Mathematics and Statistics Across the Curriculum: Empowering Non-STEM Students to Appreciate and Use Quantitative Modeling

在美国国家科学基金会改善本科STEM教育计划：教育与人力资源的支持下，本项目旨在为国家对本科数学教育的兴趣服务。它旨在通过改善STEM和非STEM专业本科生对定量建模的态度、意识和使用来实现这一目标。这个项目将调查数学密集型专业以外的学生如何对嵌入在他们课程中的数学和统计模块做出反应，这些模块集中在与课程相关的主题上。项目设计团队由数学教师和参与学科的教师组成，他们将设计基于技术的建模模块，并将其纳入本科非数学课程。为了确保真实性，非stem学科的模块将由参与的非stem教师和学生选择。让学生体验用定量方法解决相关问题，将有可能创造对这些方法的认识、欣赏和使用。因此，这个项目有可能成为非数学本科生进入本科学习不同领域定量应用的门户。这项为期三年的计划的目标包括：(i)改善教师和学生对在非数学课堂上使用定量方法的态度；（ii）在数学课程之外增加建模的使用；（iii）开发同行评审建模模块的动态在线存档。该项目将研究将定量素养应用纳入非数学本科专业的一系列课程，包括社会与应用科学、艺术、人文和生物学本科课程。该项目的研究设计将包括比较那些没有纳入定量建模模块的班级和那些纳入了定量建模模块的班级，使用这些班级的学生作为自己的对照，进行前测试和后测试。数据分析将包括使用重复测量、方差分析、多元方差分析、回归和非参数分析。该项目有可能支持在STEM学科之外更广泛地使用统计和定量方法，并提高本科生作为有充分准备的公民的批判性思维技能。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources, this Engaged Student Learning (Exploration and Design) project aims to serve the national interest in undergraduate mathematics education. It aims to do so by improving attitudes, awareness, and use of quantitative modeling by undergraduate students in STEM and non-STEM majors. This project will investigate how students outside of math-intensive majors respond to mathematical and statistical modules that are embedded within their courses and that focus on topics that are relevant to the course. The project design team, consisting of mathematics faculty paired with faculty from participating disciplines, will design technology-based modeling modules to incorporate in undergraduate non-mathematics courses. To ensure authenticity, modules from non-STEM disciplines will be selected by participating non-STEM faculty members and students. Enabling student experiences that address relevant problems with quantitative methods will have the potential to create awareness, appreciation, and use of these methods. As such, this project has potential to be a gateway for non-mathematics undergraduate students into quantitative applications in disparate areas of undergraduate study.The goals of this three-year project include to: (i) improve the attitudes of faculty and students toward use of quantitative methods in non-mathematics classes; (ii) increase use of modeling outside of mathematics courses; and (iii) develop a dynamic online archive of peer-reviewed modeling modules. The project will study the incorporation of quantitative literacy applications in a range of courses with non-mathematics undergraduate majors, including social and applied sciences, arts, humanities, and biology undergraduate courses. The research design of the project will include comparing class sections that do not incorporate quantitative modeling modules with those that do, using pre- and post-tests of students in these classes, who serve as their own controls. Data analysis will include use of repeated measures MANOVA, MANCOVA, regression, and non-parametric analyses. The project has the potential to support the broader national use of statistical and quantitative methods outside of STEM disciplines and enhance undergraduate students' critical thinking skills as well-prepared citizens. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.