PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The efficacy of projects and discussions in increasing quantitative literacy outcomes in an online college algebra course
Page: 1021
This research stems from efforts to infuse quantitative literacy (QL) in an online version of college algebra. College algebra fulfills Appalachian's QL requirement, and 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 researcher’s course includes weekly news discussions as well as “messy” projects requiring data analysis. Students in online and face-to-face sections of the course took the QLRA (developed by the NNN) 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-to-face students. Implications of this include that project-based learning in an online environment is a promising strategy for fostering QL in terminal math courses.