"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." Gender and redemption in a remedial calculus course.

This study explores the correlation between demographic factors and academic improvement within a remedial Calculus I class at the University of Toronto. Analyzing aggregated historical records, we find both genders improve, but female students show higher potential sessional GPA gains with greater variability, while male students demonstrate more consistent improvement. Domestic students also demonstrate more improvement than their international peers, suggesting adaptation challenges for the latter to pedagogical methods used within remedial courses. Normalized analyses confirm gender-based differences in performance trends. These findings highlight the necessity of tailored pedagogical methods to foster equitable student outcomes.