Professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) help drive our nation’s innovation and competitiveness in a variety of fields and industries. According to the Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are expected to grow at a rate of 1.4 times faster than non-STEM occupations, and the United States will need approximately one million more STEM professionals between 2014 and 2024 (Noonan, 2017).
However, the decreasing number of students deemed eligible for college-level mathematics, coupled with poor outcomes in developmental mathematics sequences, is negatively impacting the number of STEM degrees awarded. The insufficient number of students prepared to succeed in a college-level calculus course in their freshman year significantly reduces the pool of students likely to graduate with a STEM degree in four years (Kreysa, 2006). Ultimately, mathematics departments are left to grapple not only with how to address the poor success rates of their developmental STEM students, but also how to increase enrollments in calculus and the number of STEM graduates.
This resource describes processes that math departments can utilize to modernize their own pathway to calculus.
If an institution has multiple mathematics pathways in place and the ultimate goal of reform is to better meet the needs of students, then an essential element in the implementation process is guiding students into the path that is best suited to their educational goals.
Updated in 2019 with national data, new research, and refreshed analyses, this program-of-study brief discusses what constitutes relevant mathematics for social work majors by examining institutional requirements and recommendations from professional organizations.
Formerly titled "Mathematics Prerequisites for Success in Introductory Statistics," this brief was updated in August 2019 to better reflect the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways shift in focus away from prerequisites and toward co-requisite models of instruction.
This brief informs institutional discussions of recommendations from professional organizations in criminal justice about modernization of mathematics course requirements among institutions of higher education. This brief was updated in 2019 to include national-level recommendations.
As the baby boom generation ages, the current shortage of registered nurses in the United States is expected to worsen due to a rising need for nursing services and the retirement of significant numbers of nurses. This brief examines the mathematics content and requirements for nursing degrees, as compared with the mathematics used by nurses in the field; considers whether they pose a barrier to access; and offers some emerging solutions suggested or implemented by a variety of agencies, institutions, and states.
In recent years, researchers and math faculty have questioned the use of standardized tests as a sole predictor of college readiness.
Implemented and scaled corequisite models for its Quantitative Literacy and College Algebra courses that led to significant student success and completion rates nearing 90% for underprepared students.
This graphic illustrates the "pathways perspective" and provides guiding questions to be considered in each portion of the pathway. More details about this "pathways perspective" is found on the Learn About page.
This brief describes the goals and processes for each working group as well as recommended skill levels and learning outcomes for Michigan’s entry-level, college-level mathematics courses: Quantitative Reasoning, Statistics and Preparation for Calculus.