Information for Parents

What Parents Should Know About Distance Calculus

Distance Calculus at Roger Williams University is a legitimate, accredited university program - not a tutoring service, not a MOOC, and not a test-prep company. Your student will earn real university credit that appears on an official academic transcript from Roger Williams University.

Key Facts for Parents

• Fully accredited - Roger Williams University is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), the highest level of U.S. accreditation
• Real professors - Courses are taught by Ph.D. mathematicians, with qualified Teaching Assistants under the direction of the course professor
• No multiple choice - All homework is graded by human instructors with detailed feedback
• Mastery learning - Students must demonstrate 100% understanding before moving forward
• Transferable credits - Credits transfer to virtually any U.S. college or university
• Official transcripts - Issued by the Roger Williams University Registrar

Course Costs

• Tuition: $433 per credit hour
• Semester fee: $70 per course
• Software and e-textbook: approximately $115-$185
• See full details at Costs & Tuition

The Best Thing Parents Can Do

We receive many inquiries from parents on behalf of their children, and that's wonderful - it's great that parents are playing an active role in their student's education. As a parent myself, I know from experience how sometimes we feel our children need a little boost, and that's often true.

But the single most important thing a parent can do is to get the student to engage this website themselves - to look around, watch some of the course videos, explore the learning examples, and honestly answer the question: Is this the right kind of course for me and my learning style?

Distance Calculus is an excellent fit for many students - and a very poor fit for others. The best way to find out is for the student to investigate on their own and decide for themselves.

Let the Student Own the Decision

We understand that parents often have good intentions and practical motivations - a summer course fits the schedule, it would be convenient to get calculus out of the way, and the parent wants to help move things along. But the student may have other ideas for the summer: plans with friends, a road trip, time at the beach. If a calculus course isn't something they genuinely want to do, pushing them into it is likely to be self-defeating.

Parents, please try to empower your student to answer this question as an adult. Even if your student is younger - under 18 - they are asking to start a university-level course. This is not a high school class. We treat all students as adults, even though we do have quite a few teenagers enrolled, and many of them do very well.

Some younger students, however, struggle - not because of the math, but because the lack of structure they're accustomed to in high school is not replicated here at all. This is a very open course. If there are 100 assignments, there are no fixed due dates for those assignments. We can turn on suggested due dates for students who like to measure their progress, but they are entirely optional. The nature of the course is mastery learning - imposing hard due dates defeats the purpose and sends students into a panic.

Students simply need to engage the course the way they might engage a reading club or any self-directed activity. They will be doing the work - not the parent - so they need to be the one who decides: Is this course the right course for me?

A Note About FERPA

It's important for parents to be aware of FERPA - the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Once a student turns 18, federal regulations require that we communicate only with the student directly. We cannot discuss grades, progress, or enrollment details with parents, even if the parent is paying the tuition. This is a significant change for many families, and we understand it can be frustrating.

If your student is 18 or older and chooses to share their course login with you, you are welcome to follow their progress - but we cannot provide that access ourselves. This is federal law, not our policy.

The Bottom Line for Parents

Help your student engage the question of whether this course is right for them. Let them explore the site, watch the videos, and make the decision. If they come back and say, "Yeah, I like this - this is good stuff - I want to do this," then you know they're ready. But pushing beyond that is likely counterproductive, because they are stepping into a university environment where the familiar structures of high school - daily class meetings, attendance checks, teachers making sure they're in their seats - simply do not exist. Going to class is optional in college. Many students don't attend lectures and still pay the same tuition as those who do. The responsibility shifts to the student.

For Parents of High School Students

If your student has completed AP Calculus and needs advanced math courses not available at their high school, Distance Calculus offers the full range of college-level mathematics - from Multivariable Calculus through Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and beyond. See our High School Students page for details.

Start the Enrollment Application

Distance Calculus - Student Reviews