Advice from past Math 115 students taking this class online in 16-weeks

Well I came into this class not really knowing what to expect. I have come to realize its pretty intense. As I have never been in an online math course, the format of the material was new to me. My first hurdle was how to get everything I could from the resources provided. To be successful in this course, you MUST watch the videos, overlook the text for specific business related calculus material, and finally: if you are not understanding the process, use the practice exercise's ability to break down problems.

Some advice for before the course starts... As the prerequisite is Intermediate algebra, the use of trigonometry and much geometry knowledge should be attained asap, ex: area of shapes. I personally feel that the prerequisite is not sufficient to this course, as my highschool classes in algebraII and Trig have come to help me greatly.

The thing to not do with this course: not allow enough time. If you are to wait until before a test to really go into the lab or find additional help, learning the way does not always come after one study session. Much time needs to be allocated for this course

Before this course, I suggest that you brush up on the basics of geometry (from Math 820) and make sure that you felt confident in the materials of the prerequisite

Before I started the class I wish I had a better understanding of how to utilize an online textbook. I have taken other online courses before, but never had an online text book. This is an astoundingly different and in my eyes more callenging way of learning the material.

To prepare for this class I wish I had taken more time in learning about all the different things that I can do to utilize the tools within the math lab in order to learn the material quicker.

In order to be successful in the course you should plan ahead. If you have extra time to finish more assingment than what is assinged for that night just do it.

Don't try and cram it all into one night, because you won't learn anything and you won't get a good grade on the test.

I wish I knew how much time this class takes in order to fully understand each concept. I wish I reviewed more on the basic algebra to prepare for this class. In order to be successful in this class you should read the text watch the videos and do all of the practice problems before starting the homework. However, you should not think this class is going to be simple and leave little time to work on the material.

Dear Prospective Math 115 Student,

Math 115 is extremely challenging. If I only knew what to expect for this very demanding semester, I would have brushed up on my algebra. It has been 10 years since I took College Algebra and I had since forgotten most of the rules. A student needs to definitely know their logs, natural logs, and e's, in order to be successful in this class. Logs are not my strong suit and I struggled with questions that included them, so I would definitely know your logs well.

I wish I would have taken Math 101 again or studied algebra on my own. It is absolutely essential to know your algebra like the back of your hand. I actually attempted to enroll in Math 101 again, but since I had taken it previously, the college wouldn't let me re-enroll. Sometimes its better to take a class, where you are forced to do the work, than relying on self-discipline.

However, to be successful in this class you need to be self-disciplined. Make sure to allow at least 3-4 hours a day to study to keep up with the homework. Before a test, study the Practice Tests thoroughly. I would suggests going through Practice Tests at least three times in order to really grasp the material. Also, because the Practice Tests consists of 90 questions, allow yourself a few days of studying to get through all the material.

Repetition is the key to success in this class. Do as many problems as possible. I would also buy a hard copy text. It is much easier to study from a hard copy book than from the e-book. Do the exercises at the end of the sections. Also, watch the videos provided. Brightstorm is the best. Don't waste your time on any of the other videos. Go through the practice exercises before the actual homework. Take the practice quizzes before the actual quiz. Go to the Math lab if you need help. And, allow yourself enough time to study. If you do all these things, you should be successful in this class.

One thing you should not do is procrastinate. Do your homework right away and do not wait until the last minute. This class takes a lot of studying time and waiting until the last minute will kill your chances at getting a good grade.

Good luck!
Don't forget to brush up on your algebra!

Their are so many things I would have done differently to prepare for this class. First of all I would have familarized myself with how to use all the options available with the course compass. I spent so much time writing everything down, when their is a way to print from the site. I also would have gone ahead & finished the homework & quizzes much quicker. It's nice to have moved ahead then spend more time on the practice packets. Really know your alegebra, that helps alot too. The videos are also very important, as I am a visual person & playing the videos helped me understand teh concept. The other thing which is extremely important is the tutoring center. Even though I live far from Mira Costa, I use the tutoring center at my local community college.
The things not to do is take your time thinking you have to follow the advised schedule it's only a suggestion. but get it done & understand it. Don't wait til the last minute to complete it. This has been a difficult class but i'm glad I stuck it out.

Math 115, it was definitely a super challenging class. I don’t have much to add to what everybody else has already said as they covered most of the main important points. One thing though that I believe would have helped me a lot more was dedicating more time to it, but I can’t blame my kids for it, lol lol . For second would be spreading the amount of time that you would spend practicing in more than a day or two before the exam would make your effort for a better grade more worthy. Something else that you got to be very careful about is your pen and paper test. The timing puts a lot of pressure so you tend to go over thing much faster and math tells you, slow down my friend or you will make tans mistakes, even stupid ones. And last but not the list is the impression that I got from this class, with all it challenges it does have some beauty in it. I it just amazing how you can apply the math rules in almost everything that we do in life.

I just want to say this class was much more involved then I ever thought. I wish I knew how to use the graphing calculator before I took this class. It would have been nice to take a class on how to use this calculator. I wish that I would have taken a crash course in Algebra beforehand since it has been a few years since I have.

In order to take this class and do the homework, quizzes and tests, I had to drop one of my other classes, spent less time with friends, and spent many more hours than I had anticipated in front of my computer. When Professor Apalatea explains, in the syllabus, that you will spend 3 hours a day on homework, quizzes, or tests, you better believe it. I didn’t at first but quickly learned the first week that it was true.

This class is extremely intense and requires a lot of attention. It would not be wise to wait to the end of the week to complete the homework for that week or do the quizzes on the day they are due. If you do this you will fall so far behind it may be impossible to keep up. It is really wise to complete each segment’s homework a day or two before it is due, because some homework may take an hour or two to complete. Especially when there are many steps involved for each homework assignment. I would also recommend to get as high a grade on your homework and quizzes as you can, meaning to repeat each one as many as you can to get the top score. Since the tests are a huge percentage of your grade, you need all the extra points you can get.

Also be sure to check the date when Discussion Boards are due. I know I missed a date because I didn’t check CourseCompass for a few days. Think of CourseCompass as email that you need to check each day.

Coming into the class, I knew it was going to be hard, but I had no choice this was the only class I could get at any school in the state.
With the help of math lab tutors it really hasn't been so bad. I still have not used the textbooks, I don't understand how it works, so maybe get help if you don't understand how to use it.
The videos offered are sometimes very useful when I'm completely lost, because in the practice exercises it doesn't always explain where a particular answer came from. Other than that utilize the practice exercises, I would not be staying afloat without them. Sometimes they explain the process in a bit of a complicated way, so it is good to have an outside source help simplify what the exercises are doing. Definitely do every problem on the practice test, it gives you all the options of every possible question on the test, and it made me very well prepared for the tests. Get help when you need it and good luck.