudinal and demographic data, we will begin to explore this question and identify the correlates of QR proficiency.

To provide data for this research, the project also includes resources for faculty development workshops and curricular reforms.

If you are interested in seeing the full NSF proposal, contact Nathan Grawe (QuIRK Co-Director) by email: ngrawe@carleton.edu.

Project Activities

Project activities directly supported by the NSF grant. (QuIRK has carried out many other activities with support from FIPSE, the Keck Foundation, Carleton College, and other sources. The full scope of the initiative is documented elsewhere on the website. This partial list documents NSF-funded work only.)

• Dissemination

  • Completed a workshop, co-hosted with PKAL, to disseminated alternative QR assessment strategies
  • Planning is underway on four feasibility studies to be conducted at Wellesley (2008-09), Morehouse (2008-09), Iowa State (2009-10), and Seattle Central Community College (2009-10)
  • Consultation with QR programs and other institutions: Augustana College (IL), Brigham Young University, Center for Academic Excellence (Fairfield University), The College of New Jersey, Emory & Henry College, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, New England Educational Assessment Network, North Iowa Area Community College, St. Francis University, St. Lawrence University, Scripps University, Spelman College
    

• Related Research

  • Nathan D. Grawe and Carol A. Rutz. "Integrating Quantitative Reasoning Initiatives with Writing Programs: A Strategy for Effective Program Development (Microsoft Word 101kB Apr13 09)," Numeracy,forthcoming.
  • Carol A. Rutz and Nathan D. Grawe. "Pairing WAC and Quantitative Reasoning through Portfolio Assessment and Faculty Development," Across the Disciplines, forthcoming.
    
  • Neil Lutsky. "Review of The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers by Jane E. Miller," Numeracy, January 2009.
  • Jennifer Wenner, Manduca, Cathryn A.; Eric Baer; Greg Hancock; R. Heather Macdonald; Sam Patterson; and Mary Savina. "The Case for Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses," Numeracy, January 2009.
  • Manduca, Cathryn A.; Eric Baer; Greg Hancock; R. Heather Macdonald; Sam Patterson; Mary Savina; and Jennifer Wenner. "Making Undergraduate Geoscience Quantitative," EOS, April 2008.
  • Lutsky, Neil. "Arguing with Numbers: A Rationale and Suggestions for Teaching Quantitative Reasoning through Argument and Writing," in Calculation vs. Context: Quantitative Literacy and Its Implications for Teacher Education, Madison and Steen eds., Mathematical Association of America, 2008.
  • Stevens, Daniel; John Sullivan; Barbara Allen; and Dean Alger. "What's Good for the Goose is Bad for the Gander: Negative Political Advertising, Partisanship, and Turnout," Journal of Politics, April 2008.

• Faculty Development Workshops

  • Teaching with Cases, December 2008
  • Writing with Images, December 2008
  • Grid-Based Map Analysis Techniques and GIS Modeling, March 2008
  • Carleton by the Numbers, March 2008
  • Writing with Numbers 2, December 2007

• Learning and Teaching Center Talks

  • "High Stakes Assessment and Higher Education," Lloyd Bond (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching), April 21, 2009
    
  • "Translating Principles of Learning into Practice: Creating an Integrated Curriculum," Claudia Neuhauser (University of Minnesota, Rochester), February 19, 2009
    
  • "How do we teach quantitative reasoning? Foster a curricular conspiracy," Deborah Hughes Hallett (University of Arizona and Harvard University), April 24, 2008
  • "Empirical methods in humanities research - and music in particular," Eric Clarke (Oxford University), April 8, 2008
  • "Weasel words: Using QR to teach precision in argumentation," Nathan Grawe, January 10, 2008
  • "Critical Thinking About Numbers in the News," Milo Schield (Augsburg College), October 2, 2007
    

• New Teaching Materials

  • New courses developed summer 2008:
    • Media and Electoral Politics, Barbara Allen (Political Science)
    • Political Psychology, Greg Marfleet (Political Science)
    • Comparative Party Systems and Elections, Al Montero (Political Science)
    • Sustainability Science, Tun Myint (Political Science)
    • The Black Death and How it Changed Europe, Martha Paas (Economics)
    • The Psychology of Numbers: A Fair and Balanced Look at Statistical Reporting, Mija Van Der Wege (Psychology)
    • Cliometrics, Jenny Wahl (Economics)
  • Course revisions completed summer 2008:
    • Microeconomics of Development, Meherun Ahmed (Economics)
    • Ethnic Conflict, Dev Gupta (Political Science)
    • Politics in America, Rich Keiser (Political Science)
    • Class, Power and Inequality in America, Nader Saiedi (Sociology and Anthropology)

A portion of the QuIRK initiative has been supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#DUE-0717604). The contents of this portion of the web site were developed under this grant. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the National Science Foundation and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.