Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This is an "Online (No Scheduled Meetings)" section of MTH 95. That means that we do not have regular scheduled classes. Instead, each week you have some assignments to complete, and it is all laid out for you in Desire2Learn. I will interact with you in a few ways:

• Give you feedback on the work you submit.
• Meet one-on-one with you. Either over Zoom, or at Cascade in person.
• Answer your questions and explain things over email and in discussion threads.
• Help you organize and participate in a study group.

Each week, you will watch video lessons/lectures. The length of the videos will vary each week, but generally take about two hours if you only watch them one time through. You are required to complete lecture notes that accompany the videos and you will turn these in by scanning them and posting in D2L. These "notes" are the same examples from the video lessons, and you can follow along with the video by completing the notes yourself as you watch.

It is important that you read the corresponding sections of your textbook. The videos do not cover every detail, and sometimes the textbook has something that is important, but missing from the videos. Reading is a different way to engage your mind, and multiple ways to learn complement each other.

Each week in D2L, you will need to read any course updates/announcements, complete weekly assignments in WeBWorK (a free online homework system), and submit a written assignment. For the first half of the term, in order to earn full credit on the written assignments, you must work with a partner from the class. You may do this synchronously using an app like Discord, WhatsApp, etc. Or asynchronously by emailing back and forth. After the first half of the course, you may continue this if you have a good working relationship with your study group, but it will no longer be required for full credit.

Over the weekend and in the evenings, I am not able to meet with you in a video meeting. I do try to respond to emails when I can, but I am not able to schedule meetings at these times because of my home life with children. If it is important to you to meet with your instructor in evenings or over the weekend, please reach out to other WEB MTH 95 instructors and ask if that would be a possibility in their section(s). Of course, I will meet with you over Zoom during regular office hours or at other times that we arrange together.

There will be two exams (a midterm and final exam). PCC requires that you take these exams in a proctored environment. In this section we will use "remote proctoring". Here is a student guide to remote proctoring. I recommend that you read through this guide before registering to know what is expected. The remote proctored exams will take place at these specific times:

• Tuesday May 6, 9:00–11:30 or 1:00–3:30 
• Tuesday June 10, 9:00–11:30 or 1:00–3:30

Prior arrangements can be made to take the exam in-person if you prefer. However the time you take the exam will have to be earlier than the remote proctoring times listed above. Please use this web site if you need to demonstrate to an employer that you need these times off from work.

Over the 2023–24 academic year, out of all students who registered for "Online (No Scheduled Meetings)" MTH 95, only 48% succeeded in passing the course. Compare that with 56% for students who enrolled in MTH 95 in-person, and 54% who took MTH 95 remotely. To help yourself succeed in a "Online (No Scheduled Meetings)" course:

Online math courses require self-discipline and time management skills in order to succeed.
It is a common misconception that an online math class will be easier. The time that would have been spent in class is instead spent watching video lessons, reading your textbook, and practicing exercises on your own or with a study group.

This course will require a significant amount of time.
You should plan to spend 5 hours a week watching, pausing, and reviewing the lessons. In addition, you should plan on spending 8 to 12 hours a week reading the textbook, practicing exercises, and completing your assignments.

This class is not self-paced.
Each module has assignments that have due dates. The due dates are Sunday nights at 10:00pm. All work for that week's module will be due at that time. There may be a two-week grace period for some assignments, but you generally need to stay at the pace the course is designed for in order to pass at the end of the term.

The work should be spread out over a week.
You cannot expect to do all the work for a week in one sitting (or even in one day). If you want to do well, you should plan to study at least every other day and ideally you should work on math in measured doses each day.

To be successful in this course,
You must be an independent learner, be comfortable with technology, understand that learning a new concept will take time and perseverance, be willing to ask your instructor or fellow students for help, and be able to communicate effectively in writing.

You may view a syllabus for a previous term online. Our course will have a similar syllabus, but you can expect that some details will be different.

Almost all technology that we use will be available using a standard web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, Opera). You will need a way to scan written assignments (there are free apps that will do this).

This course will use "remote proctoring" for exams. This will be described in more detail, but you must do one (not necessarily all) of the following:

• Be able to use a computer/laptop with a detachable webcam. The webcam should be able to be positioned so that it shows your work area in front of the computer you are using to take the exam.
• Be able to use a computer/laptop while simultaneously using a second device with a camera (typically a phone or tablet) in place of the webcam.
• Be willing to come to a PCC location for an in-person proctored exam.