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Suffolk University
is one of the major
universities in Boston,
featuring its
internationally respected
Law School, School of Management,
and College of Arts and Sciences
Suffolk University is
fully accredited
by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
All Distance Calculus Courses
are offered through the
Mathematics &
Computer Science Department
at Suffolk University.
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Is Distance Calculus For You?
Distance Calculus is not for everyone.
There are some types of students that Distance Calculus is very well-suited for. But
for other types of students, it is not.
Our goal is make sure you are happy and successful if you decide to take a Distance Calculus
course. Below is a description of various types of student attributes, and our experiences
with these types of attributes.
Predictive Attributes of a Successful Distance Calculus Student
- 25 Years of Age and Up
Students who are 25 and over, and thus most likely working full-time, seem to
do well with the "independent study nature" of the Distance Calculus courses.
- Working Adults
Students who are working, and possibly raising children, seem to do well
in Distance Calculus, understanding from their life experiences the need for
self-discipline and communication in their Distance Calculus studies.
- Self-Disciplined
Students who have a fair amount of self-discipline, either through athletics or
academics, tend to well in Distance Calculus, understanding the need for regular
course work and progress through the course materials.
- Military Personnel
Discipline is a powerful academic attribute, and students who are in the military
have this training by necessity.
- MBA Applicants
The desire to earn an MBA is usually a very good motivating factor for many students,
especially when their intended MBA school gives a deadline for completing their
business calculus course.
- High School Student
Students in high school who wish to achieve completion of calculus while in high school
tend to be very motivated and disciplined students.
Predictive Attributes of a Struggling Distance Calculus Student
- Under 20 Years Old, Not In High School
This age group tends to struggle with Distance Calculus courses.
- Regular University Students Taking a Full Load of Courses
Freshmen and Sophomore students take 4 or 5 other courses, and hoping to
fit in a Distance Calculus course tend to struggle, due to the lack of f
fixed deadlines in Distance Calculus. When taking so many courses, and
struggline with time management, usually one course suffers, and it is
usually Distance Calculus.
- Computer-Phobic
Depending upon the attitude of the novice computer user, Distance Calculus can
feel like a struggle against the computer, more so than the mathematics involved.
While we encourage these students to challenge their phobias so that they overcome
them and join the technology revolution as happy participants, we do find that more
often than not, students in this category tend to struggle in Distance Calculus.
- Poor Communicators
While all of us can certainly improve our communication skills, there are some students
whose communication skills are below average. This is different than skills in English,
if English is your second language. Good communication skills refers to the ability to
tell the instructional staff "where you are at" in the course, what you are struggling with,
being able to say, "I don't understand this question, but here is what I think I understand
about this topic:....".
Distance Calculus requires serious communication between the instructors and the students.
Those students who are not good at communication like this, or don't want to become good at it,
tend to struggle in Distance Calculus.
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