Take distance Calculus course online class with video lectures, live help, forum. Enroll and transfer online calc to medical school, MBA, or your university | San Francisco State University (Cal State, accredited)

What are the students who succeeded in this online calculus class say and what advice they offer? - Expand »

Lesley, Pre-MBA candidate, Summer 2010 This was my first online class, so I really had no clue what to expect. To say I was happily surprised is an understatement. I have never been a strong student when it comes to math, and this class was so clear and easy to follow that I felt I understood the concepts exceptionally well. Every lesson was clearly explained with concrete examples, and the forum was beyond helpful by being able to interact with other students and learn about their approaches. I thought the forum was just amazing; I was able to actively engage with so many other students in the class and exchange ideas with people from all over. This truly was such a rewarding experience for me and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to take Calculus. The forum was fun to participate in, and the homeworks helped me to really nail down concepts in each lesson and stay on track. It is a lot of work, but I was able to stay ahead and get each homework done on time. This really came to my advantage at the end of the class when I prepped for the final exam. My advice is just to stay on track and be sure to do each homework assigned and turn it in on time. And don't be afraid to ask questions on the forum - I found that other students were more than willing to help explain things to me when I was stuck. This was certainly the best math class I have ever taken, and I learned more than I could have ever imagined.

Nick, stationed in Iraq, applying to Military school, Summer 2010 After reading all the posts about the class and being that I was going to be taking the class online in Iraq I was a little nervous about it. Especially after the first two weeks when I was unable to download a descent version of the lecture. However, eventually I was able to save the whole lectures and that made all the difference. From then I started downloading early so I made sure to get the lecture and have time to turn the homework in early. This not only gave me bonus points but gave me a head start on the next lesson. This is my first class in about 10 years and having the discussion board available was probably the reason I passed the class. I used it on every lesson and lucky for me there were a lot of extremely smart people in my class so when I had a question they could break it down Barney style for me so I could figure out the question. Dr. Goetz and his assistants were helpful too with all the questions I had and I normally received a response in a day or two at the most. The way the course runs made perfect sense to me. What I mean is that each lesson built on the others so that you could use and reuse what you had been learning. The videos and the streaming page were helpful too when I could get them to work. That was due to the speed of the internet over here though and had nothing to do with the system. I feel that the work load for each lesson was spot on. I was able to teach myself what I needed to, ask questions on the discussion board, get answers, and still finish my homework early. I was little cramped for time some days, so that required me to work extra hard other days. I think if you can devote a solid 4 hours per lesson, you will do fine is this class. That sounds like a lot, but it would not only be working on the current lesson but reviewing and applying the past lessons subjects. Also, just like Dr. Goetz recommends, if you pause the video and do the problems on your own or rewind it to double tap some of the segments you will spend more time but be able to get a better understanding of the material.

Jenna Elkington Summer 2009 Taking this course was such a pleasure. When I first introduced myself to you before the course started, I mentioned that I had previously taken Calculus in high school. I was just thinking about that today when I realized that I learned infinitely more through this course than being in class in person, several years ago. I am extremely confident that if I need to take Calculus II on my way to medical school, I will be absolutely prepared, thanks to my thorough preparation. The coursework, video lectures, online notes, forum activity and your guidance are an unarguably winning combination. The conversation on the forum was always highly intellectually stimulating and proved that everyone, including myself, was constantly engaged and involved in their own education. The best advice I could give to someone thinking about taking this course: do it. The best advice I could give to someone enrolled in this class: be actively involved. Professor Goetz and his T.A.'s matched 100% back for every 100% of effort I gave. If you want to succeed in this course and put in the appropriate amount of work to do so, you are guaranteed success and satisfaction.

Lauren Norris, a Peace Corps volunteer (Fall 08). A little bit about me... I'm a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Suriname, a former Dutch colony on the East coast of South America. I arrived in May 2007 and have since worked for the Pan American Health Organization. Primarily, I am working to draft and implement a Family Health policy. I also volunteer part-time at Lotjes-Huis, a home for children displaced from their families.
B. Why Calculus 1 at SFSU? I am currently applying to Masters in Public Health programs for 2009-2010 and I needed to take a quantitative course. I researched many options and finally chose the online Calculus course offered through SFSU, taught by Professor Goetz. I was impressed by the course structure and Professor Goetz' support and responsiveness. I was also excited about participating in real time dialogue with my classmates.
C. Challenges in taking US based courses while abroad... Suprisingly, I ran into very few challenges. Suriname is certainly a developing country but as long as I gave myself plenty of time to work through power outages and bad internet connections, I was able to get my homework in on time and participate in discussions with my classmates. At all times, I had an open line of communication with Professor Goetz in case an unavoidable roadblock popped up but everything went quite smoothly. All the course required was a computer, an internet connection and a digital camera. Otherwise, all course materials were accessed online so I didn't need to worry about a textbook. Professor Goetz also provided very helpful links to differentiators, graphers and extensive background if further explanation was needed. Ultimately, my main resource was working through problems with my fellow classmates. I was always able to clear up any confusion I had and often by posting my concerns, other students realized what mistakes they had made and we worked through them together. The TA's were also extremely helpful in guiding you through a problem, rather than just giving you the solution. Often, Professor Goetz would post a response or question that would help clarify a concept as well. The lectures were extremely informative and the homework sets were well thought out an relevant.
D. I highly recommend this class to anyone living abroad. I was hesitant to engage in such an endeavour but putting off grad school another year was not an option. I'm so glad I took the course and I'm so grateful for Professor Goetz's support. The interface was straightforward and worked well on even the oldest computers. Being able to submit the homework by taking a picture was a breeze. As for the material itself, Professor Goetz made Calculus accessible to those of us who shunned math long ago. The pace was spot on and as long as I kept up with the lectures and the homework, I was never left behind. It is important to note that on average, I spent 10 hours a week which can be a lot for folks who are working but certainly doable.

Shakir who took an accellerated version of the class [now at Cornell Business School]. Enrolling in the SF State accelerated online Calculus course with Dr. Goetz was one of the best decisions I made in my preparation to apply to business school. I have to tell you this course was like a marathon. It was intense especially due to the distance learning component. I had to work extra hard to be organized, stay focused, problem solve and communicate my needs with the teacher and other students. But because of the flexible nature of the course and unlimited access to video lectures, I was able to self pace and succeed beyond my expectations. I definitely came away feeling stronger and more confident in my math abilities for quantitative success as I start my Ivy League Business School in the fall. I highly recommend it for B-Schoolers needing to brush up or get a jump start on their education! --Shakir

Another student. Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity. I finally enjoyed learning math. It was a great adventure and I am grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this experience. I also like to say thank you to your staff (...) for the support we received even very late at night and for the fast responses. I will definitely recommend this course to all, even those who are a student, a father and working at the same time. I would have signed up for an online math 227 if there was such an opportunity, but to my knowledge it is not available. Maybe not yet! Again, thank you very much and wish you a great summer.

David - 20 May 2008, 07:42 PM The hardest part for me, as someone who hadn't taken a math class in more than 5 years, was adjusting at the beginning of the semester. It was easy for forgotten algebraic principles and equivalencies to get in the way of new concept learning in the beginning. I was a little nervous at first because the first few assignments were taking much longer than anticipated, but it became much more comfortable once the algebraic rust fell away. Do review algebra first! I got a great amount of information from the lectures and online forum, but I found it also helpful to reinforce those concepts by reviewing the corresponding textbook sections. The textbook is good for the general concept and formula checking, but when you have a more specific question just shoot it off to the forum and the feedback comes almost immediately. Trying to teach concepts in the forum to someone else, I also found, was really a great way to lock down new concepts. If you're doing your homework early and not many people are discussing your question on the forum yet, check the stream channel for short video clips (a huge collection) that can provide that one needed concept (or trick) to the problem. Another source for learning (you will see there are very many) are great links to math websites and even designated times to personally chat online, or call, teaching assistants about your questions. Procrastination will penalize you in this course. There were some homeworks that were considerably longer than others that required early starts for a good grade. Overall it was a great learning experience that was just very convenient. You could probably be a full time business traveler and still take the course. I feel much better about my math skills now. Before I took this course, a function was just an equation that was hard to evaluate without a graphing calculator. Simply a great class with a great professor and fellow students! by Arnold - Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 09:22 PM
How to succeed: Tip #1: Do not take this course over the summer unless you are...
a. Either very proficient with math (algebra and trigonometry);
b. Or you have a lot of time to devote to this class and all the homework. Tip #2: Regardless of your answer to #1, you must be willing to do a lot of work, including posting and sharing questions and answers. Tip #3: Really listen to the very first lecture where Dr. Goetz explains how Calculus came into being. That sets the stage for the entire course and its primary objective. Throughout (and especially In the middle) of the course, it is easy to lose sight of how the little concepts add up to something worthwhile or useful. Thinking back on the first lecture will help you see the bigger picture and might even give you the proper perspective to understand that troublesome derivative problem or that confusing integration problem. Seriously! Tip #4: Try on your own first. Active learning is the only way to pass the final exam! Tip #5: When tip #4 fails, use all the resources at hand: the homework forum, video excerpts of the lecture or similar problems, the grapher, external resources, even that expensive dry text book! Tip #6: When tip #4 works, take the time to give others tips or weigh in on questions posed by other students. This serves 2 purposes: it reinforces your learning and it builds your body of "postings" for that all-important class participation credit (which is worth an entire grade improvement)! Tip #7: Convince yourself that you love to solve all kinds of problems, including Calculus, even if that's not entirely true. If you can get into the spirit of things, you will have some measure of fun to help temper the frustration and make the long hours of doing homework less tedious. Tip #8: Dr. Goetz and his staff are the best and they are looking after your best interest: to learn and have an appreciation for Calculus. So trust them and don't be afraid to ask anything that would help you to make the most out of the class.
Enjoy and good luck!

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