Sample Materials from NICHE

Exercise #1: Graphing your Course along a QR Spectrum

For this brief exercise, we want you to review the definitions of quantitative and reasoning from Merriam-Webster's dictionary (Acrobat (PDF) 53kB May2 13). After studying these definitions, please think about a specific course you teach (it could be anything)! After you have picked your course, please graph where you think it would currently fall based on (a) how quantitative it is, and (b) how much reasoning it involves. Please indicate where your course falls by placing a marking, such as a star (or your initials or some other symbol), on this graph.

You can do this very easily by double-clicking on the graph and then inserting a shape (the insert option will automatically appear when you double-click on the graph). Then you will want to move the shape (or your initials) where it belongs (and you will likely want to reduce the size of the shape or the font of your initials). As an example, I have chosen a smiley face and graphed it on this chart. After you graph your course on the chart, please go to the bottom of the graph and identify yourself, indicate the symbol you used, noting what course it represents and why you graphed it where you did.

Exercise #2: Graphing the Three Little Pigs

Please watch the Kurt Vonnegut video which illustrates the use of a line graph to tell a story. After you watch that, please watch the "Three Little Pigs Silly Symphony" (also below). After you finish watching the video of the three little pigs, please graph the story using flockdraw and write about your graph here. You should graph the story in whatever way feels right to you (e.g., choose whatever perspective you want). Please follow the following directions.

1. When you open up "flockdraw," click on "create your own session." This will open a drawing page and you can draw your graph. The drawing tools are pretty self-explanatory, but please label your graph.
2. When you are finished with your graph, click on the floppy disk to the right of your graph to save it. When you do that, you get a URL that you will want to note.
3. When you write about your graph, be sure to provide a link to the URL of the graph that you have drawn so that we can all see it.
4. After you have graphed your story of "The Three Little Pigs," please explain why you graphed the story the way you did.

Kurt Vonnegut on the Shape of Stories

The Three little Pigs Silly Symphony

Exercise #3: Monty Hall Problem

The Monty Hall Problem gets its name from the TV game show, "Let's Make a Deal," which was hosted by Monty Hall. In this problem/scenario, you are a contestant who is seeking to win a prize. There are three doors and there is a prize behind just one of them. You are given the opportunity to select one of the closed doors. The two doors that do not have the prize hide goats or some other item that is not desired. Once you have chosen the door you want, Monty Hall will always open one of the doors that is not the prize and ask you if you'd like to switch. Then problem then is whether you should switch. To prepare for this exercise, please watch a clip of a video about the problem - http://www.splicd.com/mhlc7peGlGg/0/92 (link broken)