About the Applied Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) Requirement
One course in which quantitative analytical tools are presented and brought to bear by students on a significant problem of particular interest.
Rationale
Many decisions and judgments in life are made on the basis of large amounts of data, which can be incomplete or otherwise imperfect, and fraught with uncertainties. These decisions are motivated first and foremost by a larger context and are beyond the realm of purely deductive reasoning. Cultivation of this way of thinking will give students a familiarity with active analyses of complex phenomena, and teach them to predict the behavior of complex systems in the presence of multiple sources of uncertainty.
Essential Elements
AQR courses form a complement to FR courses in that they provide a focused experience in inferential and inductive reasoning. Students are expected to apply actively these methods of reasoning in the class through direct experiences with data, models, software, or other quantitative experience. (Courses that discuss or interpret the results of such analyses but without active involvement in the performance of the analysis itself are not suitable.) An essential component of this requirement is the application of data analytical and numerical tools to important problems.
New Learning Outcomes
- transform and analyze data themselves and apply estimation methods to solve relevant problems, guide decision-making, and/or answer questions of wide concern;
- choose appropriate probabilistic or empirical models to solve a given problem, using information from observed data and knowledge of the system being studied.
- distinguish between causal and correlational evidence in empirical data, as well as recognize when the available evidence is too weak to decide a matter;
- design experiments that alter the behavior of a system, device, or process in a purposeful way;
- recognize common mistakes that human beings make in empirical reasoning and quantitative problem solving including critical examination of the work of others
