What is QR?
From the AAC&U QR Value rubric “Quantitative Literacy (QL) – also known as Numeracy or Quantitative Reasoning (QR) – is a "habit of mind," competency, and comfort in working with numerical data. Individuals with strong QL skills possess the ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations. They understand and can create sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence and they can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as appropriate).”
What qualifies as QR?
Quantitative reasoning includes:
interpreting quantitative information presented in mathematical forms-- words, charts, tables, figures
taking numbers and representing them in the appropriate mathematical form or visualization
analyzing data and understanding the limits of numerical/quantitative analysis
understanding and evaluating key assumptions in estimating, modeling, and data analysis
being able to use quantitative evidence to support an argument in written communication
applying mathematical or statistical concepts and skills to discipline--specific problems
Can you provide examples of a QR assignment?
Some examples include:
Learning how to access data and construct visualizations to explain historical, economic, and sociological trends to better understand the context in which a book was written
Learning about art fraud by calculating profit margins and the ratio of purchase prices for forged and real paintings
Using Old Bailey online to study trends in historical crime
Detecting text similarities
Learning how to write with numbers
Using geometry to calculate lighting design
Analyzing food labels
Calculating scale or distance on a map
Visualizing data-- making and interpreting charts and graphs