Is this the right Course Format for me?

It is so very important that you understand that taking a course online is not the same as taking it in a formal classroom setting.  Online courses cover the same amount of material and level of content as "face-to-face" courses.  Students taking this course will find it takes more time than when it is taken in the traditional format.  Since this is a 5 credit course, it should be thought of as taking two courses.  So to determine if this is the format in which you should take Precalculus, ask yourself the following questions:

    Am I a self-starter?

        You will need to be very self-disciplined in order to be successful in this course.  Since you will

         not have a traditional environment, with a specific time the class meets and a place to come to

         work on your math, you will need to organize your schedule to include adequate time to spend

         learning the material. 

    Do I effectively manage my time?

         The rule of thumb is that for every hour spent in class, at least two hours of study are needed

        outside of class.  In other words, in a traditional format, a student would need to allow at least

        10 hours outside of class to spend on this course.  With an online course, this amount of time

        increases.  I would suggest spending at least 15 hours per week working on this class.  It will be so

        important to your success that you set a schedule and really stick to it.  It is better to spread the

        time you spend each week over a period of 4 or more days per week, than to try to get all of

        material for a chapter covered in 1 or 2 days.

    Am I good at completing assignments by a deadline?

        There are several assignments in this course that must be submitted by a specific date.  If they

         are not completed by the deadline, they will not be accepted.

    Can I learn mathematics by reading it in a textbook?

           It is important to remember that although there are ways to get individualized help in this

         course, you will primarily be learning the material through reading the textbook, or by reading

         the textbook and using online resources. 

    Do I know how to use a graphing calculator? 

           This course is not heavily dependent upon the graphing calculator.  However, there are some

           topics that do require the use of the graphing calculator. Also, it is assumed that those taking

           Precalculus have prior knowledge on how to use the graphing calculator.  If you are not familiar

           with the graphing calculator, please let me know and I will be able to direct you to various

           learning resources. There is online calculator help provided by our text.

I do not in any way mean to discourage you from taking this course.  I just want to help you to understand the dynamics of the course and the realities of taking an online course.  If you are comfortable with your responses to the above questions, then consider yourself an excellent candidate for this class!