MyMathLab® versus Distance Calculus Comparison
Many online (and classroom-based) Calculus-level courses are driven by the MyMathLab® system from Pearson Education.Many thousands of students use the MyMathLab® system for the Calculus courses. MyMathLab® is a website-based system for doing homework problems associated to traditional Calculus textbooks published by Pearson. For many students, MyMathLab is ubitious with doing Calculus homework in their calculus courses. MyMathLab® offers instructional videos, and multiple choice problem sets where you do your Calculus problems by hand and then choose multiple choice answers from a selection of correct and incorrect answer choices.
Perhaps you have taken a class using MyMathLab®. Perhaps you enjoyed it and benefited from their system, which for many students helps them progress through their Calculus courses more successfully than just doing homework on paper with pencil and handing these homework sets into their instructors.
Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University does not use MyMathLab® - we do not believe in multiple choice based homework problem sets. Such multiple choice systems are good as a test-taking tool, but they are lacking for a true educational experience of doing mathematics with live human instructors.
If you have found success with multiple choice systems, there are plenty of options to choose from around the internet for completing such a course.
However, if you find multiple choice systems unappealing, we invite you to investigate the course structure and materials of Distance Calculus.
Comparison of MyMathLab® vs Distance Calculus
| Topic | MyMathLab® | Distance Calculus |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | Yes | No |
| Use of Computer Algebra System | No | Yes, Extensive |
| Tied to Traditional Textbook | Yes | No, Reform e-Curriculum |
| Recursive Grading | Sort of | Yes |
| Comprehensive Course System | Mostly just homework | Yes |
| Drill & Practice | Yes | No |
Here are a few videos about Distance Calculus @ Roger Williams University:
Is Distance Calculus for You?
Success Indicators for Distance Calculus
Distance Calculus - Student Reviews
Date Posted: Sep 6, 2020
Review by: Mark L.
Courses Completed: Applied Calculus
Review: Great course. Because of this class I was able to meet the entry requirements for my EMBA program on a tight time window in addition to sharpening math skills from classes taken over 15 years ago!
Transferred Credits to: MIT
Date Posted: May 27, 2025
Review by: Taylor C.
Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus
Review: 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
Date Posted: May 5, 2025
Review by: I.
Courses Completed: Calculus II
Review: 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).
Distance Calculus - Curriculum Exploration
Complex Numbers & Vectors
- P12: Complex Numbers & Vectors:
- P12.1: Complex Numbers Part Deux
- P12.1.a: General Properties
- P12.1.b: Addition/Subtraction of Complex Numbers
- P12.1.c: Multiplication/Division of Complex Numbers
- P12.1.d: Plotting Complex Numbers
- P12.1.e: Homework Problems
- P12.1.f: DeMoivre's Theorem
- P12.2: Vectors
- P12.2.a: Vector Basics
- P12.2.b: Notation
- P12.2.c: Adding Vectors
- P12.2.d: Subtracting Vectors
- P12.2.e: Vectors in 3D
- P12.2.f: Homework Problems
- P12.2.g: Dot Product
- P12.3: Polar Coordinates
Course Information
Frequent Questions
