Course Details

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Course Developer and Distribution Models
Course Name	Intro to Calculus I
Provider Name	NROC
Course Discipline	Calculus
Review Funded By	OCEP
Review Date	September 12, 2005
Developer organizational status	The developer is a non-profit organization that develops and distributes online courses as part of its educational mission.The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE) is an educational non-profit organization committed to improving access to education. MITE’s cornerstone project, the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC), supports the development and distribution of high-quality online courses to a worldwide audience. The goal of this project is to facilitate collaboration among a community of developers to create a library of online courses that are available to everyone. For more information about NROC, please contact Terri Rowenhorst, 719-783-0804, trowenhorst@montereyinstitute.org.
Distribution of the course	The course is distributed on a public website without restrictions.An Open Education Resource (OER) version of the course is distributed on a public website for individual use, and a second version of the course is available on DVDs to institutional members of the NROC Network to load on their own CMS. The developer is a non-profit organization that develops and distributes online courses as part of its educational mission.
Licensing models	The developer does license this course.The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE) licenses its courses to individual schools and to consortia of schools through membership in the NROC Network. In addition MITE provides a no-cost Open Knowledge license for non-profit organizations meeting the needs of the underserved without tuition costs. Specific information can be obtained by contacting Terri Rowenhorst at 719-783-0804, or trowenhorst@montereyinstitute.org.
Scope and Scholarship
Audience and grade level	Lower division college curriculum.This course covers some topics that are no longer covered in the AP Calculus curriculum, but most colleges would have a first year Calculus course that would look similar. This course only seems to cover about 2/3 of what I would consider a "normal" first year Calculus course. There is no antidifferentiation and integration in this course, which typically would be in a first semester college course.
Breadth of coverage	The course content meets standard curriculum requirements for accepted higher education curriculum.
Writing style and accuracy	Writing style and accuracy issues are addressed as follows: The writing style is engaging, clear and grade level appropriate for the intended audience. The writing and print is free of grammar, punctuation and typographical errors.
Course orientation and syllabus	The following information is available to students at the beginning of the course. Some of the features are instructor, course, or institution specific (i.e., assessment policy, testing logistics, or institutional policies), and have been provided as samples/resources for the instructor. Course description Course outline Syllabus Textbook and other materials required for the course and how and where to obtain those materials An Open Education Resource (OER) version of the course is distributed on a public website for individual use. This OER version of the course is not organized as it would be for student participation in the classroom. However, a second version of the course is available to members of the NROC Network to load on their own CMS (such as Blackboard, Moodle, ANGEL, etc.). Schools are provided with a suggested structure (taking into account that all course distribution systems are different), as well as Instructor and Student Guides to help teachers organize the class to meet their needs within their own course management system and school requirements.
Learning objectives clearly stated	Learning objectives are addressed as follows: The course provides clearly defined and topic-appropriate learning objectives to begin each unit of study. There are no summaries of the learning objectives at the end of each unit of study. Rhis course could do a better job of defining the course objectives. They are mentioned at the beginning of each section, but students may not understand what they are reading until they complete the unit.
Exercises, projects, and activities	Exercises, projects, and activities provide effective learning experiences and are included as an integral component of the course.Excercises that do exist are of very good quality. There are a few projects in the course that are nice extensions of the material.
Additional text material required or optional	Textbooks, videos, CD/DVDs, readings, or articles packets are required and necessary content elements in the course.The video presentations are very well written and easy to follow.
Instructional philosophy	Instructional philosophies are addressed as follows: The instructional philosophy for this course is a linear presentation of the content. The concepts are clearly delineated in a manner that allows the student to progress using the previously mastered concepts in a building block fashion. The course blends elements from multiple instructional philosophies including the constructivist approach, a linear presentation of the course content, and a drill and practice approach to learning in. The instructional philosophy incorporates methods to promote critical reasoning skills.
Rights of use and copyright associated with course content	The following rights of use and copyright issues apply to the course. All copyrights are cleared by the course developer and are noted as such in the developer's licensing agreement. Select NROC content is available publicly for individual use only. No commercial use is permitted. NROC Network Members may utilize the NROC content in their present form and/or revise or adapt the course content to meet Member requirements, provided that Member may make structural or organizational changes to a course but may not alter the course multimedia files.
User Interface
Navigation	Navigation throughout the course is clearly marked, consistent, and thorough and allows a student to easily navigate through the content.Navigation follows a standard left-hand menu and is consistent throughout the course. Multimedia presentations use a different left-hand menu that is less intuitive but is also used consistently in all presentations.
Course progress indicator for the student	Course progress indicators for students are addressed as follows: The course does not contain tools that allow the learners to track their progress and mastery of content through the course. The course materials are provided in such a way that they can be implemented in various Course Management Systems (CMS). The CMS would track progress and mastery of the materials. Assessment tools provided also help students measure their understanding.
Placement of elements and presentation consistency	Elements are clearly organized and use a consistent format.Elements are clearly labeled and organized and are used in exactly the same way throughout the entire course.
Playback control of media and elements	Learners are provided media controls giving them flexible and repeated access to media content, but the media controls are not user friendly.The media controls provide repeated access to materials and allow the learner to navigate forward and backward through content. When opening presentations, it is unclear how to start the narration. The forward and back buttons refer to presentation sections, which are only used in a few presentations, so the forward navigation appears to not work for most presentations. The scroll bar and text provide an intuitive way for learners to move forward and backward in a presentation.
Course Features and Media Values
Pedagogical features	Concept presentation consists of the following pedagogical features. Learning objectives Topic overview or explanation Real world application, example, or motivational scenario Worked problems, examples Text Graphics Audio Video Animation Simulations with guidance and questions Problems to work Discussion or thought questions Reading assignments: textbook, articles, web links Practice questions (immediate feedback) The course offers a wide array of pedagogical approaches for a self-paced learning experience. The course does not include any group activities or interaction outside of the learner and the computer. The course is comprised of 6 units across 2 semesters. Each unit has 5 to 9 lessons for a total of 46 lessons. Each lesson includes readings, a multimedia presentation, assignments, and assessments. Readings contain learning objectives and page numbers correlating to 5 different textbook options. Assignments include free response questions, simulations, discussion questions, and practice materials. Assessments include multiple choice quizzes and open response questions.
Media presentation effectively presents course concepts	The media presentation is engaging and relates directly to the topic coverage.Each topic includes a comprehensive multimedia presentation that explains the concepts with audio narration, graphics, animation, and interactive elements.
Text	Text elements for this course: Are engaging and well produced. The text is well-produced and always matches the audio narration. The text provides a thorough explanation of each topic and includes numerous examples and worked problems.
Video	Video elements used in this course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and it is used effectively. The text is well-produced and always matches the audio narration. The text provides a thorough explanation of each topic and includes numerous examples and worked problems.
Animation	Animation used in this course: Relates well to the topics being presented and effectively enhances the concepts. Is engaging and high quality media and is used effectively. The course only uses animations in the simulations that appear at the end of four units. The animations provide an effective component of the interactive, simulation experience.
Graphics	Graphic elements in this course: Are engaging and high quality media and are used effectively. The course is filled with formulas that are essential to the understanding of concepts. All formulas are presented clearly. Graphs are also used frequently and occasional additional graphics are included. Some graphs have lines that are rough and more difficult to read. Assessments appear to have been scanned from paper originals and include subtle shading behind the text and formulas.
Audio	Audio elements of the course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and are used effectively. Audio narration is the same as the text provided. The audio has high production values, varies narrators, and is always clear and well-articulated.
Simulations and games	Simulations and games in this course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and are used effectively. The course contains four simulations that include video, audio narration, graphics, animations, and interactive elements. The simulations are well-produced and provide an effective capstone experience for units.
Accommodates variety of media types and learning styles	The course utilizes a variety of media types to accommodate different learning styles.The course uses text, audio, video, and multiple types of assessments to accommodate different learning styles.
Student interaction with the content	There are an appropriate number of interactive exercises, activities and projects available to students. These include self-testing activities, as well as activities that students are required to complete and submit for instructor review, comment, or grading.Presentations include frequent self-assessed questions throughout each presentation as well as at the end of each presentation. Assignments, quizzes, open responses, mid-term exams, and final exams provide assessments that would appear to be graded by an instructor. It is important to note that the materials included in each NROC course are designed to be easily imported into most course management systems (CMS). Once imported into their CMS, an instructor can determine what materials will be self-testing activities, and what activities students will be required to complete and submit for instructor review, comment, peer review, or grading.
Assessments and Support Materials
Assessments availability	Pre-assembled assessments are available within the course as a resource for instructors.The course includes a quiz for each lesson and a mid-term and final for each semester.
Assessment methods	The following assessment methods are provided: Post-assessments for each unit of study. Pre-assessments for larger or cumulative units of study. Continuous assessments throughout the content presentation. Mid-term and final assessments. Simulation and game results. Each lesson includes frequent assessments throughout the multimedia presentation. Each lesson includes a multiple choice quiz and/or open response questions. Some lessons include discussion questions and/or additional problem sets. Four units include a simulation. Each semester includes a mid-term and final.
Assessment grading	The course provides both auto-graded and manual-graded assessments.Immediate feedback is provided for questions contained within presentations. All other assessments appear to be manually graded.
Grading rubrics provided	Grading rubrics are not provided in the course.
Test item types	The following test item types are used in assessments for this course. Multiple choice. True/false. Fill in the blank. Matching. Worked problems. Simulation and game results. Some questions within presentations use additional formats.
Feedback loop for test items	Feedback loops are present through specific answers provided automatically.Assessments within the presentation, both single questions and full question sets, provide immediate feedback with correct answers and solution explanations.
Support materials for the instructor	Technical support for the instructor is provided by the CMS they are using or by contacting The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education directly. Instructional support material is provided in the form of instructor manuals.
Support materials for the student	The course does not include any additional resources outside of the lessons. Additional problem sets within some of the lessons could be considered support materials.
Communication Tools and Interaction
Course environment	The course is distributed through a commercial CMS that is maintained by the educational institution, or hosted by a third party CMS provider.
Communication tool access	Communication tool access is addressed as follows: The course environment does not provide communication tools.
Content to utilize communication tools	When the course provides ready-to-use exercises, activities and assignments, use of the following communication tools in the CMS are required: The course does not provide ready-to-use content that utilize the communication tools in the CMS. The course is in an HTML format and does not use communication tools in a CMS.
Technology Requirements and Interoperability
Course format	This course is distributed and presented to students online.
Operating systems and platforms supported	Operating systems supported by this course include: Microsoft Windows 98 or newer. For Windows users, Microsoft Windows 98 or higher is recommended. For Macintosh users, OS 9.1 or higher is recommended.
Browsers supported	Browsers supported by this course include: For Windows users, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher OR Netscape 7 or higher (JavaScript and cookies must be enabled. For Macintosh users, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2 or higher OR Safari 1.2 or higher (JavaScript and cookies must be enabled).
Server-side requirements	Windows Users: • Processor: 400 MHz Pentium III or higher • Memory: 256 MB or more • Monitor: Support for 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and 16-bit high color. • Audio: Sound card and speakers or headphones Macintosh Users: • Processor: Macintosh G3 or better • Memory: 256 MB or more A high-speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable Modem is highly recommended for both Windows and Macintosh users.
Required applications or plug-ins	The course requires the following applications or plug-ins: Flash version 6 or later. Acrobat version 5 or later.
Learning object architecture or modular course elements	Course content is developed and stored as learning objects and can readily be used outside of the course structure.
Interoperability standards	Interoperability standards are utilized in the following ways. The course also provides content objects that are able to use the IEEE standards to share information with the CMS. Course assessments are available in IMS QTI format. Course instructional elements do not conform to AICC CMI, SCORM, or IMS packaging specifications.
Accessibility	This course does not comply with ADA and W3C standards. Course instruction may include Flash, Quicktime, Adobe PDFs, possibly other formats that are not compliant, and it does not use ALT attribute for images.
Developer Comments
General comments and differentiating features	Introductory Calculus is a two-semester course and is designed to acquaint students with calculus principles such as derivatives, integrals, limits, approximation, and applications and modeling. During this course students gain experience in the use of calculus methods and learn how calculus methods may be applied to practical applications. This course facilitates multiple ways of working with the content (multimedia presentations, text presentations, discussion questions, simulations, study questions, assessments, etc.), which enables exploring and employing various learning styles.
Course effectiveness	The key goal of this course is to prepare students to pass the AP College Board exam. As this course is being offered by various schools, no statistical analysis of results on AP Exams is available.
Course structure	The course is designed: To be used in either a self-paced, or in a cohort model.
Additional services	MITE offers an online community in which members can network, participate in online training webinars, and course development projects. Members also have access to technical, administrative, and curriculum support through the online community, as well as discounts on OCEP reviews (online course evaluation project).
Test item availability	Test items are available that support the course content.Additional practice AP exam questions are available on the AP College Board Website.
Hours of student work and study	The course does not note the amount of time a student is expected to spend to view the content presentation, complete assigned tasks and group assignments, and to complete all reading assignments.The amount of time a student is expected to spend is outlined within the Instructor’s Guide. A sample syllabus is provided to the instructor with a suggested timeline for chapter completion and testing. The amount of time to complete each task would vary with the interest and ability of the student.
Content authoring environment	The course uses the following software tools for the development of course content: Flash Acrobat HTML, XML, Respondus or QTI files, and MS Word are also used.

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Reference Citation: EduTools. (2010). OCEP: Course Comparison System. Retrieved September 10, 2010 from http://ocep.edutools.info/compare.jsp?pj=10&i=446