An Inquiry-Based Quantitative Reasoning Course for Business Students

Abstract

Quantitative Reasoning for Business is a two-semester sequence that serves as an alternative to elementary and intermediate algebra for first-year business students with weak mathematical preparation. Students who take the sequence have been retained at a higher rate and demonstrated a larger reduction in math anxiety than those who take the traditional developmental courses. We share the challenges that led to our choices in adopting and modifying inquiry-based instruction in order to serve our population.

Keywords:

• quantitative reasoning
• inquiry-based learning
• developmental math

Notes

¹ At our institution, business students do not take a business calculus course.

² In Table 2, the sample from the traditional algebra sequence includes all students who declared a 4-year business major between Fall 2013 and Fall 2015 whereas the QRB sample includes those who started the QRB sequence in either Fall 2014 or Fall 2015 - the only cohorts who have taken the full QRB sequence so far.

³ Note that the sample size for QRB is different than reported for retention because not all students completed both the pre-and post-survey.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Victor Piercey

Victor Piercey received his Ph.D in mathematics from the University of Arizona in 2012. Dr. Piercey also holds a B.A. in Humanities from Michigan State University, a law degree from Columbia University, and a M.S. in Mathematics from Michigan State University. He practiced law in the New York office of Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP for 2 years before returning to Michigan for a career in Mathematics. Dr. Piercey began working as an assistant professor in the mathematics department at Ferris State University in the Fall of 2012. He is interested in using his legal experience to enhance his mathematics instruction and provide students with transformative experiences. In particular, his work involves project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, quantitative reasoning, linked courses, and the impact of curriculum and instruction on math anxiety and student beliefs about mathematics.

Erin Militzer

Erin Militzer received her Bachelors of Science in mathematics at Central Michigan University in 2004. She entered graduate school at the University of Kentucky (UK) in the Fall of 2004. During her tenure at UK, she was granted a fellowship through the NSF as a Algebra Cubed Fellow. Her thesis is in Complex Analysis and her adviser was Dr. James Brennan. In 2010, Erin joined the Mathematics Department at the University of Arizona as a Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow. At Arizona, she became interested in the education of both pre-service and in-service teachers and taught both undergraduate- and graduate- level courses. In the Summer of 2012, she was a faculty mentor for a NSF-REU at Central Michigan University in a project called “Cops and Robbers on Graphs.” Today she is involved in many projects including teacher education, collaboration on a statistics book, IBL teaching in Gen Ed courses and both Graph theory and Linear Algebra research.