AP Calculus vs Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University Summer 2025 Online Calculus Academic Credits

Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University operates 24/7/365 with open enrollment outside of the traditional academic calendar. We offer all of our courses during the Summer, Fall, Winter, before semesters traditionally start, after semesters start, during vacation weeks ... I think you get the idea :)
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If you wish to complete a AP Calculus vs Distance Calculus course online, make sure you take this course from a regionally accredited college/university so that the credits you earn from this course will actually transfer to your home college/university.

The free courses available from the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) like edX, Coursera, Udacity, Khan Academy, MIT Open Courseware, etc. are really excellent courses, but they do NOT result in transferrable academic credits from an accredited university!

There are more than a few actual colleges/universities offering AP Calculus vs Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University courses online. Be careful as you investigate these courses - they may not fit your needs for actual course instruction and timing. Most require you enroll and engage your course during their standard academic semesters. Most will have you use a publisher's "automated textbook" which is .... um .... well, if you like that kind of thing, then you have a few options over there at those schools.

Distance Calculus is all about real university-level calculus courses - that's all we do! We have been running these courses for 20+ years, so we know how to get students through the these courses fast fast fast!

Here is a video about earning real academic credits in AP Calculus vs Distance Calculus from Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University:

Earning Real Academic Credits for Calculus

Applied Calculus vs Calculus I

Video: Skip (or Not Pass) The AP® Calculus Exam?

Are you thinking about skipping the AP® Calculus exam? Or perhaps you took the AP® Calculus exam AB or BC, but you did not score a high enough grade to earn college credits at your new college or university? Distance Calculus is an excellent option to consider for taking the next set of classes - Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and/or Probability Theory (Calculus-Based Statistics), and skipping over the AP® Calculus AB (Calculus I) and BC (Calculus II) course structures.

Video: Distance Calculus - After AP® Calculus

Have you completed the AP® Calculus AB and/or BC course? Many high school students complete these AP Calculus courses during their junior year, leaving their senior year without any math courses. One idea to consider is taking the second-year Distance Calculus courses during your high school senior year, to further your math requirement completions. Many high school seniors take Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and/or Probability Theory (Calculus-Based Statistics), with some students finishing all of their calculus requirements before they start at their new college/university as freshman!

What About AP® Calculus?

If you are a high school student, you may be faced with the challenge of the AP - Advanced Placement - Calculus Exam administered by The College Board.

After taking your high school calculus course, you are able to earn college credit by passing the AB Calculus and/or BC Calculus exams.

Distance Calculus is a calculus course, and is roughly equivalent - in terms of the calculus topics covered - to your high school calculus course, much the same way any Calculus I course at any college or university is roughly equivalent to your high school calculus course.

Unlike your high school calculus course, when you complete a Distance Calculus course, you do not have to take an additional examination to receive college credit - you EARN college credit by completing the Distance Calculus course!

So, in this big huge regard, completing a Distance Calculus course is better than completing your high school calculus course, because upon completion, you get real university credits for a real university course rather than having to take an extra (high pressure, high stakes) examination.

Are There Advantages To Taking the AP Exam Over Distance Calculus?

Many high schools reward students for taking AP Calculus and passing the AP Calculus exam via "extra grade points", thus potentially inflating your G.P.A. beyond a "4.0". Your high school may allow for this, others do not. You should check with your high school counselor to see if such "rewards" apply.

Students who are seeking academic-based scholarships are keen to maximize their G.P.A. in all ways possible. If your high school provides for increasing your G.P.A. via taking AP-level courses and passing the AP exams, and you need to maximize your G.P.A. in this way, then it is obvious that you need to follow the AP course and exam path, rather than Distance Calculus.

Will Distance Calculus Prepare Me For the AP Calculus Exam?

In some ways: Yes. In other ways: No.

Distance Calculus will teach you the academic content in Calculus I, II, etc. In this way, Distance Calculus will prepare you for the AP Calculus exam by teaching you the topics in calculus that will be on these exams.

Commonly, AP Calculus courses in high schools have a significant component - usually the last 2 months of the course - where the focus is on exam prep. Distance Calculus does not have an "exam prep" component to aid those students wishing to take the AP Calculus Exam.

There are many great "exam prep" services out there, including HyperLearning, Kaplan, and The Princeton Review. These services can be "pricey", but these companies are experts in coaching students on preparing for these exams.

Distance Calculus does not offer these services. If you need AP Calculus exam prep, we recommend hiring the services of one of these companies.

Of course, if you complete your calculus coursework via Distance Calculus in high school, and you do not need (or are not allowed) to amplify your G.P.A. with AP courses and exams, you do not NEED to take the AP Calculus exam, because you will (upon successful completion of a Distance Calculus course) earn real university credits without the AP exam.

Distance Calculus - Student Reviews

Aiden B.★★★★☆

Posted: May 6, 2025

Courses Completed: Calculus II, Multivariable Calculus

Is the course perfect? No. However, it was by far the best option available. I have learned quite a few things not normally taught in a Calculus course. However, the course lacks a lot of paper solving and integrating, which is to be expected in an online course.

I.★★★☆☆

Posted: May 5, 2025

Courses Completed: Calculus II

The course material was well explained through the videos and notebooks, and it was nice to receive feedback on each assignment and correct any mistakes. However, the software required for the course was ridiculously outdated, to the point where I had to reinstall a very old operating system on my computer to even be able to run it. It was annoying and tedious to use, and it sometimes crashed. The graders were also sometimes overly picky about the way that concepts had to be explained to be considered correct (specific wording, etc), but it wasn’t too bad. Having multiple final exams seemed a bit excessive but again was not too bad. Overall, the main strength of this course is that it is completely asynchronous and self-paced, so I do recommend it if that is the most important factor to you. You will learn all of the material thoroughly, but you must be willing to deal with the more annoying aspects of the course (primarily the outdated technology).

Bill K.★★★★★

Posted: Dec 20, 2019

Courses Completed: Calculus I, Calculus II, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra

I took the whole calculus series and Linear Algebra via Distance Calculus. Dr. Curtis spent countless hours messaging back and forth with me, answering every question, no matter how trivial they might seem. Dr. Curtis is extremely responsive, especially if the student is curious and is willing to work hard. I don't think I ever waited much more than a day for Dr. Curtis to get a notebook back to me. Dr. Curtis would also make videos of concepts if I was really lost.

The course materials are fantastic. If you are a student sitting on the fence, trying to decide between a normal classroom class or Distance Calculus classes with Livemath and Mathematica, my choice would be the Distance Calculus classes every time. The Distance Calculus classes are more engaging. The visual aspects of the class notebooks are awesome. You get the hand calculation skills you need.

The best summary I can give is to say, given the opportunity, I would put my own son's math education in Dr. Curtis's hands.

Transferred Credits To: None

Trevor★★★★★

Posted: Jun 19, 2025

Courses Completed: Calculus I

POSITIVES:
One of the best math classes I have ever taken. The lessons made the failures of my previous professors very apparent. In a few short minutes, things that I used to struggle with just clicked. This professor is top notch and really wants you to understand how to use the material.
NEGATIVES:
The SOFTWARE is extremely frustrating. Even after taking the time to learn, there are countless glitches. You learn to work around them, and overall, the software makes the math convenient, but its failures are sorely felt throughout the course. Make sure you save often as it crashes regularly, especially with graphs.
The assignments are easy enough but some of them don't line up with the taught material. Be prepared to do some of your own independent research to get a deeper understanding of why things are the way they are.

Transferred Credits To: US Army

Taylor C.★★★★★

Posted: May 27, 2025

Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus

Im a visual learner and had a difficult time understanding multivariable calculus my first go around, and found this course offered by Roger Williams University, which uses real-time 3d graphing of the equations. I would see my work be manipulating the models, which gave a robust understanding of what each variable did. absolutely loved the course and class recordings.

Transferred Credits To: Califorina Baptist University

Emmy★★★★★

Posted: May 26, 2025

Courses Completed: Applied Calculus

Distance Calculus was the perfect answer to getting ahead in math over the summer of my junior year in HS. I was able to complete the entire course over the summer. The teacher was responsive and the course was understandable. Highly recommend.

Transferred Credits To: Syracuse University