Active Prelude to Calculus, Active Calculus, and Active Calculus Multivariable are free, open-source texts designed for an active learning experience for students.
In addition to the textbooks themselves, we offer a wide range of ancillary materials for instructors. Learn more about each text via links in the main menu above, including information about free PDF versions and how to purchase print copies of available editions. Each book is freely available in HTML; follow a “read online” button below to try it.
Every section of each text
- has engaging activities for students to complete before and during class;
- offers additional exercises that challenge students to connect and assimilate core concepts;
- includes anonymous interactive WeBWorK* exercises;
- and helps students develop conceptual understanding and improve their skills at communicating mathematical idea.
* – there are also versions of both Active Prelude and Active Single that offer updated interactive previews and/or exercises in Doenet. See this blog post to learn more.
There is a Google Group for instructors who use Active Prelude or Active Single; there are about 800 members of the group who occasionally share ideas and resources to support teaching from these texts. A separate Google Group exists for instructors who use Active Multi. At the Instructors link in the main menu above, you can learn more about resources for instructors and how to join the Google groups.
Each text carries a Creative Commons BY-SA license that allows users to clone, fork, and modify the GitHub source, provided they give attribution and share the results of their work freely.
