Understanding the Numbers: Quantitative Literacy for Experimental Rigor

PROJECT SUMMARY Quantitative literacy is an essential component of rigorous research. Quantitative literacy incorporates mathematical knowledge, statistics, reasoning, and data and visual literacies to assign meaning to numerical data. In scientific research, being quantitatively literate includes being proficient in contextualizing quantitative datasets and reading and reporting numerical data. Being quantitatively literate is critical to identifying and avoiding weakness in rigor. Our team will design engaging, clear content for the purposes of providing a foundational understanding what quantitative literacy is and its role in scientific rigor, developing strategies and practices in interpreting, analyzing and contextualizing numerical data analysis, and educating learners on best practices in reporting numerical data to promote scientific rigor. Our educational design invites novice, intermediate and advanced learners to review and interact with quantitative literacy concepts through five different learning units. Users have the option to progress through the units covering foundational principles of quantitative literacy, practices in contextualizing data, interpreting statistics, evaluating and utilizing illustrative reports and reporting quantitative data, or can acquire knowledge through independent activities, catering to individualize learning needs. Our expertise and practice in quantitative literacy as well as in building educational programs will be utilized to construct educational experiences that will ultimately improve scientific rigor.