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Quantitative Literacy Framework: Educating for the World of Numbers

This framework addresses the critical need for strong quantitative reasoning skills in various fields and professions. The plan focuses on developing a curriculum, workshops, and engaging faculty buy-in to enhance quantitative literacy skills among students. By partnering with institutions and integrating learning commons, the framework aims to bridge the gap in numeracy skills highlighted by recent reports and events. The outline includes workshops on basic numeracy, data sources, research lifecycle, and data analysis, encouraging students to explore data early on. Faculty involvement and continuous evaluation will drive the success and expansion of this initiative, shaping an interdisciplinary and full-credit course for students.

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Quantitative Literacy Framework: Educating for the World of Numbers

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  1. Developing a Framework for Quantitative Literacy: Counting on IASSIST Wendy Watkins IASSIST2006 Ann Arbor, MI

  2. Alternate Title Information, Numbers and Turf

  3. Outline • Addressing a Need • Recent Events • Making a Plan • Bringing on Partners • Semantics • Turf • Making a Plan2 • Developing the Outline • Workshops 1-5 • Getting Faculty Buy-in • Next Steps • IASSIST Inspirations

  4. Addressing a Need • “In today’s “world awash in numbers,” strong quantitative reasoning skills are required in: • virtually all academic fields • most every profession • decision-making in everyday life” Corrie Taylor, ICPSR OR meeting, Oct. 2005 • According to the ALLS*, 12 of 13 provinces and territories scoreBELOW the MINIMUMfor successful day-to-day functioning ** * Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey, 2003 ** Statistics Canada Daily, Nov. 9, 2005; Globe and Mail, Nov. 10, 2005

  5. Addressing a Need (con’t) “In fact, the labour market returns to numeracy skills overshadowed the return to education. Hence, if well-educated adults were lacking in numeracy skills, they derived no benefit from any additional years of schooling.” • Results of the 2003 ALLS reported in the Statistics Canada Daily, May 11, 2005

  6. Recent Events • Release of ALLS results for Canadian numeracy • Publication of special IQ issue on statistical literacy • Focus of ICPSR on quantitative literacy • Corrie Taylor’s presentation at last OR meeting • IASSIST Strategic Plan’s focus on education • Integration of Learning Commons into Libraries

  7. Making a Plan1 • Use Information Literacy as a model • Target graduate students • Stress numeracy as the goal (not producing mathematicians) • Collect materials • Develop a curriculum

  8. Bringing on Partners • Can’t do it alone • Liaison with Learning Commons • Good discussion of areas of mutual interest • Expression of interest in developing curricula for: • Workshops on quantitative literacy • SPSS workshops • Introduction to GIS • Good support from the Dean of Students

  9. Semantics • Information Literacy ≠Quantitative Literacy Mentioning Information Literacy = • Library Stuff • Been there, done that • Don’t understand the stress on everyday quantitative skills

  10. Turf • Mentioning Quantitative Literacy= Math and Stats • Don’t understand the stress on everyday quantitative skills • Want to teach calculus and statistics • Grad Studies wants to set curriculum • Don’t understand the stress on everyday quantitative skills • Sound familiar? • Need a different plan

  11. Making a Plan2 • Learning Commons geared to undergrads • Lower sights • Aim at 1st year, 1st term • Revamp curriculum • Series of 5 workshop • Use graduate students to deliver • Data Centre provides expertise • Grad students provides labour

  12. Developing the Outline • Catchy title • A Survival Kit for the World of Numbers • Combination of quantitative literacy and research process • Addresses problems faced by Learning Support • Introduces students to data at the earliest stage • Workshops still a work in progress – many changes anticipated

  13. Workshop 1 • Can We Count on You? • General overview of numbers in the everyday world • Basic numeracy • Percents • Rates • Ratios • Relative risk • etc. • Exercises

  14. Workshop 2 • Where are the Real Numbers? • Sources of Data • National • International • Aggregate • Microdata • Who can you trust? • Exercises

  15. Workshop 3 • Getting the Real Story • Crime in Canada • Violent Crime • Guns in the Cities • SARS – The real risk • Support for IRAQ – Gallup vs. Ipsos-Reid • Exercises

  16. Workshop 4 • The Research Life-cycle • Choosing a topic • Asking a question • Choosing a dataset • Reviewing the literature • Forming an hypothesis • Topics and datasets will be chosen beforehand

  17. Workshop 5 • Telling a New Story • Choosing variables • Creating tables • Creating graphs • Writing it up • Students will use Nesstar to do this

  18. Getting Faculty Buy-in • Faculty are on-board • Workshops merely scratch the surface • They are the only introduction to quantitative material at present • Asked for feedback • Can we do more? • Pilot project • Attendance=1 grade point

  19. Next Steps • Evaluate the workshops • Content • Relevance • Coverage • If successful, expand • 1st-year seminar • Interdisciplinary • Full-credit course • Patterned after the University de Montréal’s success

  20. IASSIST Inspirations

  21. IASSIST Inspirations

  22. Questions?

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