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UCORE: University Common Requirements Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement
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Quantitative Reasoning

Course designator within the area of Foundational Competencies

Individuals who develop strong quantitative reasoning 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 arguments supported by quantitative evidence and they can clearly communicate and explain those arguments in a variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as appropriate).

Quantitative Reasoning represents one of the three UCORE foundational competencies [QUAN, WRTG, COMM – 9 total credits] intended for completion in a student’s first year of study.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students, regardless of major, who successfully complete a [QUAN] course should be able to:

  • Apply quantitative principles and computational methods to solve quantitative problems (quantitative reasoning).
  • Convert relevant information into various mathematical forms, such as equations, graphs, diagrams, and tables (quantitative reasoning).
  • Communicate mathematical information in writing (e.g. interpret data in a graph, table, or chart) (written communication).
  • Identify when, and what type of, quantitative data are appropriate to support claims in given contexts (information literacy).
  • Interpret and/or apply with accuracy, as well as recognize the limitations of quantitative information in real-world and/or multidisciplinary contexts (e.g., political, economic, scientific, social) (critical thinking).

Revised outcomes approved Spring 2022.

⇒ View approved QUAN courses

For Faculty

Learning Outcomes Grid

Whether submitting a course for the first time or resubmitting an updated course as part of the UCORE committee’s periodic re-review, faculty should submit a completed QUAN Learning Outcomes Grid embedded in the course syllabus in order to demonstrate clearly the relationship among WSU/UCORE learning goals, UCORE category designation learning outcomes, course learning outcomes, assignments, and assessment of student learning. Consult the sample ROOT syllabus with learning outcomes grid as a model.