Open Source Society University
Path to a free self-taught education in pre-college Math!
Contents
Summary
The OSSU curriculum is a complete education in pre-college math using online materials. It’s for those who want a proper, well-rounded grounding in fundamental concepts and for those who have the discipline, will, and (most importantly!) good habits to obtain this education largely on their own, but with support from a worldwide community of fellow learners.
The courses are specifically chosen to meet the following criteria.
Courses must:
- Be open for enrollment
- Run regularly (ideally in self-paced format, otherwise running multiple times per year)
- Be of generally high quality in teaching materials and pedagogical principles
- Match the curricular standards
When there are courses or books that don’t fit into the curriculum but are otherwise of high quality, they belong in extras/courses or extras/readings.
Cost. All or nearly all course material is available for free. However, some extra courses may charge money for assignments/tests/projects to be graded. Note that both Coursera and edX offer financial aid.
Decide how much or how little to spend based on your own time and budget; just remember that you can’t purchase success!
Process. Students can work through the curriculum alone or in groups. Each course has a prerequisite of the previous course, so they should be done in a linear order top to bottom.
Content policy. If you plan on showing off some of your coursework publicly, you must share only files that you are allowed to. Respect the code of conduct that you signed in the beginning of each course!
Getting help (Details about our FAQ and chatroom)
Community
- We have a Discord server!
This should be your first stop to talk with other OSSU students. Why don’t you introduce yourself right now? Join the OSSU Discord - You can also interact through GitHub issues. If there is a problem with a course, or a change needs to be made to the curriculum, this is the place to start the conversation. Read more here.
- Add Open Source Society University to your Linkedin profile!
Curriculum
Many OSSU students choose to review math topics that they have not studied recently. OSSU recommends using The College Prep School for such a review. To determine where you should start, we recommend scanning through the Final Tests for anything you may be uncomfortable with. After taking an assessment, you should have a clear idea of what topics to study and where you should start with the resources below.
| Courses | Duration | Effort | Prerequisites | Assessments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic | 20 Weeks | 8 hours/week | None | Final Test |
| Pre-Algebra | 14 Weeks | 6 hours/week | Arithmetic | Final Test |
| Algebra 1 | 19 Weeks | 8 hours/week | Pre-Algebra | Final Test Part 1, Part 2 |
| Geometry | 25 Weeks | 8 hours/week | Algebra 1 | Final Test Part 1, Part 2 |
| Algebra 2 | 28 Weeks | 8 hours/week | Algebra 1, Geometry | Final Test |
| Trigonometry | 18 Weeks | 8 hours/week | Algebra 2, Geometry | Final Test |
| Precalculus | 26 Weeks | 9 hours/week | Trigonometry | Final Test Part 1, Part 2 |
When going through the playlists, it’s important to pause the video and complete most of the problems yourself. You don’t have to complete all the problems since a few are used to demonstrate the solving technique, but try to complete as many as possible. Practice what you have not mastered by:
- Googling and/or searching YouTube for another POV on the topic or more practice problems, working through the examples with them. Khan Academy, The Organic Chemistry Tutor, & Professor Leonard are great resources for this.
- Asking for help in #prerequisite-math on Discord.
Congratulations
After completing the requirements of the curriculum above, you have completed all the prerequisite math necessary to begin a bachelor’s degree. Congratulations!
What is next for you? You can start with the OSSU Computer Science, Data Science, or Math curriculum.
Code of conduct
How to show your progress
Fork the GitHub repo into your own GitHub account and put ✅ next to the stuff you’ve completed as you complete it. This can serve as your kanban board and will be faster to implement than any other solution (giving you time to spend on the courses).