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Math 123 Quantitative Reasoning
Sharon Koch
Ivy Tech Gary
skoch12@ivytech.edu
Rebecca Wulf
Ivy Tech Lafayette
rwulf@ivytech.edu
Ben Markham
Ivy Tech Bloomington
bmarkham@ivytech.edu
Ivy Tech Community College
 30 campuses in 14 regions
 Nearly 200,000 students annually
 Accredited by the Higher Learning
Commission
 Member of the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools
What is Numeracy/QL/QR?
According to SERC
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The first known use of the term numerate appeared in the 1959 UK
Crowther report when the authors used the term to "coin a word to
represent the mirror image of literacy" (Crowther Report 1959: 269).
More recently, the 1982 Cockcroft Report elaborated on the meaning of the
term: "We would wish the word 'numerate' to imply the possession of two
attributes.
 The first of these is an 'at-homeness' with numbers and an ability to make use of
mathematical skills which enables an individual to cope with the practical
mathematical demands of his everyday life.
 The second is an ability to have some appreciation and understanding of information
which is presented in mathematical terms, for instance in graphs, charts or tables or
by reference to percentage increase or decrease. Taken together, these imply that a
numerate person should be expected to be able to appreciate and understand some of
the ways in which mathematics can be used as a means of communication."
Course Structure
This course is 3 credit hours and 4 contact hours.
The class structure of the quantitative reasoning
course is unique. Class discussion and group work are
main staples of the classroom and instructor lecturing is
minimal.
Course Consistency
Math 123 has a statewide lead instructor and a
regional lead instructor.
Was developed by Ivy Tech Faculty
Has its own ‘textbook’
Methods of Assessment
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Homework
Quizzes
Projects
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
10%
15%
25%
15%
15%
20%
To Spiral or not to Spiral…
what’s that?
Components of MATH 123
Stats
Proportion
Finance
To Spiral or not to Spiral…
what’s that?
Components of MATH 123
Stats
Proportion
Finance
Unit 1 topics
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Large and Small Numbers
Proportional Reasoning
Descriptive Statistics
Weighted Averages
Unit 2 Topics
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Dimensional Analysis
Normal Distributions
Probability
Risk
Margins of Error
Unit 3 Topics
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Financial Literacy
Absolute and Relative Change
Linear Models
Exponential Models
Why Use Spreadsheets?
• To make cumbersome calculations more
accessible
• To easily graph data
• To focus on quantitative reasoning
• To prepare students for the real world
Proportional Reasoning
Traditional Approach

𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑎
𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑏
 A class has 4 males and 5
females, what is the ratio
of males to females?
Problem Based/Student
Centered
 The child dependency
ratio is found by dividing
the under-15 by the 15-64
population. Calculate this
value and write what it
means. Think about what
the numerator and
denominator each
represent. Is this a partto-part or part-to-whole
ratio?
Proportional Reasoning
Traditional Approach

𝑎
𝑏
=
𝑐
𝑑
 A boat travels 15 miles
upstream in the same time
it take to travel 20 miles
downstream. If the
current is 5 mph, how fast
would the boat be going in
still water.
Problem Based/Student
Centered
 According to the 2010
firearm deaths data, there
were 236 firearm deaths in
Australia from a
population of 22.3 million.
With a population of 308
million in the US, what
would be the expected
number of firearm deaths
if the two countries were
proportional?
Dimensional Analysis
Traditional Approach

5𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡 12𝑖𝑛
𝑥
1
1𝑓𝑡

15 𝑔𝑎𝑙
1ℎ𝑟
4𝑞𝑡𝑠
𝑥
𝑥
ℎ𝑟
60𝑚𝑖𝑛 1𝑔𝑎𝑙
Problem Based/Student
Centered
 Measurement
 Dosage Calculation
 Currency Conversions
 C02 emissions
 Rising Sea Levels
Probability and Statistics
Traditional Approach
Problem Based/Student
Centered
 What is the probability of
rolling a 2 or a 3 with a 6
sided die?
 What is the probability of
drawing a queen in a deck
of cards.
 .5% of the population has
HIV, and tests are 99%
accurate. What is the
probability that you have
the disease if you received
a positive test result?
Finance
Traditional Approach
 𝐴 = 𝑃(1 +
𝑟 𝑛𝑡
)
𝑛
 Students use calculators
Problem Based/Student
Centered
 Compound interest
 Credit Cards
 Mortgages, 401k
 Students use calculators
and Excel
Linear Equations
Traditional Approach
𝑚=
Problem Based/Student
Centered
𝑦2 −𝑦1
𝑥2 −𝑥1
 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏
Let’s find the linear model which represents
the percent of U.S. adults who smoke
cigarettes from 1983 to 2012: