Frequently Asked Questions

This page answers some questions that we frequently receive about the curriculum. If you have questions that aren’t answered here, try asking through one of our community channels. If it seems important enough or we get asked that question a lot, we will probably add it here.

Alternatively, you could contribute an answer yourself.

Contents

Questions

Does OSSU offer a degree?

No. OSSU creates guides to resources that will empower you to learn the high school math curriculum. Individuals who used to be involved in OSSU may be working with other organizations to offer degrees, but Open Source Society University is not involved in those efforts.

How do I know what to study if I’ve already studied math before?

Chances are that you have studied some or all of the topics included in this curriculum before. In that case, you do not need to start at the beginning. Instead, we recommend browsing through the curriculum, skipping anything you are confident in and studying things that you know need improvement. If you are not sure, take some of the assessment tests to see where your skills are at. You may be surprised at the topics that jump back into your memory.

In what order should I take the courses?

Each course has a prerequisite of the previous course, so you should take the cources linearly from top to bottom.

Do I need a textbook?

Some may find using a textbook to supplement their learning useful. However, using a textbook to help your studies is optional. In case you do want to use a textbook, we have prepared the following questions.

What book do I use?

Check out extras/readings for a list of textbooks you can use to aid your studies.

Where can I find answers to the questions in the textbook?

While this differs by textbook, they can usually be found at the end of the textbook or end of the chapter. If you have a digital textbook (for example, the OpenStax books), you may be able to click the question number to take you to the answer.

Why is there only the answer of half the questions given?

Many textbooks add extra questions without answers given so that teachers have questions they can assign as homework without students cheating. Often, the textbook publishers sell a separate book that contains the answers to all of the problems, but this is not necessary if you are self-studying. The questions with answers given should be enough.

Do I need a calculator?

On some of the tougher equations, the teacher explicitly mentions it’s okay to use a calculator. However, you should not use a calculator until you get past Arithmetic. Even then, you can (optionally) get by without a calculator for most of the courses until Algebra 2, though you will need a calculator for Trigonometry. You may find a graphing calculator helpful to understand how equations look when graphed and how manipulating them changes the graph. Just remember to avoid calculators with a Computer Algebra System (CAS). You should learn how to do algebra without letting a calculator do the work for you.

How many practice problems should I do?

The College Prep School has more than enough practice problems. Do every problem that you are asked to try during class and do all of the homework. You don’t have to do a few of the problems covered during class yourself because they are only used to demonstrate how to solve the problem, but if you want you can complete them for extra practice. If you feel uncomfortable with a particular subject, try checking out a textbook as they contain thousands of practice problems.

Does every resource in the main curriculum have to be free?

Yes, that is a core goal of OSSU.

At the same time, we recognize that education is a resource that requires payment to instructors to make it sustainable in the long term. Therefore, we respect the business model of websites like edX, which make their materials free but with some paid add-ons, like official certificates or extra interaction with course instructors.

So we only require that the learning materials of a resource be free to access, not that every possible add-on be free. It would be ideal if graded assignments were always free. In the event that free assessments are not available OSSU looks for alternate assessments to pair with a course.

Why doesn’t the curriculum cover/ignore topic X?

You can read more about our curricular guidelines and the qualifications of the guidelines’ authors here. If you find a topic that is required by our guidelines and is not included in the curriculum, we should make a change! Read more about contributing to a change.

Is Geometry necessary for Calculus or Computer Science?

Yes. Geometry is a major prerequisite to Trigonometry, which in turn is used thoughout Calculus. Also, some of the basic proofs taught in Geometry serve as a gentle introduction to mathematical thinking, which can be helpful for later programming and math courses.

How can I find a lesson on a particular topic?

It is very common to find lessons for single math topics on the internet. It is rarer to find an entire course that covers all the math topics. If you are looking for a resource that goes more in depth into a topic you are struggling with, we recommend searching Google or YouTube for that topic. r/learnmath has a list of resources that you may find useful. Also, be sure to check out extras/courses and extras/readings!

Why not Khan Academy, Professor Leonard, and/or insert favorite resource here?

The College Prep School was chosen because it meets the needs of a rigorous curriculum that covers all of the topics needed before entering college. It also has all of the homework and tests built in to the curriculum, which makes it easier to follow. Khan Academy was not chosen because many consider it to not have challenging problems and/or enough problems and/or promotes passively watching math videos. Professor Leonard was not chosen because it is a lecture series without integrated homework or tests, whereas other resources contain these materials. For more info regarding these choices, see Issue 5. The coursepages have tips that have been contributed over time to improve the curriculum. If you feel like you have found a better resource or method than The College Prep School, feel free to open an issue.