1. IASSIST 2006 Developing a Framework for Quantitative Literacy: Counting on IASSIST Wendy Watkins IASSIST2006 Ann Arbor, MI

2. IASSIST 2006 Alternate Title Information, Numbers and Turf

3. IASSIST 2006 Outline  Addressing a Need  Recent Events  Making a Plan  Bringing on Partners  Semantics  Turf  Making a Plan2  Developing the Outline  Workshops 1-5  Getting Faculty Buy-in  Next Steps  IASSIST Inspirations

4. IASSIST 2006 Addressing a Need  “In today’s “world awash in numbers,” strong quantitative reasoning skills are required in: virtually all academic fields most every profession decision-making in everyday life” Corrie Taylor, ICPSR OR meeting, Oct. 2005  According to the ALLS*, 12 of 13 provinces and territories score BELOW the MINIMUM for successful day-to-day functioning ** * Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey, 2003 ** Statistics Canada Daily, Nov. 9, 2005; Globe and Mail, Nov. 10, 2005

5. IASSIST 2006 Addressing a Need (con’t) “In fact, the labour market returns to numeracy skills overshadowed the return to education. Hence, if well- educated adults were lacking in numeracy skills, they derived no benefit from any additional years of schooling.” Results of the 2003 ALLS reported in the Statistics Canada Daily, May 11, 2005

6. IASSIST 2006 Recent Events  Release of ALLS results for Canadian numeracy  Publication of special IQ issue on statistical literacy  Focus of ICPSR on quantitative literacy Corrie Taylor’s presentation at last OR meeting  IASSIST Strategic Plan’s focus on education  Integration of Learning Commons into Libraries

7. IASSIST 2006 Making a Plan1  Use Information Literacy as a model  Target graduate students  Stress numeracy as the goal (not producing mathematicians)  Collect materials  Develop a curriculum

8. IASSIST 2006 Bringing on Partners  Can’t do it alone  Liaison with Learning Commons Good discussion of areas of mutual interest Expression of interest in developing curricula for:  Workshops on quantitative literacy  SPSS workshops  Introduction to GIS  Good support from the Dean of Students

9. IASSIST 2006 Semantics  Information Literacy ≠Quantitative Literacy Mentioning Information Literacy = Library Stuff Been there, done that  Don’t understand the stress on everyday quantitative skills

10. IASSIST 2006 Turf  Mentioning Quantitative Literacy= Math and Stats Don’t understand the stress on everyday quantitative skills Want to teach calculus and statistics  Grad Studies wants to set curriculum Don’t understand the stress on everyday quantitative skills  Sound familiar?  Need a different plan

11. IASSIST 2006 Making a Plan2  Learning Commons geared to undergrads Lower sights Aim at 1 st year, 1 st term  Revamp curriculum Series of 5 workshop  Use graduate students to deliver Data Centre provides expertise Grad students provides labour

12. IASSIST 2006 Developing the Outline  Catchy title A Survival Kit for the World of Numbers  Combination of quantitative literacy and research process  Addresses problems faced by Learning Support  Introduces students to data at the earliest stage  Workshops still a work in progress – many changes anticipated

13. IASSIST 2006 Workshop 1  Can We Count on You? General overview of numbers in the everyday world Basic numeracy  Percents  Rates  Ratios  Relative risk  etc. Exercises

14. IASSIST 2006 Workshop 2  Where are the Real Numbers? Sources of Data  National  International  Aggregate  Microdata Who can you trust? Exercises

15. IASSIST 2006 Workshop 3  Getting the Real Story Crime in Canada  Violent Crime  Guns in the Cities SARS – The real risk Support for IRAQ – Gallup vs. Ipsos-Reid Exercises

16. IASSIST 2006 Workshop 4  The Research Life-cycle Choosing a topic Asking a question Choosing a dataset Reviewing the literature Forming an hypothesis  Topics and datasets will be chosen beforehand

17. IASSIST 2006 Workshop 5  Telling a New Story Choosing variables Creating tables Creating graphs Writing it up  Students will use Nesstar to do this

18. IASSIST 2006 Getting Faculty Buy-in  Faculty are on-board Workshops merely scratch the surface They are the only introduction to quantitative material at present  Asked for feedback Can we do more?  Pilot project  Attendance=1 grade point

19. IASSIST 2006 Next Steps  Evaluate the workshops Content Relevance Coverage  If successful, expand  1 st -year seminar Interdisciplinary Full-credit course Patterned after the University de Montréal’s success

20. IASSIST 2006 IASSIST Inspirations

21. IASSIST 2006 IASSIST Inspirations

22. IASSIST 2006 Questions?