Assessing the General Education Mathematics
Courses at a Liberal Arts College for Women

Appendix A: Our new goals for the course

Learning goals for Developmental Mathematics:

1. Be able to work with integers, fractions, decimals, percents, ratio, proportions and their applications.
2. Be able to solve equations that involve integers, fractions, decimals and percent.
3. Develop a sense of what is a variable and apply this concept to problem solving.
4. Be able to apply the problem-solving process to real-world problems.
5. Be able to use the rectangular coordinate system and graph linear equations.

Learning goals for Mathematics for the Liberal Arts:

1. Be able to construct a logical argument based on rules of inference and to develop strategies for solving quantitative problems.
2. Be able to make sense of numbers that a person encounters in the real world.
3. Be able to interpret statistical information.
4. Be able to develop an understanding of basic probability relative to real world situations.
5. Be able to interpret mathematical models of real world situations.
6. Appreciate the role of mathematics in the real world, in particular, the use of mathematics in politics and business.