Online Calculus over the Summer

Parents Forum
1

My son is a junior and has a tough schedule for next year. One of his ap classes will be Calculus. It is probably going to be the hardest of all his ap classes for next year and he’s worried about it since he’s not very strong in math.

Is there an online Calculus course that he could take that is not self-paced that you could recommend? He’s already tried Udemy for Computer Science and he doesn’t like it because it is self-paced which doesn’t motivate him. He wants a firm schedule and a timeline for a course syllabus. He wants graded exams, feedback and homeworks.

There are 3 nearby colleges that are open to allowing him to register as a hs junior but there is no easy commute to them on a daily basis from where we live. Khan Academy and Udemy are our last choice but like I said, he doesn’t like self-paced and prefers a class setting with required schedules. Any thoughts?

2

Are you trying to find a class so that he can pre-study for next year’s AP class, or one which would replace next year’s AP class?

I would personally not recommend that a kid who is “not very strong in math” take a graded calculus course over the summer. Assuming he’s signed up for Calc AB, he’d be taking an 8 week summer course covering the material the AP class would spread over 36 weeks.

3

No, he’s not looking to replace his AP Calc, he’s looking to prestudy in preparation for it. No grade wanted even though they will probably give one,

4

Hey, I found a solution. OSU has an interactive Calculus program online.
The grades won’t be carried over as per;

The class is interactive as per;

They also have an option to take it as a graded class to carry into college credit for anybody interested who’s reading this.

5

Our local private schools has Academic Prep courses over the summer. See if yours does.

6

Berkeley Summer Sessions offers some classes online. You will need to take the final at an approved location (typically a CC or university testing center local to you). This is for grade (although pass/fail may be an option) and you get an official Berkeley transcript.

7

If he will be in AP calculus AB, that is a more gentle introduction to calculus than calculus in college (especially during a shorter summer session) will be, since AB covers a semester or a little more of calculus over a year in high school.

But he wants to make sure that his algebra and trigonometry knowledge is strong so that when he has to use it in calculus, it will not make calculus more difficult than it should be.

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/rur/rurci3.cgi is an on-line quiz that he can try to see if he needs to review any algebra and trigonometry topics before taking calculus.

8

You can google Educere. They offer APs that are connected with different universities.

9

Why is he taking calculus if he is not strong in it? He likely will not major in something requiring it if math really isn’t his thing. Would he really want to go to a college that requires HS calculus (if any exist) to get in? Strong math fundamentals are needed to continue in math. His summer is likely better spent reviewing his weak spots instead of trying to tackle something he is not well prepared for.

10

Thank you @wis75 . My thoughts exactly.

Why is he taking AP calculus if he isn’t a strong math student?

And you want him to actually take calculus TWICE…and he is not a strong math student?

My engineering major daughter never took calculus in HS. She never took any AP math courses. At all. And she was a great math student.

I’m not sure I understand why you would make this kid take calculus in the summer in any format…and then again in the fall.

Sounds like torture for someone who isn’t good in math.

What is the point of this?

11

He wants to.
ugh