Colleges across the country are grappling with the same problem as academic setbacks from the pandemic follow students to campus. At many universities, engineering and biology majors are struggling to grasp fractions and exponents. More students are being placed into pre-college math, starting a semester or more behind for their majors, even if they get credit for the lower-level classes.

Colleges largely blame the disruptions of the pandemic, which had an outsize impact on math. Reading scores on the national test known as NAEP plummeted, but math scores fell further, by margins not seen in decades of testing. Other studies find that recovery has been slow.

  • @Crazypartypony@lemmy.world
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    61 year ago

    It does though, understanding what interest is and how it works is pretty relevant. Understanding percentages and fractions is important for things like cooking too. Ever tried to build something without using any math? It’s everywhere, it literally describes our world in a language that allows us to predict things as well.

    • @bobman@unilem.org
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      1 year ago

      Yeah. The vast majority of amateurs who build things don’t use advanced math. Most people don’t build anything significant at all, and that’s okay.

      I get it. If you’re looking for a career that requires math, great. Learn it. Most people aren’t and don’t need it.

      Math people just don’t understand this. Or they do and they don’t want to admit it.

      Whatever makes them think what they learned is better than what other people learned, I guess.