- Treat it like the real course that it is! You are spending the money, so be prepared to spend the time.
- You can move faster than the course, but you cannot move slower! You are free to complete the entire course (other than the final exam) as quickly as you like, but there are deadlines. The deadlines are there to ensure that you are finished with the course before the final exam.
- Communication is key! Just like when you take an in person course, there will be office hours, email communication, and there can even be face to face communication using Skype or G-chat. During a regular semester one on one meetings and office hours can only benefit you if you use them. The same is true for an online course! Email me, sign on to our “virtual” office hours – even if it just to say hi, and don’t hesitate to ask questions.
- Use lots of paper! Even though the lectures and homework assignments are online, this doesn’t mean this is a paper-free class. You should be taking notes while viewing the online lectures. You should also be working out the homework problems in a notebook. If you aren’t writing any work down, that means you are doing everything in your head – not a good strategy for success in a Calculus course.
- Do your own work and take your own quizzes. Although there is no way for me to ensure you are taking your quizzes in WileyPLUS without any aids, you will want to consider the repercussions of using help on the quizzes. If you do not learn the material to the extent that you can successfully master the quiz questions without any help, you will not necessarily be prepared for your proctored final exam. Please take the quizzes with just your own brain and a calculator.