Department of Mathematics, San Francisco State University (SFSU), 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132. SFSU is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Summer 2008 - 8 weeks - 3 lessons per week, summer students sharing their experience

Your tips for a potential student to succeed?
scanner, fast internet connection, i didnt have a graphing calculator so i downloaded WZgrapher and that worked for me
1. Submit assignments early when possible, especially for the first sets, which tend to be easier and gives you room to get a few problems wrong in the later, more difficult sections.

2. Listen attentively during the lectures without taking notes, pause when the professor asks for students to solve a problem on paper and do it yourself, and be engaged even though there is no physical contact. I often found myself responding outloud to his questions as if I was in class with him, but it helped me in being completely focused.

3. Replay lectures when necessary. Make us of the stream videos available, very helpful!

4. DOWNLOAD LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENT AHEAD OF TIME. With technology comes some uncertainty, as signal strength can change or internet connection can fail. I often read about classmates being stuck in a problem that was explained in lecture because they could not access the lecture due to last minute internet connection problems.

5. Last week is fast paced, give yourself time to complete the mandatory assignments EARLY, so you may submit the optional assignments (which are review problems for the final exam) and do the final practice exam. Get ahead early and always work at least one assignment ahead. If participation remains as such a influential catagory then respond to everything and anything.
It is very important to have enough time to watch the lectures, read the notes, and "hammer out" the homeworks. If you have a good foundation in Algebra, Trigenomentry, and Geometry, the only key needed for success is committed time for this class (about 5-7 hours per lesson).
Make sure you are aware of the deadlines. Also, be organized and allow yourself plenty of time to complete the assignments.
take this class. If possible, I would reccomend getting ahead early so that you can take advantage of the potential flexibilty this course offers.
You need to have high discipline in your studying. You need to control yourself to take a seat and study on timely basis.
Purchase the "Calculus Lifesaver" book instead of a calculus textbook. First, it's much cheaper than a used textbook. Second, the topics are covered in order and in more detail with lots of examples, solutions, and explanations. It was a great complement to the course material.

Second, come up with a schedule of when to do each lesson, and stick with it. That came in handy for me, as I took this course over the summer, along with volunteering weekly and taking the MCAT.

Third, review trig along with basic algebra.
Get ahead and try stay ahead. It's the only true way to succeed.
Do NOT fool yourselves. Even the brightest, most successful students found this class to TRULY require 5-7 hours per homework set, if not much more at times.

Watch the video ALWAYS before you start the homework! Maybe you are running a little late and feel that you don't have time for it, but find the time! These videos are the key to your success in this class. You'll spend more time looking up how to do a homework problem than simply watching the video. Might as well start off with the right step then skip it, waste time, and have to watch it after all.

Also, DON"T wait till the last minute to turn in your homework. On one or more occasion I figured I would turned my homework at work, no problem. But I got preoccupied and found myself running to my PC praying to have enough time to turn it in.
Put in plenty of study time and you will succeed.
Take the class with no other engagements, as aforementioned. Also, dedicate a minimum of 3 hours to each lecture and homework. The final thing would be to utilize the forum. It is a wonderful learning tool if you use it correctly. Keep up on the homework, doing it ahead of time if possible in case some problems being harder and taking more time than expected!
Watch the lectures and communicate with the other students in the class, although I was a bit slack I found out that they was a great resource.
The key to success is to be diligent and stick to the class schedule. Also, class participant is critical, without the student has a slim chance of achieving a good grade.
Definitely need to put in the time, if someone wants to get a decent grade. Aside from the lecture (usually an hour long), and reading material from my text (usually another 2 hours to understand), the homework would take me anywhere from 2-7 hours to complete.
Keep on top of the work! It was a lot for me to do, and I'm a math person!
Definitely do NOT get behind on lectures, participate in the homework forum and I found it very helpful to meet with a tutor on a regular basis.
Again, make sure you devote enough time to the HW assignments and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Keep up with the homework and contact the TA's for professor, and check the ilearn constantly. Before you watch the video read the Home work problem and the instruction.
Watch lectures in advance, don't rely on ilearn for answers...just to double check, and to discuss big picture concepts.

What was most rewarding?
seeing as how i paid for this class with my own personal money that i saved up i really wanted to not only succeed but enjoy it. viewing the problems as puzzles or games made it fun and the sense of accomplishment after finishing was great.
The most rewarding part of this course is the fact that I enjoyed the course, when in the past I have dreaded taking math course due to the difficult time I have grasping concepts quickly. Despite the fast pace of this course I felt that the lectures where very clear and concise and had a very manageable pace. Also, the homework forums where a very effective way to exchange ideas, frustrations, and the glory of finding the correct solutions....making the entire process more involving and more effective. I had never before enjoyed a math course as much as I enjoyed this online calculus course!

Doing a problem and going to the forums to see that you did it righh!

The most rewarding part of this class for me was getting the grades I wanted on the assignments. Despite all of the work, the material made sense to me, and it was good to see that reflected in my grades.
Being able to help other students in the discussion forum was the most rewarding part of the experience. And, finally being done!
i don't really know

It was rewrding to finish a homework assignment that was due on a Monday before the weekend.
Fully understand in the calculus fundamental knowledge.
The final exam was the most rewarding for me. I could not believe that I had actually learned a lot over the summer from an online course until I took the final exam.

I took the exam at the SFSU campus. There was one little thing that could have been done a little bit better. It would have been nice if the clock were positioned so that we could see how much time was left as we were taking the final exam. Or, write on the white board every 30 minutes with the amount of time remaining. I definitely rushed through the exam, not realizing that I had a ton of time to double-check my answers.

Taking the final, it wasn't that hard at all.
Getting the right answer and being able to help someone else get the right answer.
The way the course is set up if you put in the relevant time to study you come out really knowing your stuff.
Dr. Goetz. He is an amazing person, and his teaching style is one that I can learn from very easily. He also was very very helpful via email when I needed things. I think the forum was also very rewarding, but due to my 'around the world' situation I had little time to post messages on the forum, but I did read them daily.
Drilling this information into my brain after only half-getting it my first time through. It was nice learning why something works and not just going through the motions of the problem, knowing how it worked helped me.
I understand calculus a little better then I did before. The lectures was great, because you made it plain and clear along with the examples was a great help.
The most rewarding part was seeing the entire class through until completion.
Comparing homework answers with other students, and finding out that I had similar answers compared to the rest of those who posted on the forum.
I love algebra. Finding out that so much was algebra was fun.
Actually absorbing the information and making sense of it all! Professor Goetz does a great job of applying calculus to real life situations.
Finishing a HW assignment and seeing that you got the right answers was a good feeling. Also, being able to help others who were having trouble on the web boards was rewarding.

When I took calculus for years ago in my high school I though I would go nuts. But taking this class from SFSU with Dr. Goetz made calculus to understand better.
Probably just feeling accomplished after sorting out a really complicated problem...

What was most challenging?
complex derivatives (trigonometric fractions etc)
A few students were always ahead and began the forums. When the answers they posted where correct and someone else had already described the path to the solution, I often felt the inability to make a valuable contribution, other than saying "I agree".
Trying to keep up with the assignments while working full time.
The most challenging thing about this class was carving out time to work on this class every day. I worked at a full time job, and taking this class was just short of a second job.
Once my summer began to get busier, it got more challenging to keep up with the assignments. But, since you are well aware of the assignments for a long time before they are due, you could work ahead to avoid this problem.
in the beguinging it was very hard for me to understand but now it is very easy.
The most challenghin part of the course was tryin to participate in the homework forum while working around my schedule. It was helpful but sometimes not the best way to stay involved. Many times, everything that needed to be said about a problem was already said by the time my schedule allowed me to get to the homework. That makes it difficult when you know that the forum is a large portion of the grade.
Some homework problems are really difficult, but they are interesting.
My internet connection. My occasionally-working DSL router died midway through the course. Luckily, I got into the habit of downloading 3 lectures at a time, along with the corresponding homework assignments so that I could still learn and do homework while the router was not working. I just didn't post to ilearn during those down times.

Also, there were several lectures where the sound quality was horrible. For those lessons, I relied more on my book than the lecture for information.
The Shapes of Graph and Optimization.
THE PACE! Even as s straight "A", $35,000 scholarship receiver could not keep up but I took on too much this summer! I only mention my large scholarship in order to put emphasis that no matter how smart you are, and no matter how little effort other math classes may have been in the past, this class is extremely time consuming.

I enter this semester thinking " Oh, no problem. I can handle this easy! I am not the average student and can certainly get an A with ease". Wrong!

The videos were phenomenal! yet I found myself eventually lacking the time to watch a few of them. BIG MISTAKE! It's actually took me MORE time to do the homework without watching the video! The forums helped a ton, but those videos are crucial to your success in this class! MAKE time for them, and ALL of them!
I took the summer course and needed to put in many hours a week to master the material.
Maintaining appropriate homework time dedication while traveling all around the world. This was a personal choice, of course, and I dedicated sufficient time to each homework, but it was not an easy task. My advice is to take the class when you have no other engagements.
Working full time and finding time to do the homework.
The thing that was most challenging for me was getting the lesson in.
The most challenging part was keeping up with the 8-week break-neck pace.
The whole class was challenging I thought. You really have to work hard to attain a decent grade in the class. No one should ever expect an easy A if they are thinking about taking this class.
The problems with the graphs of the flight. It was difficult for me to figure out how the graph related to when you were on or off the ground.

Organizing my time properly so as to not get behind on lectures and homework assignments. Three or four assignments due a week!

Staying ahead with the class was difficult at times - completing 3 (sometimes 4) 1 hour lectures plus their associated HW assignments in a week was sometimes not the easiest thing to do. But, with a decent ability to manage your time, it was an easy hurdle to overcome.

The most challening part of this class was staying motivated. Since you work during your own schedule and pace, it was definitely easy to lose track of what was going on.
Comprehensive problems.

Sometimes I had a lot of trouble getting myself to watch the lecture far enough in advance. I did the best when I watched it the day before, and thus had time to recap with the book and think some concepts over before doing the homework.

Why did you take the class?
requirement for biochemistry major and i always regretted not taking it in highschool

I took this calculus course because it is a pre-requisite to apply to some medical schools. The reason why I took it online was for the convenience of not having to be on campus just for one class as I spend a total of 4 hours commuting to and from campus each day during the academic year. It was a nice break, and allowed me to use my time better!

It had been 8 years since I last took calculus so I needed to refresh my knowledge in calculus in order to continue with my economics degree.

I took this class to help enhance my future medical school applications, as some medical schools recommend and/or require calculus. SFSU, unlike other colleges and universities, did not require pre-calculus (which I have not taken).

Having this class online meant that I could adapt the work load to my busy schedule.

I needed this class in order to begin student teaching in August, and wasn't able to fit it into my schedule last spring at Peru. So, the timing of this course worked perfectly to enable me to finish my classes and student teach in August.
Becasue i need to complete my degree and take Engineering classes

I took this class to fill my math requirements and it was a way to get the credits while working and continuing my baseball career all at the same time.
It's the requirement for my MBA program.

I needed to take this class since several pharmacy and most medical schools require that all math and science courses be taken within the previous 10 years.

To improve my knowledge of Calculus as a whole. I've taken it before and didn't like my grade.

My Fellowship would not allow me to take a class unless it was from 7PM to 10PM.. and I don't think I have EVER seen any class like that.

Also, I wanted to enhance my Mathematics skills. I dropped out of high school and have always had to struggle with math, which I believe, is do my lack of math in my teenage years. I believe having math skills provides an individual with much more than "math" skills, but also changes/enhances one's fundamental thought processes and reasoning skills.
So i could finish the relevant courses faster so that I can put more time into studying for my exams

I needed Cal 1 in order to qualify for the prerequisite of the MS in Computer Science. Unfortunately my fall schedule was full, and I was to be in London taking a class for the remainder of the summer. The online aspect of the class attracted me, and solved my problem of time.

I was not satisfied with my first time through Calculus I, and after taking Calculus II and getting a good grade there, I figured it smart to retake the first one and go for an A.

I took the class because it is a requirement of prerequisite for the MEES program.

The reasons are two-fold: I enjoy math and wanted to become more familiar with Calculus concepts. The second reason is that I want to switch careers and enter the R&D world. Therefore, these two reasons drove me toward Calculus.

In order to satisfy a pre-req in an emphasis area in my program.

To refresh my memory: I last took Calculus in 1975.

It is a requirement for my major

I was lead to believe that I needed to take a calculus class before continuing my education. Turns out I didn't ... but I'm still glad I was able to take this class. It was nice to experience an online class - they can be just as engaging as a traditional class.

I took this class because I had to--for my major. But I took this class specifically because Professor Goetz was recommended by many of his past students. Usually, when so many students praise a professor (especially a math professor) for their work; you can't help by insist that the professor is a hypnotist. After hearing all of the hype, I had the urge to check the class out for myself. I'm not saying that this class was easy or that Professor Goetz is an easy grader, you definitely had to earn your grade, but what I'm trying to get at is Professor Goetz is possibly the only person who can teach college calculus, via the internet, effectively. Now that the semester is over... I can totally say that I believe the hype!

To transfer credits.

I needed calculus as a pre-requisite for higher level Econ courses. I wanted to take it online so I could still use summer to take trips, work, etc. If I had taken it in person, It meets every day during the week, and I worked all weekend, so I wouldn't have been able to go camping!

What surprised you the most?
at first the work load caught me off guard, but it was no problem adjusting
What was most surprising to me to me was the deep level of engagement and participation that was reached in every discussion forum.The online forums generated more frequent, and more in-depth student-student interaction than a regular in-classroom course where students have the physical contact and possibility to interact with all classmates but often choose to befriend just one or two.
The class was a little more labor intensive then I thought but nothing unreasonable. I thought that the ilearn forums was very helpful.
What surprised me the most about this course was how "learnable" all of the concepts were. Many people I know cringe when they hear the word "calculus," but I thought that this class was presented in an enjoyable way.
The speed of the course is a little surprising at first, but you get used to it. I was also very surprised by how good the lectures were and how thorough and helpful too.
I thought before that MAth Calc is the harsest math, and it gets hard when you take online, I had told everybody that i am taking Math Calc Online, and everybody said it's gogin to be hard fro you to pass this class. However after i did all the stuff in math, i got surprised that it was very easy

the degree of participation in discussion board. It's really high. Many students had participated and their comments are really helpful.
What surprised me the most?? The professor, the TA's and the "online" format were not as intimidating as I had feared, after all I hadn't taken Calculus in 20 years. The last time that I took calculus, both Calculus 1 and 2 were weeder courses turning freshmen engineering students into business majors.
The video lectures, seeing Prof. Goetz and then seeing him in person.
Honestly? The pace at which the class was taught. I was very aware of getting into a summer school math class and that it would be taught quite quickly, I had not deeply considered exactly how that would affect my life when I took on a full time Molecular Biology fellowship as well!

Also, that Chapter 5 was included. For our first serious of Calculus as SJSU, we only go up to chapter 4. But I found Chapter 5 to be very much worth doing and enjoyed doing it. I felt as if Ch. 5 was my fist time at getting into "real" Calculus!
What really surprised me the most about this course was the dedication of professor Goetz and the TA's. If you ever have a question or need help with something they were always available and answer you back right away. Another great thing was that they were very on top of grading the homework on time, so you can know were your holding and what you have to improve on.
The extreme amounts of contact with not only Dr. Goetz but the other students. There is a closeness there that you sometimes do not see in an actual lecture.
The online support available.

The thoroughness of Dr. Goetz's lectures surprised me. He is very verbose and explains concepts quite clearly and with conviction.
What surprised me the most was how easy it was to understand Professor Goetz's method in teaching Calculus!
How interesting the lectures were. I usually learn by myself, but I didn't try to do the homework until after watching the lectures.
I was surprised at how excellent and organized the live lectures were. Although a textbook is quite helpful it is not necessary because Professor Goetz covers everything in his lectures and provides several other helpful resources i,e. online grapher, stram clips, websites, homework forum, etc...
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed some of the lessons. There were a few I didn't like, such as the ones with 8+ page HW assignments - but it was still surprisingly fun at times.
I initially felt intimidated by the idea of taking an online class--especially it being a math class--because I felt that, for some reason, it would be very fast paced and that I wouldn't be at the same level as the other students. However, once the semester began all my worries disappeared and I felt comfortable. What I found most surprising about this class were the students. It was just so refreshing to know that there was always someone online who could help and answer a question.
After Spring Semester, 2008 I was looking forward to do summer school on Calculus I. I never thought about taking a online calculus, since I thought "how can it be possible" to take a math course online. Regardless, I went on Google and searched for "Online Calculus in USA". Then I found the SFSU site at the top of the Google search. Since the domain extension was .edu I was confirmed that it is a legit place for me to take the course. Next day I called the registration and signed up for it.

All the lectures of Dr. Goetz are perfect. He does explain every little detail and examples, which makes one to finish the homework properly. All the TA's are extremly helpfull and they know what they are supposed to do. I am really impress with this "Online Calculus" from SFSU. I hope you guys will soon have "online calculus II".
Scanning the homework, instead of having online assignments. I though this was way more helpful. I often had to re-write the homework several times, which only helped solidify the execution steps.

 

 

Overall did the course help you learn 1-5 (5-max)?
5,5,4,5,5,4,5,4,5,5,5,5,4,4,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,4

 

Any other comments

Thank you! I had always felt that I was not good at math because I had a hard time understanding it. However, throughout this course I understood every single concept perfectly, and was able to apply it to the homework, and even help others once in a while! This has demonstrated me that the way a course is taught has a lot to do with how well a student does. Even though I do not yet know my final grade, I feel that I gained a very valuable understanding of calculus one, as well as newly acquired self-confidence in learning math!!

I hope that this kind of class continues well into the future, and my compliments to its creators.

Thank you for being an excellent professor and helping me understand the concepts of Calculus.
A midterm would have been nice. A middle point in which to recall all of the information you have processed thus far and the ability to put it all together would have served me well.

More examples in the .pdf lectures.

This is sincerely THEE best calculus class I have ever taken! Dr. Goetz not only is good at his job but enjoys it and that makes ALL the difference.

And when is Calculus II going to be available in this manor??? I have a year to complete it so let me know!!!

Thanx for a great leaning experience and will recommend to others
Thank you for a great course. I think it was an amazing learning opportunity. I feel as though I learned a lot, though maybe I did not properly show it on my exam. I wish I was a better exam taker, I tend to be very nervous and forget things when I take tests.

Regardless, I feel as though I learned quite a bit more than I have ever learned in previous math courses, and Dr. Gotez was the best math professor I have ever had.

I like your methods on how you presented this course. It was excellent and I learned that calculus can be understood by someone that is not a math major.

Thank you This was a great course. I only wish there was a follow-up online class (Calculus II).
I have already recommended this class to several others, I hate summer classes, but this has been a very rewarding experience. Thank you!
Thank you so much! It was exactly what I was looking for. If I teach AP Calc in the next few years, I'll be reviewing all the lectures and materials.

Karyn

Keep offering this great class!

Thanks Dr. Goetz!!!!

 

Students who successfully completed this class share what was important in their success.

Samantha Spring 2008,
Professor Goetz,

I believe one of the most important things to succeeding in this course is to constantly do homework. Once you finish an assignment, start the next one. I found myself frequently underestimating the amount of time one assignment could take. With any online class you are forced to teach yourself to a certain degree, which can add time.

Also, working with a tutor or completing assignments with a friend is very helpful. An online class provides no one on one interaction, and with math that is sometimes the most useful tool. I highly suggest finding someone (tutor or friend) to make up for that lack of personal interaction.

And, don't be shy to use the forum. If you can't get tutoring assistance or don't have a friend in the class, let the forum be your tutor and participate in it. I often held back from posting anything because I was afraid my answer would be wrong, but that's what the forum is for, discussion, hints, tips, etc. on how to achieve the correct answer.

Going into this course my major was Zoology. I have recently changed majors to one where calculus is not required, but I believe this course will benefit all who take it. It is a very useful to challenge your brain to think in the manner that is required to do calculus.

Chris May 2008
I am going into the corporate banking world next year. I will take some of the tools I learned in this class, and make a lot of people money. Thanks once again Professor Goetz, it was a pleasure! Albeit not much pleasure stumped and sweating over graphs and such, but your enthusiasm and lectures gave me prospective of the bigger picture of mathematics. Isn't that the point! Bravo to a teacher who understands this.

Amy May 2008
The most important thing about staying ahead in this class is doing each and every homework assignment and getting it in on time (or early). I didn't realize in the beginning how much time I was really going to be spending on doing homework. It did average out to about 12-14 hours per week though, as Prof. Goetz suggests.

I am a procrastinator and because of other classes and work, I would often have to wait until the night before to do my homework. Now, this isn't the best option because cramming everything in all at once can lead to information overload and it's easier to grasp things over time. But, with real dedication and the willingness to stay up until 4am doing homework, it's still possible to do well in the class as I did.

The forum was almost equally as important because it allowed me to do something I wouldn't be able to do in a normal in-person class, which is ask questions whenever I need to, like at 4am. Often, when I would go to the forum, someone else would have already asked the same question I had about a problem.

But honestly, I probably would not have done so well in the class had I not truly enjoyed doing the homework, even when I was the most frustrated. Calculus can be a hard thing to grasp but finally understanding a problem gave me a small sense of accomplishment.

Richard, May 2008
My advice is to stay on top of the lectures and assignments. Since you can watch the lectures at your convenience it is so easy to fall behind. Turn in your assignments early. Take advantage of the free points! Heck, you have to do the assignment eventually so why not do it early and get some free points!

Utilize the forums. There is a lot of helpful hints and advice that saved me this semester. Ask questions - I know its a cliche but really...if you have a question there is most likely someone else that is asking the same thing. Answer questions - Not only are you helping a fellow student but if you give a wrong answer there will be someone else that can correct and explain what you did wrong.

Don't rely on the websites to answer the derivatives for you. I fell into that trap and then I realized that I would not have any idea how to solve the problem because I became reliant on them.

I am a Marine Biology Major and I really should have taken this class a long time ago. It would have especially helped me to understand some of those chemistry calculations from 2/3 years ago that I am just now finally getting what it was exactly that I was doing beyond just solving it.

I definitely would recommend this class to future students from any major. One of the best math experiences I have had. And I DREAD math! big grin

by Pei - May 2008
Since there's no in-class lecture for this math section, it is very important that you keep on track throughout the semester. Because i was not able to keep up with the lecture and the homework sets, i could see my homework grade went up and down, which was not so good. Therefore, i was forcing myself to do extra-good at the end of the semester because i knew i had to get more points to pass this class. The extra homework point for turning it early also helped me bring up my grades a little too! Overall, it had not been easy but thanks to the replayable video lectures and the unlimited help i got from the forum on ilearn, i survived. Actually, i thought i did pretty well at the end too!

Although there's no in-class lecture, there are tutoring sessions on campus that you can get help from (if you really need some personal help). You can also feel free to e mail Professor Goetz or any of the TAs, they will be more than happy to help you out like they did to me.

In conclusion, this has been a great experience for me. I appreciate this opportunity to take Calculus online because as a Biology major student who commute on a daily bases, i seriously do not have much time to take a regular math class. So i definitely recommend this class to people like me.

by David - 20 May 2008, 07:42 PM
The hardest part for me, as someone who hadn't taken a math class in more than 5 years, was adjusting at the beginning of the semester. It was easy for forgotten algebraic principles and equivalencies to get in the way of new concept learning in the beginning. I was a little nervous at first because the first few assignments were taking much longer than anticipated, but it became much more comfortable once the algebraic rust fell away. Do review algebra first!

I got a great amount of information from the lectures and online forum, but I found it also helpful to reinforce those concepts by reviewing the corresponding textbook sections. The textbook is good for the general concept and formula checking, but when you have a more specific question just shoot it off to the forum and the feedback comes almost immediately. Trying to teach concepts in the forum to someone else, I also found, was really a great way to lock down new concepts. If you're doing your homework early and not many people are discussing your question on the forum yet, check the stream channel for short video clips (a huge collection) that can provide that one needed concept (or trick) to the problem. Another source for learning (you will see there are very many) are great links to math websites and even designated times to personally chat online, or call, teaching assistants about your questions.

Procrastination will penalize you in this course. There were some homeworks that were considerably longer than others that required early starts for a good grade.

Overall it was a great learning experience that was just very convenient. You could probably be a full time business traveler and still take the course. I feel much better about my math skills now. Before I took this course, a function was just an equation that was hard to evaluate without a graphing calculator. Simply a great class with a great professor and fellow students!

by Arnold - Tuesday, 20 May 2008, 09:22 PM
How to succeed:

Tip #1: Do not take this course over the summer unless you are...
a. Either very proficient with math (algebra and trigonometry);
b. Or you have a lot of time to devote to this class and all the homework.

Tip #2: Regardless of your answer to #1, you must be willing to do a lot of work, including posting and sharing questions and answers.

Tip #3: Really listen to the very first lecture where Dr. Goetz explains how Calculus came into being. That sets the stage for the entire course and its primary objective. Throughout (and especially In the middle) of the course, it is easy to lose sight of how the little concepts add up to something worthwhile or useful. Thinking back on the first lecture will help you see the bigger picture and might even give you the proper perspective to understand that troublesome derivative problem or that confusing integration problem. Seriously!

Tip #4: Try on your own first. Active learning is the only way to pass the final exam!

Tip #5: When tip #4 fails, use all the resources at hand: the homework forum, video excerpts of the lecture or similar problems, the grapher, external resources, even that expensive dry text book!

Tip #6: When tip #4 works, take the time to give others tips or weigh in on questions posed by other students. This serves 2 purposes: it reinforces your learning and it builds your body of "postings" for that all-important class participation credit (which is worth an entire grade improvement)!

Tip #7: Convince yourself that you love to solve all kinds of problems, including Calculus, even if that's not entirely true. If you can get into the spirit of things, you will have some measure of fun to help temper the frustration and make the long hours of doing homework less tedious.

Tip #8: Dr. Goetz and his staff are the best and they are looking after your best interest: to learn and have an appreciation for Calculus. So trust them and don't be afraid to ask anything that would help you to make the most out of the class.
Enjoy and good luck!

 

by Sarah - Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 12:17 AM
Steps to Becoming Successful in this Class:

Step 1: Since this class is online, choose days that are dedicated for this class. Listening to the lectures and doing homework assignments are important in getting a good grade in this class.

Step 2: Make sure to watch all lectures which will be helpful doing the homework problems

Step 3: Turn in homework assignments on time, and if you can, a day before for an extra 1 point, which may help your grade

Step 4: Try to understand the material, if any questions, ask them on the forum and someone from the class or the TA, or the Prof. will surely help you out

Step 5: Stay on the right track! if you fall behind, it is ok, but crucial, so be sure to catch up!

At San Francisco State, I am a Biology major with an emphasis in Physiology. This was my first online class, and overall I say that it was a good experience. I set aside Monday and Wednesday afternoons, aside from the Weekends, to go over the lectures that corresponded to the homework assignments, and turned it in on time.

Having the forums on ilearn was a great way in communicating with the other students enrolled in the class as well as the TA's and the Prof. I was able to ask a question and by the time I went to go check on it again, someone answered my question. If I had a problem on one of the homework problems, there was already a thread that related to that question, and people were able to help each other in figuring out the answer with the steps to finding it out. This was helpful for me because on those late night hours, I was able to log on and the questions I had were already posted.

You need to stay focus and on track in succeeding in this class. If there is anything that you have any questions on or need any clarification, there are tutoring centers located on campus to get extra help, there are office hours to meet with the Professor and ways that you can get ahold of the TA's.

by Pei - Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 10:35 PM
i got an older version of the textbook but it seems okay to me because i didnt read it more than 3 times throughout the semester, instead, i bought a little book called Calculus Study Guide to use when i have quick questions/flashback on something. It is GREAT !

by Tatyana - Thursday, 22 May 2008, 12:58 AM
This was the first time I have taking an online class and honestly at first I had trouble with learning how to scan the hw and download it on gmail but after two times I was okay. This was a great experience for one I love the fact that I could view the hw at any time, go on ilearn and ask for hw and students were always on discussing hw and helping each other as well as I went to the math tutoring program in TH Hall 3 times a week doing hw asking questions and studying. It is really important to do all the hw and stay on top of it, maybe even try doing the hw earlier so you can get extra credit points. Being active on ilearn is also really important because its the same as attending lectures and participating really helps improve your grade as well as your understanding of the material.
Calculus was a very important subject for me because I am a BioChem major as well as I need to further take Cal 2 and 3.
For those of you who are business, science or any other majors I highly recommend you take Calculus especially with Professor Goetz because as we all know math is hard and sometimes boring but Goetz really gets to the point makes learning math interesting and actually fun because he uses real life situations to explain the methods and theorems. I really do recommend this class because its a great experience and you can learn a lot! Good luck with you future goals!

by Jennifer - Friday, 23 May 2008, 08:28 AM
This is my first time taking a online math class. It's not as difficult as I thought, but it cannot be compared to a face to face class setting. The most important thing is to keep up with the lectures and homework. I found that the lectures were the most helpful, because Dr. Goetz explained it very well. I bought the textbook, but I didn't find it to be helpful at all, but there were some examples in the book that were a little helpful for doing some of my homework assignments. But most of all, you should keep up with homework assignments so you won't fall behind, because once you fall behind, it's kind of hard to catch up when everyone is already ahead.