Examining students' quantitative literacy in undergraduate introductory physics course*

Introductory physics courses at numerous institutions rely heavily on prior mathematical skills and often include prerequisite and corequisite math courses. Given that the introductory physics sequence is often a prerequisite for sophomore and junior level courses in physics and engineering, this may result in increased time to degree and demotivation to continue in a STEM major. This creates new or exacerbates the existing inequity among the admitted students. Thus, one of the goals in this project is to restructure the introductory physics courses to support all admitted students regardless of their prior math preparation. We also intend to provide support in developing mathematical skills and quantitative literacy in the introductory physics courses. To identify student gains in quantitative literacy during the course, we will administer the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL), developed by Brahmia et al. This inventory tests the Quantitative reasoning of students - the mental framework necessary to give meaning to familiar mathematics for sense-making in physics instructions. In this presentation, we will share our analysis of student performance on the PIQL given as a pre-survey at a public university in the Southcentral region of the US.