the alverno story: ql in the disciplines sue mente quirk/pkal workshop october 10 – 12, 2008
TRANSCRIPT
The Alverno Story:The Alverno Story:QL in the QL in the DisciplinesDisciplines
Sue MenteQuIRK/PKAL WorkshopOctober 10 – 12, 2008
Overview of SessionOverview of Session
• Setting context• About Alverno College• QL Courses
Session overviewSession overviewGetting off the ground
◦Administration◦Faculty◦Students
Sustaining the program◦Faculty support◦Training for faculty new◦Monitoring
Nursing Education
Infusion of
Quantitative Literacy
Business Arts & Science
Setting ContextSetting ContextAlverno College
◦Demographics◦Ability based curriculum
QL CoursesMath is a way to describe, analyze and understand our world. – M. Frankenstein
Explore ThisExplore This
Scan pp. 63 - 67 Examining the poverty line and the supplement Yardstick of poverty needs fixing
Review p. 68 The story behind the numbers
Why would we ask faculty from across the disciplines to engage in this activity?
Reasons for engaging Reasons for engaging facultyfaculty• See a broader view of QL• See QL is different than “old math”• See connections to their disciplines• See own potential projection of
attitude
We asked for help with data/topics/articles. Why?
QL in the DisciplinesQL in the DisciplinesFurther demonstration of QL
◦Limited graduation requirement (Shhhhhhhh)
◦Anecdotal external evidence
◦Transferability concernscontext in math vs. math in context
“Yesterday I read an article for Social Science that dealt with a lot of numbers like fractions, decimals and percents. I understood everything except the percents, which still confuse me. But I was proud of myself because I stopped and questioned the numbers to see what they really meant. It was weird to sit and question a social science paper.”
What do students say?What do students say?Survey of graduating seniors
◦See page 69
EXPLORE THISComments on our survey?
What would you want to know? Generate some questions.
Administration Administration Buy – in & Implications Buy – in & Implications
Iron was hot
NSF grant $
Needed to have specifics
Needed commitment from disciplines and general education
Faculty Buy – inFaculty Buy – in• Set ground work first
• Personal contact with key people
• $NSF for Summer work time
• Does this mean I’d have to teach math?
• Some faculty have fears & forgotten skills(“To be honest, I skip the graphs in the text.”)
Defining QL as a common Defining QL as a common learning goallearning goalMultidisciplinary team
Not more math
Characteristics that cross disciplinary boundaries
Elicit quantitative dimension of your discipline
Power of CriteriaPower of CriteriaCreates a picture of ability
Gives faculty language
Helps faculty expectations(can expect levels 1 & 2 in level 3)
See page 70 for Alverno criteria
Summer workshop Summer workshop
EXPLORE THIS See p. 71 opening activity #3 Why might this be effective for faculty?
Multidisciplinary groups
Modify an assignment/assessment
Sustaining the programSustaining the programSee page 72 for follow up
questions and inservices
Training for faculty new to QL (we are weak here)
Monitoring for level of expectation
Database of activitiesDatabase of activities
On-going monitoringOn-going monitoring Collect sample assessments and
activities
We would also be interested in your insights on whether your work with QL in the courses you teach for validation has influenced your teaching in other classes.
Re the question of teaching - I LOVE QUANT LIT!!!! It makes the students responsible to their daily studio time and also has them reflect upon how to apply this learning in their own future studio, art therapy or art ed situations. It has also made me much more verbal as a teacher. Before I used to just apply my technical responses to solve problems, now I find in demos that I list the possible reactions and solutions of materials as a component of anything that I present. The road to technical excellence is now less of a secret and physical problem solving and is now more of a discursive studio tactic.