Over 11,000 Students Take Free Online Calculus Course

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Math 104: Calculus, a free online math course offered by Silicon Valley start-up Education-Portal.com, has drawn over 11,000 students since it launched in March 2012. The course is comprised of 103 bite-sized video lessons that are fewer than 10 minutes long. The video lessons make complex concepts like derivatives and integrals simple and easy to learn. Online learners self-navigate through the course, learning just the topics they need to know and skipping the ones they've already mastered.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120607/SF21048LOGO)

Students are praising the math course's "understandable and easy-to-remember analogies" and instructor Erin Lennon's relatable and clear teaching style. Dr. Alvin Bayliss, professor of applied mathematics at Northwestern University, says, "These lessons are most definitely a useful supplemental resource for calculus students as well as for students who want to study independently."

Math 104 is the second complete course in Education Portal Academy, which is currently building 11 other free courses in math, science, history, English, psychology, and business. Unlike sites such as Khan Academy, Udacity and Coursera, Education Portal Academy's courses and quizzes are designed to lead to real college credit by preparing students to test out of general education requirements. They are also 100% free - no login needed.

"Skyrocketing student debt is crushing today's college students," says Education-Portal.com CEO and co-founder Adrian Ridner. "Education Portal Academy's free college courses make education accessible to students all over the world."

Students have responded in droves. "I've been wanting to expand my college credits in order to get into a different field, but financially that is simply not possible," says one student. "Seeing your site...has given me a new glimmer of hope."

In addition to taking Education Portal Academy's free courses, students can apply for the site's several scholarships and college credit reimbursement program.

Education-Portal.com is a self-funded venture by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Ben Wilson and Adrian Ridner. Their mission for the last ten years has been to make education accessible through technology and innovation.

To learn more about Education Portal Academy's free courses, visit: http://education-portal.com/academy/index.html.

SOURCE Education-Portal.com