COVID-19 Impact on College Algebra

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions across the nation were forced to rapidly change and modify the way things were taught and how they were taught. Research suggests that learning loss has occurred with students across all levels of education and is most prevalent in mathematics. Therefore, this study analyzes demographic and academic data of College Algebra student's both pre-pandemic and during pandemic to research how it has impacted the profile and performance of these students. In addition, this study reports on significant differences in academic background and academic performance between cohorts with respect to gender and ethnicity of the groups. Results indicate that pass rates were higher during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Results also suggest that women and African Americans were impacted the most, a continuous trend of evidence of widening of the equity gap in the United States. Suggestions to address the findings are made for improvement.