Calculus has been the gateway to STEM majors for half a century. A growing number of universities are reconsidering whether it should be, with data showing that many students who fail calculus would succeed in their intended fields without it.
Most universities use graduate students as teaching assistants in large introductory courses. A redesigned model at the University of Maryland has reduced failure rates significantly. The changes are surprisingly simple.
Statistics is required in dozens of majors and increasingly important for everyone else. The way it is taught has barely changed in a generation, and the gap between curriculum and need is widening.
What separates math graduate students who finish from those who do not? A new study points to a reading habit that is rarely taught explicitly.
