Precalculus: Mathematical Modeling
Johns Hopkins University · View on Coursera ↗
Taught by Joseph W. Cutrone, PhD
Math and LogicData Science
About the course
This course helps to build the foundational material to use mathematics as a tool to model, understand, and interpret the world around us. This is done through studying functions, their properties, and applications to data analysis. Concepts of precalculus provide the set of tools for the beginning student to begin their scientific career, preparing them for future science and calculus courses. This course is designed for all students, not just those interested in further mathematics courses.
The dissent
The most-upvoted critical review (1 vote, 3.0★).
“I am not sure how to describe the course. It is definitely NOT for non-math people. Not recommended for those expecting to be taught math. For those with advanced knowledge it maybe a good course to review the subject. The staff almost never answer the forums, and the quizzes almost never show the rubric, so doubts and questions go unanswered. I also don't think certification is meant for resumes either, so, again, I am not sure how to describe it. It is interesting though.”
Coursera's 4.8 comes from 98 ratings. Of those, 1.0% are 1–2★.
Starisk reads the reviews learners voted most helpful, and weights each by the square root of its votes: a review with 80 upvotes counts about five times one with 2. Unvoted reviews are not skipped out of laziness — by this model they carry no evidence that other students endorsed them.
That measures what the most-endorsed reviews say, not “true quality.” The rating distribution above is the whole population, so you can see the sample next to it.
Reviews read on 23 Oct 2026.Read them on Coursera ↗