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Subsection1.3Tips for Success

Learning linear algebra is rewarding and challenging. Here are a few of my tips for making the most of your online learning experience in this course.

  • Check your BSU email daily. Your BSU email account is the official form of communication for all campus business. Announcements posted to Blackboard will also be sent to your email automatically, so this is the primary way in which important announcements about the course will be shared.
  • Check tasks daily. Each week has a to-do list on this site; check your progress on a daily basis and pick something you can work on today. Consistent, regular, smaller blocks of time to study will likely work better than trying to save your energy for longer, marathon sessions.
  • Fall behind wisely. Our course is structured so that lagging behind a couple days is possible, even encouraged (summer is worth enjoying, too). But falling a week or more behind will make it very difficult to recover. Always pick up where you left off when you're behind -- skipping ahead doesn't work as well in most math courses -- and keep a close eye on the due dates that matter most. Put them in a calendar that you see every day!
  • Always ask. If you're unsure what to be working on, have technical glitches, are looking for classmates to bounce ideas off, or are feeling just plain lost, please reach out immediately -- these things tend to get much worse the longer you wait! If you're unsure where to begin, post your question to Piazza ( http://piazza.com/bridgew/summer2018/math202/home ) to give everyone in the class a chance to answer it, or email Dr. S ( mailto:msalomone@bridgew.edu ) if your question is personal or grade-related.
  • Make full use of the social readings. Use them not only to read and process the material, but to pose questions, address your classmates' questions, and share helpful videos you find elsewhere online. These discussions are important "seeds" for Dr. S's video lecture on each piece of material, so the better your questions in these social readings, the more valuable the lectures will be for you.
  • Finally, explore for other resources online when necessary. There is a wealth of information on linear algebra on the internet that can help get you out of a sticky calculation or learn a nuanced concept, beyond our own course materials. We're all in this together, and the whole world is at our fingertips as online learners.