Assessing the Impact of a Quantitative Skills Course for Undergraduates

This paper evaluates the long-term benefits of a Syracuse University course offering, "Maxwell 201: Quantitative Methods for the Social Sciences" (MAX 201). The authors analyze data collected from class-administered pre- and post-tests and from a questionnaire sent to a random sample MAX 201 alumni to evaluate the extent to which students apply learned skills in the job market and as consumers of statistical information in a society that increasingly provides important information in complex quantitative forms. The data reveal six central findings that suggest that students benefit from the MAX 201 curriculum as members of the workforce and as citizens. Keywords: quantitative skillsanalytical skillsalumni surveyExcel Notes *Indicates missing data. *Values were derived by averaging aggregate pre/post-test differences across all semesters. For this study, pre- and post-test data were compiled and consolidated onto a single spreadsheet for analysis. Unfortunately, a small number of semesters was missing. Both pre- and post-test data were missing from the spring of 1997, and post-test data were missing from the fall of 2001 and the spring of 2002. Since the post-tests are administered with the course evaluation forms—and thus, anonymous—efforts were made to remove the students who dropped the course from the pre-test data. This was done to help ensure consistency between the pre-tests and post-tests, and to reduce a selection bias in the post-test data. The pre-test format varied from semester to semester, but typically participants were identified by their name or student identification number. Where possible, names and identification numbers were compared using class rosters and drop lists, and the pre-test scores of dropped students were removed. We had at least one participant from every year that the class has been offered. Four participants were current SU students. The alumni reported a diverse array of occupations, many in the areas of finance, management, law, politics, and education. It should be noted that the first offering of the course, in spring of 1996, was very small and was something of a "pilot" experience; more self-selection occurred and thus the pre-test scores may be higher than one would have expected. Though both Excel and SPSS are currently used in the course, we did not start teaching SPSS until the fall of 2001; hence most of our participants were not exposed to SPSS in MAX 201.