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Harvard Launches New Intro Math Course to Address Pandemic Learning Loss
According to the
Harvard Crimson, the pandemic of 2020 has significantly disrupted education worldwide, deeply affecting students' learning experiences, especially in mathematics. The resulting "learning loss" has had a profound impact on math proficiency, with students falling behind at alarming rates.
- According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), math scores for eighth graders dropped 8 points from 2019 to 2022, with only 26% achieving proficiency in 2022 compared to 34% pre-pandemic—a level not seen since 2000.
These gaps threaten long-term academic trajectories, career opportunities and are apparently evident at the collage level even at ivy league schools. As schools shifted to remote and hybrid learning, students encountered obstacles like unreliable internet access, limited personal interaction, and distractions at home.
Harvard's Initiative Of The New Course Remedial Math Course --
Harvard University has taken proactive measures to bridge the learning gaps experienced by many students during this time.
This course is structured to offer a comprehensive yet accessible mathematical curriculum. It focuses on critical areas of mathematics that were particularly affected during the pandemic, such as algebra, geometry, and basic calculus.
Adapting To Students' Needs | Remedial Math Course for Harvard Students
By addressing both foundational knowledge and broader cognitive skills, Harvard aims to mitigate the pandemic's educational impact and foster a generation of students well-prepared for future academic endeavors and challenges.
The course also emphasizes collaborative learning, where students team up in small groups to tackle challenging problems. This approach builds a supportive community while sharpening critical thinking and communication skills through peer interaction and shared problem-solving.
- Interactive Workshops: Weekly hands-on sessions allow students to explore mathematical concepts through guided activities, reinforcing theoretical knowledge with practical application.
- Mentorship Program: Upperclassmen and graduate students serve as mentors, offering additional guidance and fostering connections that ease the transition into college-level math.
To make learning more dynamic, the course leverages virtual reality simulations and gamified environments, bringing abstract math concepts to life in an interactive way.
Feedback from
students and educators regarding Harvard's new introductory math course designed to address pandemic learning loss has been predominantly positive, highlighting both the challenges and successes of the program.
This week, a math professor at MIT told me that incoming students are, on average, noticeably worse at math than they used to be.
— Patrick Collison (@patrickc) March 23, 2025
Harvard, of course, just added a remedial math class, Math MA5, "aimed at rectifying a lack of foundational algebra skills among students". https://t.co/crqrw1jw78
The first "hologram zoo" in the U.S., called Zoocade, is now open in Austin, Texas.
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Through augmented reality, guests can "pet" dinosaurs, "feed" fish, "swim" with humpback whales, and even come face-to-face with Dracula.
Full story: https://t.co/7ZmzM3E732 pic.twitter.com/pWZotrdwqp

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