Calculus I Course Information

Date Posted: Jan 8, 2021
Review by: Cristian Mojica
Student Email: comojica@ucdavis.edu
Courses Completed: Probability Theory
Review: A fantastic course! I was able to complete it in about half a year (with a few gaps) alongside other coursework I was completing. There are no deadlines except the one-year mark after registering, so you work at your own rate and schedule. Probability Theory is required for me to apply to Master's programs in Statistics, so I was glad when I found Distance Calculus. While the course was slightly less difficult than I originally expected, there were parts that definitely slowed me down and made me think. (Also, although calculus is not everywhere in the course, it is everywhere in normal and exponential variables and beyond, so make sure to review derivatives and integrals (single and double)!) I used Mathematica for my software, and it helped speed along calculations and proved to be the perfect stage and tool for this material. I think visual learners will absolutely revel in how the material is presented in this course. (I know I did!) As there is plenty of writing and calculation to do, you have many opportunities to develop and strengthen your voice as a mathematician. The modern format of 80% electronic notebook work and 20% handwritten work is an excellent mixture for studying probability theory and grasping its core ideas. Dr. Curtis is clear in his answers to any questions and concerns you may have and is highly responsive to email and chat, and to responses you leave in your notebooks. He truly wants to help you and to see you succeed, and he is always on your side. I highly recommend Probability Theory with Distance Calculus!

Date Posted: Jan 12, 2020
Review by: Anonymous
Courses Completed: Calculus I
Review: This course is amazing! I took it as a requirement for admission to an MBA program, and couldn't have been happier with the quality and rigor of the course. I previously took calculus two times (at a public high school and then a large public university commonly cited as a "public ivy"), this course was by far the best and *finally* made the concepts click. Previously I had no idea what was going on because terrible PhD students were teaching the course and saying stuff like "a derivative is the slope of a tangent line" - ??? but what does that mean ???, but the instructors in the Shorter University course explain everything in ways where it FINALLY made sense (e.g., "imagine a roller coaster hitting the top of a hill, there's a moment where it shifts momentum and you're not accelerating or decelerating, that's what a 0 rate of change is - that's when the derivative would be zero"). They explain everything in multiple ways and relate it to other concepts. It all made perfect sense when I finally had a good instructor. Really recommend this class
Transferred Credits to: The Wharton School, UPenn

Date Posted: Feb 23, 2020
Review by: Carl Conners
Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra
Review: After a really rough first year of calculus, I completed all of the second year calculus courses with Distance Calculus. It was like night and day the difference. My first year was so boring and monotonous. Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra through Distance Calculus were just so much different - so not boring at all. I thoroughly enjoyed these courses. So engaging.
Transferred Credits to: Michigan State University