- Math104 is a 3 credit course and we cover the same topics in the online course as we do in the regular in-person 13-week semester course. The 6-week course moves at a very fast paced and the 12-week course moves at roughly the same pace as a regular semester. It’s important to think about what version of the course – the 6-week or the 12-week – would fit your schedule and learning needs best. Are you prepared to put in enough time every day to learn and practice the course material to be proficient in it? Which session, the 6-week or the 12-week, would best fit your schedule and learning needs?
- Math104 presupposes a strong background in basic algebra. Do you have the basic algebra skills required to complete the Precalculus problems you’ll be required to complete?
- There will be some flexibility in the course – allowing you to move faster than the course schedule, but you cannot move slower. You can finish assignments ahead of the scheduled deadlines but you don’t want to fall behind schedule – it is very difficult to catch up in such a fast paced course. Are you prepared to create a schedule for yourself in this course and stick to it even though you have other obligations?
- 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 Zoom. 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. Are you willing to email me, sign on to our “virtual” office hours – even if it just to say hi, and ask questions?
- 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 Precalculus course. Are you prepared to take notes and do your homework problems out on paper, in a notebook?
- Do your own homework assignments and take your own quizzes. Although there is no way for me to ensure you are quizzes in MyMathLab 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 midterm and final exams. Are you prepared to learn the material by doing your own work in this class?