Promoting Numeracy in an Online College Algebra Course through Projects and Discussions

Abstract

This research stems from efforts to infuse quantitative literacy (QL) in an online version of college algebra. College algebra fulfills a QL requirement at many universities, and it is a terminal course for most who take it. In light of the course's traditional content and teaching methods, students often leave with little gained in QL. An online platform provides a unique means of engaging students in quantitative discussions and research, yet little research exists on online courses in the context of QL. The course studied included weekly news discussions as well as "messy" projects requiring data analysis. Students in online and face-to-face sections of the course took the Quantitative Literacy and Reasoning Assessment ( QLRA; developed by members of the National Numeracy Network) during the first and final weeks of the fall 2014 semester. There were significant statistical gains in the online students' QLRA performance and mathematical affect but none for the face-toface students. Notwithstanding limitations of the study, the results support the notion that project-based learning in an online environment is a promising strategy for promoting QL in terminal math courses.

Promoting Quantitative Literacy in an Online College Algebra Course

“…The results further bolster the notion that teaching methods for quantitative literacy are not lecture in tandem with traditional assessment (Shavelson, 2008). This study-in tandem with its quantitative counterpart (Tunstall & Bossé, 2015)-demonstrates that PBL in an online environment has the ability to develop students' quantitative reasoning, disposition toward mathematics, as well as communicative ability. Math instructors should convey both content and its utility; accomplishing the latter is not done through rote exams, but rather through student exploration and research.…”

“…This study focused on the first two of these dimensions through an open-ended survey question posed at both the beginning and end of the semester. (The third dimension is discussed in (Tunstall & Bossé, 2015).) Face-to-face students answered these questions in a computer lab with approximately twenty minutes to complete them; this is comparable to the maximum amount of time students in the online course likely would have spent on them.…”

A Quantitative Reasoning Approach to Algebra Using Inquiry-Based Learning

“…In addition to Gaze (2014), Karaali (2008) shows how quantitative reasoning can be embedded into calculus, while Catalano (2010) and Tunstall and Bossé (2015) illustrate how to include quantitative reasoning in college algebra. We will focus on the second question, fitting algebra into quantitative reasoning.…”

Review of Developing Quantitative Literacy Skills in History and the Social Sciences: A Web-Based Common Core Approach by Kathleen W. Craver

“…Papers relating to such courses include Watson (2011), Henrich and Lee (2011), Wismath and Worrall (2015, and, in this issue, Todd and Wagaman (2015) and Tunstall and Bossé (2015). In particular, the paper by Catalano (2010), "College algebra in context: A project incorporating social issues" is an obvious example.…”