One of the benefits of the developmental math course sequence that many institutions (and even states!) have phased out was that students had the opportunity to learn and develop soft skills over the course of multiple semesters before they reached college-level math courses. These skills helped prepare students for a higher level of success in their college-level coursework. In addition, the students who missed crucial content in high school or middle school during the pandemic are now arriving on our college campuses; some of these students have grown accustomed to receiving more flexibility than college faculty used to be willing to hand out.
Now, more than ever, math faculty across the board (those teaching college-level math courses as well as those teaching corequisite courses or stand-alone dev math courses), are recognizing the need to integrate soft skills into all levels of math courses. These soft skills include topics such as note-taking, time management, test-taking and an overall ability to successfully study and learn mathematics through in-class and out-of-class activities.
If you are looking for additional soft-skill resources, such as activities, videos and classroom policies, the Developmental Mathematics Academic Network (A-net) is a great place to start! There are often a number of excellent sessions scheduled at the AMATYC Conference, as well, but we don’t have to wait until November to share in this discussion!