Online Noncredit Mathematics Courses
This page presents supplemental academic-advising material to accompany what you should first read in the basic description of these courses.
Questions and Answers
- What courses are available?
- Can I preview the course Web sites?
- What topics will I learn in these courses?
- Will I earn college credit for these courses?
- What are Continuing Education Units?
- How much will these courses cost me?
- What if I change my mind? Can I get a refund if I withdraw from the course?
- Can I take these courses entirely from a distance?
- Where can I get the textbook?
- How do I register?
- Can I preview the actual course materials?
- Can I try out the course before registering?
- What knowledge should I already have?
- Where do these courses fit into the calculus sequence?
- Does this course meet the entry recommendations for the UW Madison pharmacy program?
- Will University X accept these courses for transfer credit?
- Do these courses satisfy the professional growth requirement for renewing a teaching license?
- How do I submit assignments?
- Are there exams?
- How is the exam handled, if I take the 3.5 CEU version?
- What other online math courses are available?
- Where does the term "Transcendental Function" come from?
- I have a question that hasn't been answered here. Where can I get more information?
- What courses are available?
The Division of Continuing Studies currently offers two online courses in mathematics: Applications of Integration, and Calculus of Transcendental Function. Read more about these courses.
- Can I preview the course Web sites?
You are welcome to visit the course Web sites to preview the course. Follow the link below to log in as a guest. In the middle column you will see links to the two courses. Once you get to the individual course, you need to click on the tiny little "Content" link near the top left.
- What topics will I learn in these courses?
See the individual course Web pages. A brief description appears in the front-page announcement, and a detailed outline and list of course objectives can be found in Course Information => Introduction.
- Will I earn college credit for these courses?
These online courses are two of the five modules which make up Math 221, the first-term calculus course as taught at UW Madison. The individual modules cannot be taken for college credit. They carry Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credit. The entire course Math 221 can be taken for college credit, through UW Learning Innovations. For more information, see the UW-Madison Independent Learning Mathematics Page.
- What are Continuing Education Units?
The CEU is a unit defined by the Internation Association for Continuing Education and Training, to create a record of educational achievement broader than the usual school-based system of credits. One CEU corresponds approximately to ten hours of work. For some purposes, three CEUs is about the same amount of work as one college credit.
- How much will these courses cost me?
Each course is available in two versions: with an exam, for 3.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), or without an exam for 2.5 CEUs. (One CEU nominally corresponds to 10 hours of work.) The tuition is $180 for 3.5 CEUs, $150 for 2.5 CEUs.
- What if I change my mind? Can I get a refund if I withdraw from the course?
Withdrawals within 30 days of registration get a refund minus $30 processing fee. If lessons have been submitted and graded before withdrawal from the course, we will retain $15 for each lesson. Withdrawals within 60 days of registration are eligible for a 50% refund. Beyond 60 days, no tuition will be refunded.
- Can I take these courses entirely from a distance?
Yes! All the lessons can be handled by mail, fax, or e-mail. If you take the version of the course which includes an exam, you will arrange for a proctor in your area to supervise the exam.
- Where can I get the textbook?
Try searching at Addall.com for used copies of the textbook.
- How do I register?
- By Phone: Call Lori O'Neill at 608-263-6322, or toll-free at 1-877-336-7836.
- By Mail or Fax: Printable Registration Form.
- On-line, using our secure server: On-line Registration
- Can I preview the actual course materials?
Yes! Simply press the button below to log in as a guest. In the middle column you will see links to the two courses. Once you get to the individual course, you need to click on the tiny little "Content" link near the top left.
- Can I try out the course before registering?
You can go to the course Web pages (see previous item), get a copy of the textbook, do the reading and the Self-Test questions from the first few units, and check your results against the detailed solutions provided on the Web page.
- What knowledge should I already have?
These courses are intended for students who have successfully completed a three-credit introductory calculus course. Applications of Integration assumes familiarity with the basic notion of integration, including the definition of the integral as a Riemann sum and using an antiderivative to evaluate an integral. Calculus of Transcendental Functions assumes that you are comfortable working with derivatives and integrals of polynomials, rational functions, and trigonometric functions.
- Where do these courses fit into the calculus sequence?
The three calculus courses taught at UW Madison cover the following topic areas. The online courses are the fourth and fifth topics covered in Math 221.
Math 221, Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (5 credits)
- Differentiation
- Applications of Differentiation
- Basic Integration
- Applications of Integration
- Calculus of Transcendental Functions
Math 222, Calculus and Analytic Geometry II (5 credits)
- Integration Techniques
- Infinite Series
- Plane Curves
- Polar Coordinates and Vectors
- Vector Functions
Math 234, Calculus of Functions of Several Variables (3 credits)
- Partial Differentiation
- Multiple Integrals
- Vector Analysis
- Does this course meet the entry recommendations for the UW Madison pharmacy program?
The pharmacy program's recommendations for mathematics preparation correspond to the subject matter taught in the 5-credit course Math 221 at UW Madison. The first course in calculus at some other UW campuses (and other institutions) covers only part of this material. These two modules enable a student who has successfully completed a less-comprehensive first-term calculus course to learn the additional topics required for success in the pharmacy program.
- Will University X accept these courses for transfer credit?
Only University X can answer that question definitively, but the answer is likely to be "no." Because these courses are not offered for college credits, it is unlikely that other institutions will award transfer credit for them. It is more likely that these courses will count as prerequisite for a subsequent course.
- Do these courses satisfy the professional growth requirement for renewing a teaching license?
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does accept CEU courses as counting toward the professional growth requirement for license renewal. Three CEUs count as one semester credit. See http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsis/tel/renewech.html for details. Policies in other states may differ.
- How do I submit assignments?
Assignments can be submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or e-mail. For details, see the course Web pages. Go to Course Information => How to Do the Work of the Course => How to Submit Your Assignments.
- Are there exams?
Each course is available in two versions: with an exam, for 3.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), or without an exam for 2.5 CEUs. One CEU nominally corresponds to 10 hours of work.
- How is the exam handled, if I take the 3.5 CEU version?
If you are in the Madison area, you should plan to take your exam at our Langdon Street office. If you are not near Madison, you will need to locate an academic professional willing to supervise your taking of the exam. This can be any teacher, principal, or counselor at the high-school level or above. Your proctor need not be a math teacher. The exam will be mailed to the proctor, who will certify to the University of Wisconsin that the exam was taken under the prescribed conditions. For details, see the course Web pages. Go to Assignments => Preparing for the Exam => About the Exam.
- What other online math courses are available?
As of this writing (July 2003), only two calculus courses are available: Applications of Integration, and Calculus of Transcendental Functions. We hope to have a course Review of College Algebra available in the near future.
- Where does the term "Transcendental Function" come from?
To transcend is to surpass or go beyond. In this case, what is surpassed is the realm of ordinary arithmetic. All polynomials and rational functions are constructed using the four basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Transcendental functions, such as sine, cosine, logarithms, and exponential functions, "transcend," or go beyond, these operations.
- I have a question that hasn't been answered here. Where can I get more information?
For more information about math courses, contact the Director of Mathematics courses, 608-262-2152.