Pre-Calculus Essentials Summer Program

Welcome!  We hope you are looking forward to the fall semester.  We are excited to offer you the opportunity to participate in a special online program designed to help you in your introductory mathematics courses here at Berkeley.  Below you'll find lots of information on the program, complete with a  sign-up link at the very bottom of the page.

What is this?

Pre-Calculus Essentials is an online short course covering foundational topics from algebra and pre-calculus.  It was designed specifically for students intending to take introductory mathematics courses here at Berkeley.  The summer program is three weeks, running from July 25 to August 12th (summer session E), covering 15 essential topics in pre-calculus. 

Who is involved?

Pre-Calculus Essentials was developed by Alexander Paulin and Kelli Talaska, who have both been teaching at UC Berkeley for over a decade.

This year, Professor Alexander Paulin will be leading the program and teaching the summer course with the support of a team of enthusiastic undergraduate peer tutors and learning a specialist at the Student Learning Center (SLC). 

Why should I participate? 

As you start your academic life at Berkeley, you’ll quickly discover that success in STEM subjects relies on having a solid mathematical foundation.  Almost immediately you’ll find that the way you learn mathematics at University is not like in high school.  Topics are covered at greater speed, in greater depth, and with greater rigor at University, often assuming detailed background knowledge of Pre-Calculus.

Here in the mathematics department, we understand that this transition is challenging and want to help you through it. Taking part in this program will reinforce your foundational mathematics skills, giving you the tools and the confidence to do brilliantly in your first STEM courses here at Berkeley.

Is it for credit? Will I get a grade?

Enrollment for our online summer program is informal and totally free of charge. The course is not for credit, you won't be given a grade, and you won't take exams.  It’s a relaxed program designed to welcome you to academic life at Berkeley, and you can engage with it on your terms. There is an option to take it for credit (for a fee) and if you are interested in this, you should contact us directly at essentials@math.berkeley.edu. 

I can't commit much time to the program.  Should I still enroll?

Yes!  By enrolling you'll automatically get access to all our learning resources (asynchronous video lectures, comprehension exercises, worksheets), as well as access to daily online synchronous lectures and office hours.  You can engage with the material in a way that works best for you.  You'll also continue to have access to everything throughout fall semester.

Did you mention peer tutors?

When you enroll you'll be given two options: Self-study option or Peer-tutor option.  These are exactly the same, except the latter option means you'll take part in an online daily discussion led by an undergraduate tutor. These will be hour-long sessions where you'll explore the lesson of the day in a small group. In your tutor group, you'll generally be with students going into the same fall mathematics classes. It'll be an excellent opportunity to make friends and study buddies.  If you've got the time we strongly recommend this option.  Our tutors were in your shoes only a year ago and they really understand where you are coming from and how best to help.

Anything I should do before signing up?

To give you a better sense of how prepared to for your fall mathematics classes, we strongly recommend completing the MDTP  diagnostic assessment (details will be sent to you via email).   You shouldn't be nervous about the assessment.  It's not for a grade and it won't have any impact on this program or your fall classes.  It's just for you to get a sense of how prepared you are and what topics you may need to focus on before your fall classes begin. You will get an email from us with a detailed breakdown of your results 1-2 days after completing the assessment, so you should complete it as soon as possible. 

How should I interpret the score from my MDTP assessment?

The MDTP assessment can help determine if you have mastered basic high school math skills needed to do well in pre-calculus or calculus courses.  Below are our recommendations based on your MDTP assessment scores.  MDTP assessment results will be emailed to you with 1 to 2 days after completion of the assessment. 

• Below critical level in three or more topics or an overall score of 0-47:

  • • Recommendation: Peer-Tutor Option 

    • Scores in this range indicate that students have multiple basic skill areas in which they need to build strength.  

• Below critical level in one or two topics or an overall score of 48-57: 

  • • Recommendation: Self-Study Option

    • Scores in this range indicate competence with multiple core skills, but room for improvement in others.  

• Overall Score of 58-60: 

  • • Recommendation: Self-Study Option

    • Scores in this range indicate competence with most high school math skills.  However, there is a big jump in rigor from high school to college, so students can still benefit from our summer program.  

While the Pre-Calculus Essentials course is completely optional, we do feel that it can help all students to kick off the year with a strong start.  The recommendations above are just starting points to help you determine what math topic you might need additional support in. 

What topics will we be covering?

In total Pre-Calculus Essentials contains 36 lessons, divided into three sections: Algebra, Functions, and Core Functions.  Each lesson contains in-depth video lectures and comprehension exercises, all designed to reinforce your foundational knowledge and introduce you to university-level mathematics.  In the three-week program, we will focus on 15 of these topics, accompanying them with worksheets to hone deeper understanding.