Calculus MATH 226, 4 semester credit hours, at San Francisco State (California State System) is open to all students from all other domestic or international universities and to professionals who prepare for graduate schools. Open to all and particuarly popular among students preparing medical schools (many medical schools require a semester of Calculus), pharmacy, and MBA. Homebound students and students with disabilities are particularly welcome. The course combines the best proven methods in a traditional class together with a new online learning environment that connects students located at remote locations; 26 full video lectures streamed at near high definition quality; two hundred short video clips tailored to homework will be available. A quick personal feedback by Professor Arek Goetz from the Mathematics Department as well as his staff. The class is equivalent to other campus based Calculus 1 classes at SFSU - see the syllabus. Questions and registration: email Professor Goetz at goetz @sfsu.edu and briefly mention your professional situation and goals. Since the registration and all financial matters are administered via the College of Extended Learning, all non-SFSU students should call the CEL at 415 405-7700, choose option #5, and mention the online calculus CEL course MATH226, section Z. After receiving a student ID and password, it will be also possible to register and pay online. The total tuition for 4 semester credit hours is $880 ($220 per unit); Please read the College of Extended Learning policies which include information about refunds. Access to essential notes and online graphing calculator is at no cost. Official transcripts can requested at the end of the course. In exceptional cases, certificates stating earned credit and grade can be issued two days after the final exam date. Schedule. We meet online. There are no required in class meetings. Students take the exam at their home institution or work place, or other lcoations with a proctor. SFSU students take the final on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 10.30 a.m. before the final week commences. The course offers a flexible schedule. You do not have to be present at specific hours. However, there are deadlines and you need to commit to working on the course and participating in discussion at least every 48 hours. Most students need between 5--7 hours per lesson to master the material (There are 25 lessons). How is this class different from other online classes? This is an academic accredited calculus online class. The key is the real feeling of being part of a live class. Human help and interaction are the most important part of the class. On top the high quality videos of actual calculus lectures are used with every assignment. Finally hundreds of short searcheable videos clips are tied to homework. Transfer of university credit. After the course ends, you may request an official SFSU transcript. Also, if an immediate certification is needed, the student may request a formal letter from Dr. Goetz. San Francisco State University is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The university is part of the California State system, the largest education system in the country. The topics in all Calculus courses are very standard throughout the US and much of the world. In almost all cases. No problems have been reported with transferring credits to other institutions. (The decision is always up to the home institution of the student, not SFSU, best if in doubt contact your home school and ask if the course with a standard syllabus from SFSU can be transferred.) Is this a course for you? This course may not be for everybody. The past students who succeeded in this course tend to be independent, self-motivated, being able to adhere to a regular schedule, students who were comfortable with algebra. Post baccalaureate students and high school students passionate about math also tend to well. The online course is not easier than a regular class, but it is often more convenient. Students who are looking for a course that offers an easy A with little learning should not apply, nor should students who event remotely consider submitting somebody elses work. In cases of proven cheating, we remove the student from the class without a refund and we notify the student's school. Syllabus. Content. The central object of the study in calculus is the concept of a function. Functions are used to describe the real world around us. Calculus introduces two fundamental concepts which enable us to describe and investigate functions. These are the derivative and the integral. The derivative describes how a function changes at a particular time. The integral carries information about the history of a function. Both, the derivative and the intergral are defined using limits. Calculus 1 covers: Limits, Continuity, Asymptotes, The tangent problem, Rates of Chage, Derivatives (including trigonometric and transcendental derivaties), Graphs, and their shapes, Optimizations, Riemann Sums, Integrals including two parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. See the complete list of topics. Experience that stimulates your learning. In each of the 25 lessons, you (1) watch a high quality real video or an actual lecture and at times take a quiz directly related to the lecture. (2) You begin solving homework problems. (3) Finally, you discuss homework assignments with others offering hints and asking questions. Course learning outcomes. Upon successful completion of the course, the students will achieve the following learning outcomes. Grading. A perfect score is 400 points. Textbook. You will be provided with a free set of interactive video notes and you will be able to print the pdf notes (about the total of 100 pages). The notes are the base material, not a full textbook. Students at SFSU currently use Haas, Weir, Thomas, University Calculus -- Elements with Early Transcendentals. You are encouraged to buy a used or older commercial textbook. Our students have also used Stewart, Early Transcendentals, any edition, Thomas University Calculus or any other major university calculus textbook. Shop the internet for best prices (For example, check half.com - opens a new window) Students with special needs. Students with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged and welcomed to contact the Dr. Goetz before the semester starts. The Disability Program and Resource Center is available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations process. The DPRC, located in SSB 110, can be reached by telephone at 338-2472 (voice/TTY) or by email at dprc@sfsu.edu Religous Holidays. If a student observes a religious holiday that prevents the student from completing an assignment or taking an exam, the student should notify Dr. Goetz in writing and alternative accommodations will be made. Technology. You will need a broadband connection to the internet, and an inexpensive digital camera or scanner (for photographing and then uploading your homework). Most videos are recorded in real media.
Department of Mathematics, San Francisco State University (SFSU), 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132. SFSU is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
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