Built from the ground up in MyMathLab, Thinking Quantitatively addresses student needs in a digital age, engaging them to take a more active role in their learning and coursework. A multimedia-rich eText includes definition hyperlinks, links to example videos, and just-in-time technology tutorial videos to provide students with the best experience in an online environment with point-of-use resources at their fingertips. Exposition has been streamlined to match how students learn online and,where appropriate, media replaces what would traditionally be written content in order to keep students engaged and interested. A guided learning path directs students to take advantage of the eText and its resources before jumping into their assignments. Students are asked to Explore the interactive eText, viewing videos and reviewing examples, before they Experience the concepts by working through their MyMathLab homework. The Ready to Go MyMathLab course comes with assignments premade and preassigned, making startup for instructors even easier. Section level homework assignments are preassigned, as well as end of chapter quizzes and reviews--and of course, all assignments can be modified or unassigned as needed. The contemporary approach ties together the concepts that students need to grasp to understand data and communicate effectively with numbers.
The unique organization ties each concept together in the context of practical use, rather than presenting students with a hodgepodge of interesting, yet unconnected, mathematical topics. The concept of a ratio is used as a foundation from which all other concepts spring, providing a unifying theme throughout the text. Many students are math-phobic. Breaking down concepts into the very basic idea of a ratio--a concept they are familiar with--simplifies what seems complicated and empowers students to solve problems creatively. Functions are introduced early and developed with Excel®, the perfect tool for this topic. Spotlight on Statistics , the last section of most chapters, tie in basic statistics to the concepts found in that chapter. The integration of statistics throughout encourages students to see how statistical concepts infiltrate many aspects of everyday life. The use of spreadsheet technology throughout the eText, videos, and assessment allows students to harness the power of Excel (or other spreadsheet software) to more fully develop important concepts, such as functions, and to analyze quantitative information.
Excel frees students from getting mired in arithmetic, and allows them to develop sophisticated reasoning from the use of formulas and analyzing data. Spreadsheet technology provides a highly interactive environment for studying numerical relationships. Debuting in MyMathLab are newly-developed ExcelSim exercises that simulate real-world problems in Excel without requiring the software. Students get a hands-on opportunity to manipulate authentic data and show the relevance and importance of being able to analyze and communicate meaningfully with numbers. Working with spreadsheets offers experience using the program for real problems--a skill students will carry with them through school, careers and everyday life! Support for students includes thoughtful features and dynamic tools to offer at-a-glance information to aid them in comprehending the concepts. Learning Objectives are listed at the beginning of the section so that students have a roadmap for the section and see how everything fits together in the big picture of what they are learning. Vocabulary hyperlinks provide immediate explanation of terms in an interactive format. Helpful notes in green callouts throughout the course emphasize key points, highlight solution steps, and provide additional explanations, similar to what an instructor would do when walking through an example in class.
Videos, located at point-of-use throughout the eText, showcase the author walking through the example and delving deeper into the content, assisting students in analysis and synthesis of the material, and making connections so students have more durable knowledge that lasts beyond the initial exposure. Excel tutorial videos highlightedthroughout the eText provide just-in-time Excel support, delivering a quick introduction or refresher on Excel skills relevant to the content on the page. Students with little to no background in Excel need not worry-- Thinking Quantitatively provides abundant support for users of any level, ensuring student comfort using spreadsheet technology. Caution notes bring a student''s attention to areas that have proven troublesome or difficult to remember for anyone learning these concepts. Guided Worksheets walk students through the big concepts as they work their way through their eText. Stepped-out problems ensure that students are able to process what they have read and tie the concepts together.This allows instructors to build on prior knowledge, strengthens the students'' memory of concepts, and lead to more engaging classes. Encouraging students to truly engage with these worksheets will ensure the knowledge will stick.
Three-hole punched and unbound , the worksheets provide students with a solid start to a course notebook, helping students stay organized, and with room to take additional notes. Worksheets can be used for in-classroom activities or at-home reinforcement making it easy to implement Thinking Quantitatively in any classroom format-- face-to-face, flipped, or lab-based. A suite of resources for instructors helpmake a smooth transition for implementing a quantitative reasoning course using Thinking Quantitatively . Instructor tutorial videos from the author walk instructors through the layout of the course topics, offering tips about teaching with a quantitative reasoning approach and strategies for the classroom. A new blog from Eric Gaze provides instructors with current updates on quantitative reasoning, strategies for teaching with this approach, and ideas for implementing Thinking Quantitatively in their classrooms. The Ready to Go MyMathLab course provides students with all the same great resources available to them in MyMathLab, but makes startup for instructors even easier! Section level homework assignments are preassigned, as well as end of chapter quizzes and reviews--and of course, all assignments can be modified or unassigned as needed.