MATH 102 - Quantitative Reasoning

4 Credit: (4 lecture, 1 lab, 0 clinical) 5 Contact Hours:

1. Use appropriate mathematical and statistical language in oral, written, and graphical forms.
2. Read and interpret authentic texts such as advertisements, consumer information, government forms, and newspaper articles containing quantitative information, including graphical displays of quantitative information.

Goal 2:  Make sense of problems, develop strategies to find solutions, and persevere in solving them.

1. Develop an answer to an open-ended question requiring analysis and synthesis of multiple calculations, data summaries, and/or models.

Goal 3:  Reason, model, and draw conclusions or make decisions with mathematical, statistical, and quantitative information.

1. Draw conclusions or make decisions in quantitatively based situations that are dependent upon multiple factors.
2. Present written or verbal justifications of decisions that include appropriate discussion of the mathematics involved.
3. Present written or verbal justifications of decisions that include appropriate discussion of the mathematics involved.

Goal 4:  Critique and evaluate quantitative arguments that utilize mathematical, statistical, and quantitative information.

1. Evaluate the validity and possible biases in arguments presented in authentic contexts based on multiple sources of quantitative information (e.g., advertising, internet postings, consumer information, political arguments).

Goal 5:  Use appropriate technology in a given context.

1. Use a spreadsheet to organize quantitative information and make repeated calculations using simple formulas.
2. Use the internet to find quantitative information on a given subject and evaluate the validity and possible bias of information based on the source.
3. Use internet-based tools appropriate for a given context (e.g., an online tool to calculate credit card interest).

Goal 6:  Draw conclusions and/or make decisions based on analysis and critique of quantitative information using proportional reasoning.

1. Solve real-life problems requiring interpretation and comparison of complex numeric summaries which extend beyond simple measures of center.
2. Solve real-life problems requiring interpretation and comparison of various representations of ratios (i.e., fractions, decimals, rates, and percentages).
3. Distinguish between proportional and nonproportional situations and, when appropriate, apply proportional reasoning.

Goal 7:  Draw conclusions and/or make decisions by analyzing and/or critiquing mathematical models, including situations for which the student Quantitative Reasoning Course Outcomes QR must recognize underlying assumptions and/or make reasonable draw conclusions or make decisions and communicate their rationale based on understanding, analysis, and critique of self-created or reported statistical information and statistical summaries. 

1. Analyze and critique mathematical models and be able to describe their limitations.
2. Use models, including models created with spreadsheets or other tools, to estimate solutions to contextual questions, identify patterns, and identify how changing parameters affect the results.
3. Choose and create models for bivariate data sets, and use the models to answer questions and draw conclusions or make decisions.

Goal 8:  Apply probabilistic reasoning to draw conclusions, to make decisions, and to evaluate outcomes of decisions.

1. Evaluate claims based on empirical, theoretical, and subjective probabilities.
2. Use data displays and models to determine probabilities (including conditional probabilities) and use these probabilities to make informed decisions.

Goal 9:  Draw conclusions or make decisions and communicate their rationale based on understanding, analysis, and critique of self-created or reported statistical information and statistical summaries.

1. Use statistical information from studies, surveys, and polls (including when reported in condensed form or as summary statistics) to make informed decisions.
2. Create and use visual displays of data.
3. Summarize, represent, and interpret data sets on a single count or measurement variable.
4. Use properties of distributions to analyze data and answer questions.