Williams College
Self-Study for Accreditation
Appendix: Quantitative Studies Program Categories
PRECALC: We require these students to take pre-calculus (Math102) before taking a QFR course. They are not prepared for calculus but are pre-med or possibly interested in majoring in science or economics — basically they are students who may need calculus but are not yet prepared for it. Usually about six to nine students fall into this group.
PRESTAT: We require these students to take pre-statistics (Math 101) before taking a QFR course. They are generally science-avoiders. Math 101 forgoes the more scientific parts of pre-calculus (e.g. trigonometric functions) and replaces them with descriptive statistics, basic logic, financial calculations, etc. The goal is to prepare students for a QFR class (most notably psych. stats or introductory science/econ.) that does not require calculus. About four to seven students fall into this category.
PASS: We pass these students after interviewing them. We explain the QFR requirement and how to fill it, inform them of resources available on campus for quantitative help (peer tutors, science resource center, etc), and invite them to come back if they need any help in the future. They will probably be fine in a QFR course, but if not, they know one friendly person in the math/stat department who is willing to help them. A majority of the students we interview fall into this category.
WATCH: We are concerned about these students, but not enough to make them take Math 101 or 102. We place them on a “watch list.” At each pre-registration period we send a reminder that they still have to fulfill their QFR requirement and invite them to come in for help picking a class. When they take their first QFR course, we contact them about three weeks into the semester and ask how they are doing. If they are struggling, we call them in and try to help. We can get them tutors, discuss resources available (help center, TA hours) and how to use them, talk about study skills, alert the Dean’s Office if needed, follow up with their professors if needed, etc. We track these students until they successfully pass a QFR course.
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