CLP 1 Differential Calculus (UBC)
OER Reviewed: CLP 1 Differential Calculus (UBC)
Reviewer: Shirin Boroushaki, Assistant Teaching Professor, Faculty of Mathematics and Statistics, Thompson Rivers University
OER was used for teaching by reviewer at UBC.
Rating
Each criterion asks the reviewer to rate it on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very poor and 5 = excellent).
Comprehensiveness – Rating: 4
The OER covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately and provides an effective index and/or glossary.
Some minor topics are not fully covered in the text:
- Examples involve graph of the derivative: Given the notion of the derivative, other than Example 3.1.1, there are no examples involving graphing the derivative of a function given the function itself or vice versa. Also examples where critical values and local extrema are to be found given the graph of f’ are missing.
- Newton’s method of approximation is not covered in this OER.
Content Accuracy – Rating: 5
Content, including diagrams and other supplementary material, is accurate, error-free, and unbiased.
Relevance/Longevity – Rating: 5
Content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the OER obsolete within a short period of time. The OER is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.
Clarity – Rating: 4
The OER is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used.
There are a few concepts that may need more elaboration:
- Infinite limits and vertical asymptotes: The algebraic methods of evaluating limits are covered in Section 1.4 including infinite limits. There are only two examples of infinite limits (Examples 1.4.6 and 1.4.7) where the explanation is limited to “non-zero/zero=DNE”, whereas these limits usually need a more in-depth analysis and some graphical interpretation in the form of vertical asymptotes. On a similar note, in Section 2.2, the concept of non-differentiability for functions with a vertical tangent line is delivered as DNE limits with no mention of infinity as the value of the derivative limit.
- Horizontal asymptote as the geometric interpretation of limits at infinity: Similarly, in Section 1.5 where “Limits at infinity” are introduced, there is no mention of horizontal asymptote as a graphical interpretation of such limits. The notion of “Asymptotes” is briefly covered in two paragraphs in Section 3.6 followed by one example where they are needed for curve sketching.
Consistency – Rating: 5
The OER is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.
Modularity – Rating: 5
The OER is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course (i.e., enormous blocks of text without subheadings should be avoided). The OER should not be overly self-referential, and should be easily reorganized, and realigned with various subunits of a course without presenting m