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: May 26, 2025
Review by: Anonymous
Courses Completed: Applied Calculus
Review: 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

Date Posted: Apr 30, 2020
Review by: Hannah J.
Courses Completed: Probability Theory
Review: Probability Theory was a great course. Very very thorough. I thought it would never end :). I was very prepared for my coursework in economics. Excellent refereshher of derivatives and integrals - really forced me to remember that stuff from freshman cal.
Transferred Credits to: Boston University

Date Posted: May 19, 2025
Review by: Christopher K.
Courses Completed: Precalculus, Calculus I
Review: Well organized and well explained content. Professor did a great job. I learned a lot. Dist Calc saved a ton of hassle and time having to take calc at a local community college, which realistically would have delayed my entrance to BU LEAP by at least a year. Would strongly recommend it.
Transferred Credits to: Boston University

Distance Calculus - Curriculum Exploration

Sequences and Series

P14: Sequences and Series:

P14.1: Sequences

P14.2: Summation of Sequences

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Distance Calculus - Student Reviews

Daniel Marasco★★★★★

Posted: Jan 13, 2020

Courses Completed: Multivariable Calculus

This course was more affordable than many, and the flexible format was terrific for me, as I am inclined to work very diligently on tasks on my own. It could be dangerous for a person who requires external discipline more, but it works well for self-starters, allowing you to prioritize when you have other pressing work. I was a full time teacher adding a math certification, and this course allowed me to master the math while working around my teaching schedule and fitting work into moments here and there when I had time. I was able to transfer the credits to Montana State University, Bozeman for my teaching internship program without a hitch. The instructors were all very helpful and patient, even when I failed to see a ridiculously simple solution on one problem after 20 emails back and forth. Overall, I was more pleased with my experience in this class than I was with any of my other 9 courses.

Transferred Credits To: Montana State University, Bozeman

Emma C.★★★★★

Posted: Jul 22, 2021

Courses Completed: Linear Algebra

This was a great course. Flexible and informative with a great professor. It's a great option if you need to fill a prerequisite fast or if you enjoy working at your own pace.

Transferred Credits To: University of Virginia

Dan P.★★★★★

Posted: Jan 19, 2020

Courses Completed: Calculus I, Calculus II

I found the courses to be informative, enjoyable, and most importantly, effective in helping me learn the concepts of calculus. My math skills were always very weak, and I had a great deal of difficulty passing my undergrad math courses.
The pace of a traditional classroom setting was just too quick for the concepts to really sink in. With Distance Calculus, I had courses that were taught with the full rigor of an on-campus class, but where I could take my time and really learn the material...all while having access to top-tier instructional help for real math professors and assistants.

DC gave me the tools and the confidence I needed, so after successfully passing my DC courses, I moved on and completed a master's degree in CS.

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★★★★★

Posted: Jun 24, 2026

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