Presentation on Teaching Quantitative Methods using Excel workbook courseware. -- at the 25th International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics, Boston, March 21 - 24, 2013. A Pearson Education event.

1. Academic background in Mathematics
(Logic and Foundations)
MS, BA, AS
Teaching Background: 6 years at American Universities, undergraduate
mathematics; 5 years at European Business Schools, undergraduate and
graduate, quantitative subjects.
20+ years of software development experience
Recent Publication
DuPort, Dan (2012) "Teaching quantitative methods to business and soft
science students by using interactive workbook courseware,"
Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE): Vol. 5: Iss. 2, Article 3.
Available at http://epublications.bond.edu.au/ejsie/vol5/iss2/3/

2. QIWCourseware
Quantitative Interactive Workbook Courseware (in Excel)
Current modules are in:
Linear Programming
Mathematics of Finance
Probabilistic Descriptive Statistics
Short demonstrations of these modules will be given
during the presentation.
Free 30+ page 1st chapters; MAC or PC; Excel 2011 or
higher required for Mac, 2010 or higher for PC
Download from http://duport.com

3. True Technology Enhanced Learning
QIWC can provide a true form of TEL which I call
I V C C LEARNING
Interactive, Visual, Categorical, Continuous
These ideas are brought forth and backed by research in my
article in the eJSiE. Briefly the ideas are:

4. I V C C LEARNING
Interactive, Visual, Categorical, Continuous
Interactive is the most essential, engaging the
student and leading the way to discovery.

5. I V C C LEARNING
Interaction, Visual, Categorical, Continuous
Interactive is the most essential, engaging the
student and leading the way to discovery.
Visual - more can be covered in less space and
time (picture = 1000 words)

6. I V C C LEARNING
Interaction, Visual, Categorical, Continuous
Interactive is the most essential, engaging the
student and leading the way to discovery.
Visual - more can be covered in less space and
time (picture = 1000 words)
Categorical makes generalization possible,
allowing the mastery of the theory.

7. I V C C LEARNING
Interaction, Visual, Categorical, Continuous
Interactive is the most essential, engaging the
student and leading the way to discovery.
Visual - more can be covered in less space and
time (picture = 1000 words)
Categorical makes generalization possible,
allowing the mastery of the theory.
Continuous – smoothness makes the student
comfortable, as if being told a story.

8. IVCC is the base that most have envisioned or at
least can agree with. For teaching quantitative
methods, another I is added - for Illustrative
quantitative method.
A quantitative method is illustrative (of a theory)
means that it illustrates the theory (why it works)
when it is used.

9. So we really have IVCCI learning theory.
My QIWC features IVCCI plus elimination
(or minimization) of algebraic manipulation.
These manipulations are replaced by the use of
interactive tools which illustrate the quantitative
methods used to solve problems (or examine
situations).

10. Here are three theses that I believe can be proved.
Doing-Optimization:
If a subject is best learned by doing an illustrative
quantitative method, then by simplifying the doing of
the method, the learning is enhanced (optimized).
Quantitative-Doing:
Quantitative subjects are best learned by doing
quantitative methods that are illustrative of, and
categorical within, the subject.

11. Formulation and Interpretation (F&I):
When a subject is learned by methodology that is
illustrative of, and categorical within, the subject, all
forms of formulation within, and interpretation of, the
subject are learned from the methodology indirectly
through recollection and analogy.
The F&I thesis signifies that the emphasis of subject
instruction need only be on solution methodology. It
also sheds light on the classical question of “Which is
harder, formulating the problem, or using, or
choosing, a method to solve the problem?”

12. Statistics:
For statistics, the idea of a quantitative
method must be extended to include data
visualization. In a recent survey 70% of
a group of statisticians thought of
visualization of data as a statistical
quantitative method.
Linear programming:
The TVLP tool is the best
example of all that has been stated.

13. Mathematics of Finance: Using Excel’s built in
recursion features to illustrate compound interest and
annuities circumvents classical diagraming of
finance problems. Diagramming has nothing to do
with the methodology of solving these problems but
comes about naturally from recursive illustrations.
The understanding of the recursive nature of the
methods makes the diagramming instantaneous in
the mind of the learner.

14. WHY QIWC
Best training in Excel and in the way Excel is used
in the subject is provided.
Every student will encounter Excel in the
workplace. By studying subjects written in
QIWC, the student learns how Excel is used to
work in the subjects. This is akin to
apprenticeship learning and learning in context.
It also gives the students practical and general
experience in Excel

15. WHY QIWC (cont.)
Ubiquitous media – low cost
(Student Office & Home < 100$)
Quantitative subjects are easily framed in Excel
Modifications can be made easily by the instructor
to provide localization and personal slant, taste

16. PEDAGOGY

17. Methods of instruction
Lecture / Lab style classes
In the lab setting, lecture takes place around
the projected courseware and incorporates in-
class activities of the follow-along type. A
real lab setting using lab computers works
best, but students can bring laptops to a
conventional classroom if a lab is unavailable.
Student maturity is necessary. Autonomous
work-time can be fit in.

18. “No laptops in class” method
This works for immature students that will not
follow along on their laptops – but instead surf
the web, work on other assignments, show
pictures of their friends to other class
members, etc.. Still, the homework is
performed on the laptop at home; lecture is
given using the courseware.

19. Remote instruction
• Use of the courseware is explained.
• The students download the courseware to
their home computers and work at their
own pace.
• Support is provided by the instructor via
email, online chat.
• Intermediate meeting is necessary, around
the midterm is appropriate.
• This method can involve many more
instructor hours than the others, yet it can
provide valuable one-to-one instruction.

20. Homework
Simplest possible collection and correction
The student workbook (< 1.5 MB) is emailed to the
instructor. The current problem sets are corrected
and a grade recorded in approximately 1 minute
per student. This quickness is obtainable because
the exercises are done within a uniform format
across the student workbooks, so they are easily
viewed and evaluated within the email editor.
Solution sets are posted online after the homework
is due.

21. Accumulative Assessment
An accumulative assessment of a student’s
work is always at hand by viewing the latest
workbook submission. Additionally, the
workbooks benefit the student in reviewing for
an exam and also help facilitate the use of the
tools in future courses; if the QIWC is
extensive, the workbooks can be used as an
auxiliary base for working in future courses.

22. Cheating
The workbooks can be secretly internally
coded to expose copying of worksheets and
submission of others homework. I have found
this unnecessary as most will do their own
work. Those that don’t are easily exposed on
the first exam.

23. Exams (on site)
Paper Exams
I’ve found the need to give paper exams to classes
where the exams are proctored. The paper exam tests
as well as the exam on computer. The exam questions
can ask for the outline of procedures for performing
certain tasks, like writing the Excel formulas for the
standard deviation of a data set given in value,
frequency format, in Statistics. In the mathematics of
finance, it is a simple switch for the students to
perform calculations using a calculator on the exams;
or requiring that they just set up formulas and not
evaluate them.

24. Paper Exams (cont.)
Creative and meaningful questions can be asked
to find if the students not only did the exercises
assigned, but also if they actually understand
the theory behind what they’ve done.
Assessment does not suffer from the switch to
paper; in fact, the paper exam can provide a
more meaningful measure of the mastery of
theory than the exam on computer.

25. Exams on computer
This works best if the instructor is present
during the exam. Care must be taken for
power outages and machine failures.
Cheating via passing USB keys or internet
connection must be guarded against. In small
classes (less than 40) the instructor can
evaluate the exam, and give the student
grades instantaneously as they finish. This
provides instant gratification for the student
and less work for the instructor.