Success in UA Calculus Sequence

Success Strategies for the Calculus sequence (Math 120R - Math 223):

Whether you are retaking a calculus course for GRO, or aiming to get an A in the class on your first try, the key to success is the same: thoughtful completion of the online homework.

Step 1: Strategic approach to the online homework.

Online homework has the benefit of giving you immediate feedback, but without proper organization, it can do more harm than good. Very often students just use scratch paper, and never clearly write out their solutions. Then, they are so happy to arrive at a solution that they gladly submit it in WebAssign and rely on the computer to tell them if it is correct or not. This does not help the student prepare for exams or prepare them for their next math class.

A common misconception is that homework is merely busywork. The role of homework is truly an opportunity for students to work through problems, learn the process, and practice the material before exams. Students who complete homework only for the points are doing themselves an injustice. Homework is worth at most 10-20% of your final grade. Use it as a tool to learn and master the material for the other 80%+ of your grade in the form of exams. Here’s how:

Print the homework (or save the PDF to your tablet). Click “Print Assignment” and either send to a printer or save as a PDF.
Work each problem on paper (or PDF-annotation on a tablet) first, neatly as if you were turning it in. By having the problem and work together, you have a good reference for studying. Save this work!
Before submitting your answers into WebAssign, check your work. Because WebAssign has multiple attempts, there is a tendency to submit answers without thought. For various reasons, students make mistakes that should definitely be caught before submitting: misreading the question, making assumptions about what the question is asking, or just blindly going through the motions. This isn't so bad when you get it wrong--WebAssign will tell you that you need to go back and look closer at your work. However, if you are just blindly going through the motions without understanding and you happen to get it right, this is disastrous! You have no indication that you need to review this for deeper understanding. Further, without thinking about your answer before submitting, you are relying on the computer telling you if your solution is correct or incorrect. How will you manage this on an exam, where you have one chance? Go into WebAssign with more of an exam-mindset. Beyond reworking the problem, how could you use a different approach or your calculator to verify your answer is reasonable? Don’t know how to check your work? Ask your instructor or tutor for tips.
Submit each answer into WebAssign, one at a time.
- If the answer is correct, move on to the next.
- If incorrect, revisit your work, check again, then resubmit your new answer.
- If the answer is incorrect again, go to office hours or tutoring for help.

Be sure to start your homework early enough to leave time to ask questions before the assignment is due. Ideally, you should look over the assignment before your instructor starts that section in class, and start working on the homework the same day it is covered in class. Minimally you should begin the assignment before your next class meeting. Note: If you are retaking the course, you should be attempting the homework before it is covered in class. This is a great way to see the extent of your understanding for that section, and then you may ask directed questions in class on the material for which you are still having trouble.

Step 2: Analyze your work.

Your WebAssign homework is now complete, and you’ve earned as many points as you can. Now what?

Maintain a folder of your assignments and notes for easy review before exams.
You may have had to refer to notes, asked a friend, watched a video, or asked the instructor/tutor a question while completing the homework--that’s a natural part of the learning process. Now ask yourself: if your teacher quizzed you on these problems/concepts in class, would you be able to rework the problem without help? What are the trouble spots? What questions do you need to ask to fully understand it? Remember, these problems are designed to be solved with only the resources you would have available on an exam.
Let’s say you got a 90% on the assignment. That’s a great homework score! But that also means that there is 10% of the material that you did not master on that assignment. Don’t let that slip by--ask questions and make sure you understand what you missed before the next exam or quiz. Unless you got 100%, there is some percent of the assignment you failed to master. This was on an assignment where you had all the resources available to you (time, notes, readings, videos, tutoring, etc.). How will this translate to a 50-minute exam where you have only your calculator?

The bottom line is that you need to approaching your homework with an exam mindset:

If you got a problem correct on the homework (no matter which attempt), would you be able to reproduce it under exam conditions?
If you were never able to find the correct solution in the given number of attempts, this should be a red flag as you prepare for the exam. Without extra studying of this problem, you can only expect your performance on that type of problem to go down under exam conditions. Take the WebAssign results as feedback into what areas you need to be studying.

For other tips for success, please view: