Comparisons of Distance Calculus To Other Math Online Options

Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University is a unique online course offering for Calculus-level courses for real academic, transferrable credits from an accredited institution.

Our Distance Calculus courses are designed around Mastery Learning and intense human interaction, unlink many other online and even hybrid Calculus courses avaiable around the internet.

Below are some links to explore the various other options around the internet. We want all students to find the right Calculus course for them to succeed. Distance Calculus is a different program than nearly all other online Calculus options. Perhaps Distance Calculus is right for you!

Distance Calculus - Student Reviews

Date Posted: Jul 12, 2021
Review by: Henry R.
Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus
Review: Fantastic and unique course, particularly good for visual/spatial thinkers. The course forces you to develop a real conceptual understanding of the math concepts, as opposed to just teaching math formulas like other courses tend to do. There is a steep learning curve early on to get used to the software and the kind of course this is. Ultimately, I feel like what I learned will allow me to actually use the math and build upon it in the future. If you care about learning, rather than just passing a requirement, this is a great course for you.
Transferred Credits to: Harvard University

Date Posted: Jun 19, 2025
Review by: Trevor
Courses Completed: Calculus I
Review: 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

Date Posted: May 18, 2025
Review by: Jenny Zuercher
Student Email: jenz2.home@icloud.com
Courses Completed: Precalculus, Calculus II
Review: Dr. Curtis's courses are very difficult, but they are definitely worth it! I took Calculus 2 from Dr. Curtis in my senior year of high school and went into a combined Calculus 2 and Calculus 3 course my first year of college. This course prepared me, and I found that I already knew much of the Calculus 3 coursework. The most difficult part of these courses, in my opinion, is pacing yourself. If you can keep yourself on track, then you are all good to go!
Transferred Credits to: University of Iowa

Distance Calculus - Curriculum Exploration

Functions

P2: Functions:

P2.1: What is a Function?

P2.2: Graphing Data Functions

P2.3: Functions from Algebraic Formulae

P2.4: Bad Inputs?

P2.5: Combinations of Functions

P2.6: Functions Without Algebraic Formulae

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High School Students

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Frequent Questions

Andris H.★★★★★

Posted: May 3, 2020

Courses Completed: Applied Calculus

I found out from my MBA program that I needed to finish calculus before starting the MBA. They told me 3 weeks before term started! I was able to finish Applied Calculus from Distance Calculus. Definitely a great class. Thanks Distance Calculus!

Transferred Credits To: SUNY Stony Brook

Anonymous☆☆☆☆☆

Posted: Dec 31, 1969

Joe★★★★★

Posted: Jan 13, 2020

Courses Completed: Calculus II

This is the most interactive and productive online course I have ever taken. I had taken calculus before but never understood some of the underlying concepts until I took this course.
If you want to really learn calculus in a way that will stay with you for the rest of your life, take this course.

Transferred Credits To: The college of New Jersey

Jessica M.★★★★★

Posted: Feb 25, 2020

I highly recommend this course. I started the Kennedy School at Harvard with a last-minute admission, but my application required the Liberal Arts calculus course, so I had to finish the course in 3 weeks. Diane was an awesome instructor! The class was surprisingly interesting. If you need to take calculus fast, this is the program to use.

Transferred Credits To: Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Lucas L.★★★★★

Posted: Jun 25, 2026

Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus

The professor as well as the TAs give great feedback when you need help with problems and the videos are great at explaining concepts. Return time on work is good and the work is not too much to handle.

Transferred Credits To: University of Wisconsin

Hari K.★★★★☆

Posted: Jun 24, 2026

Courses Completed: Linear Algebra

This course gives a perspective on Linear algebra that no traditional course does. I’d say i gained much more intuition for this subject from the DC course than my friends who took traditional courses elsewhere. As a cs major, this version of learning with visualization has helped me a lot in understand ML models. However the course doesn’t have videos for the last 2 chapers so i had to self learn with the mathematica notebooks. Response times are a little slow but since it’s a remote class, i guess it’s justified. Overall amazing course and definitely take this over traditional lin alg classes.

Julia★★★★★

Courses Completed: Calculus I

As a full-time business owner completing an Executive MBA, I needed to satisfy a calculus prerequisite without putting my work on hold. Distance Calculus made that possible. The fully self-paced structure let me work early mornings and weekends around an unpredictable schedule, which a fixed-semester classroom course never would have allowed.
The course covered the core business calculus material thoroughly — derivatives, optimization, integration techniques including u-substitution, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, improper integrals, and numerical methods. The LiveMath computer algebra environment was central to the experience: it forced me to build each step explicitly rather than just arriving at an answer, which actually deepened my understanding of the mechanics.
Communication through the student portal was responsive when I had questions. For working professionals who need a rigorous, accredited calculus course on a flexible timeline, I'd recommend it.

Transferred Credits To: MIT Ebma