A Study on the Operation of College Liberal Arts Education for the Improvement of Quantitative Reasoning Competency as Data Literacy

Abstract

The goal of this study is to suggest the potential and significance of quantitative reasoning education as a college liberal arts program and to come up with methods to improve it. To do so, this study analyzed the case of <Quantitative Reasoning and Computational Thinking> at S National University, presenting its achievements, weaknesses, and improvement plans. From the first semester in 2020, <Quantitative Reasoning and Computational Thinking> at S National University has been offered as a semi-compulsory subject with the purpose of cultivating quantitative reasoning based on quantitative relationships and computational thinking for everyday algorithms. In the class, instructors refrain from using mere problem solving using mathematical and/or scientific formulas, and instead an activity-oriented learning approach is emphasized. This allows for the students to interpret quantitative data based on logical algorithms. According to a survey about this subject, most students were satisfied with its contents and reported that it had helped them solve problems creatively based on quantitative and computational thinking. Nevertheless, various problematic issues such as the low enrollment of students in the humanities and social sciences, the dualization of subject operation between classes, and the difficulty in securing lecturers, were raised. To address these issues, it is necessary for us to expand awareness among students that <Quantitative Reasoning and Computational Thinking> aims to promote thinking ability through the understanding and interpretation of quantitative data. Also, it is important that we have faculties that operate on a consistent basis, so that the courses offered are able to meet the goals of the subject. By applying these improvements, the effort to develop liberal arts subjects that enhance students’ data-driven scientific thinking should be continued.