Current Practices in Quantitative Literacy (Maa Notes)

Current Practices in Quantitative Literacy presents a wide sampling of efforts being made on campuses across the country to achieve our common goal of having a quantitatively literate citizenry. Colleges and universities have grappled with complicated issues in order to define quantitative literacy within their own communities and to implement appropriate curriculum. It is clear that any quantitative literacy program must be responsive to the local conditions of an institution including its mission, its student clientele, its history and its resources.

Although the programs and courses described in this volume only represent a sample of what is happening in the community, some trends do seem to be apparent. There is consensus that the mathematical skills necessary to be quantitatively literate include elementary logic, the basic mathematics of financial interest, descriptive statistics, finite probability, an elementary understanding of change, the ability to model problems with linear and exponential models, estimations and approximation, and general problem solving. It is clear that many of our students enter college with minimal mastery of these skills and their application.

The essays suggest that we have moved forward a long way in our understanding of quantitative literacy and our ability to implement effective programs to teach it. Read the stories of other institutions who have worked through some of these issues and begin a dialogue on your own campus.