ISUComm Receives NSF Grant in Partnership with Six Colleges and Universities

Nathan Grawe, Carleton College, PI. “Promoting Quantitative Reasoning in Higher Education through Assessment.” National Science Foundation Grant. Division on Undergraduate Education. Program on Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement. October, 2007. Amount of Grant: $499,994.

Carleton College has been piloting a method for assessing quantitative reasoning using undergraduate student writing portfolios. Thanks to a new NSF Grant, Iowa State University will work with Carleton, Morehead College, Seattle Community College, St. Olaf College, Wellesley College, and Yale University to refine the Carleton assessment rubric. ISUComm will oversee feasibility studies and workshops designed to adapt the Carleton methodology to a range of disciplines at Iowa State. Ultimately, ISUComm hopes to merge this portfolio-based quantitative reasoning assessment with its own well-established WOVE communication assessment to create a broad-based approach to undergraduate learning and curriculum development.