Assessing%20Critical%20Thinking%20and%20Quantitative%20Reasoning%20in%20MA%20103

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Assessing Critical Thinking and Quantitative
Reasoning in MA 103

• Gerald Kruse, PhD.
• Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer
  Science
• Juniata College
• Huntingdon, PA
• kruse_at_juniata.edu
• http//faculty.juniata.edu/kruse

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A Wise Man Once Said
"I know this isn't true about your faculty," he
said to chuckles from the audience, but "a lot of
our faculty ... aren't wild about assessment. It
makes the hair go up on the back of their necks."
"I have to persuade them that the CLA has
meaning," he said.
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A Wise Man Once Said
"I know this isn't true about your faculty," he
said to chuckles from the audience, but "a lot of
our faculty ... aren't wild about assessment. It
makes the hair go up on the back of their necks."
"I have to persuade them that the CLA has
meaning," he said. Provost Jim Lakso, August 4,
2008 http//www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/04
/cla
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Pipeline Faculty Checklist
. . . 28. Cite your Provost in a SoTL Lunch
Discussion (see 29).
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Pipeline Faculty Checklist
. . . 28. Cite your Provost in a SoTL Lunch
Discussion (see 29). 29. When citing your
Provost in a SoTL Lunch Discussion, make sure he
is not attending an Executive Committee Meeting
instead.
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• Big Picture
• Close-up on one CLA-like project
• Input? Feedback? Under Construction

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Big Picture

• MA 103, Quantitative Methods, aka
  QMMathematics 103 prepares students to be
  quantitatively literate citizens in today's
  world. By learning to think critically about
  quantitative issues, students will be able to
  make responsible decisions in their daily lives.
  Problems are analyzed and solved using numerical,
  graphical, statistical, and algebraic reasoning.
  Technology is used to help visualize data and
  facilitate calculations, as well as to present
  quantitative output and verbal arguments.
• Collegiate Learning Assessment, (CLA),
  Performance Task GoalsCritical Thinking,
  Analytic Reasoning, and Problem SolvingWritten
  Communication
• I am aware we could make this linkage for most
  classes

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Leveraging Existing Frameworks

• Currently in MA 103
• Quantitative Skills AssessmentPre and Post
  (first and last day of semester, does not count
  toward final grade)
• Quantitative Attitudes SurveyPre and Post (first
  and last day of semester)
• Daily Activities and 3 Open-ended Projects

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Modifying MA 103 to Assess Improvements in
Quantitative Reasoning/Critical
Thinking(Warning This is a work in-progress!)

• Use a CLA-like performance task as a pre and
  post assessment
• Construct Projects 01, 02, and 03 using CLA
  guidelines
• Is performance better on the post-assessment?

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• Timing and precluded licensing and adaptation
  of retired CLA performance task for pre/post
  assessment this semesterJust not enough time to
  do it properly
• Implemented a CLA-like Project 01See for
  yourself
• Too much funNames, writing in character

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MA 103, Project 02

• Keep our character
• Analyze loans, loan table, interest, etc(a
  component in previous Projects)
• Write a letter to parents describing desire to
  switch from ESS to finance or accounting, hope to
  test web-site evaluation skills