Complete the Mandatory Orientation (& sign up on Remind) by January 17thst
READ AND PRACTICE
The information in the textbook and practicing in MEL (MyEconLab) is the key to doing well in this Distance Learning course. Distance Learning courses have no lectures to help you understand the material being covered. You must rely on the textbook, practice, practice, practice, and a few videos to help you understand the material. If you don't know your best study modus, experiment a little. Most students learn better actively, rather than just "reading". So my suggestion below is a starting point for you on how to approach each chapter. It is a good idea to give yourself some time suggestions. Many students spend too much time passively reading the book and then run out of time for the actual practice, which is usually more helpful after the initial reading.
Try the following and then adjust so it works best for you.
Step One: Skim the chapter. Spend three to five seconds looking over each page of the chapter. If your head hurts: you tried too hard. This is just to get an idea of what is going on in the chapter. Maybe look at the pictures and think about how they relate to the chapter, and why the author chose them. This is supposed to be the easy/ entertainment part. You are not trying to "understand" anything yet. Just get an overview.
Step Two: Quickly read over the chapter again reading only the title of the chapter, the learning objectives, all the headings and sub-headings in the chapter, all the words in bold print, and all the words in the left column of each page in the chapter. (especially look at graphs - economists love them). Don't try hard. This is still just to get an idea of what is going on. If your head still hurts you tried too hard (or started too late and you are stressed)
Step Two: Read the introduction of the chapter, the first paragraph of each section or subsection in the chapter, and the first sentence of all of the other paragraphs in the section or subsection. Finally, read the summary of the chapter. Most of you will take around half an hour for the first two steps (and some will be much faster). See what works for you. But if you take more than an hour you are doing way too much up-front, which is not the most efficient way to learn for most students.
Step Four: You are ready to move on to MEL (MyEconLab). Watch any chapter videos available (and during/before/after watching is the time to refer back to the book on the material covered in the video. Make a few notes if it helps), then move on to the chapter homework. If you are feeling shaky/confused about any concept go back to the book. Read the parts you need, not necessarily the whole chapter. If your head hurts a little do your best and then put it away and do something else. Sleep over it if you can.
Step Five: Now that you completed the chapter homework, go back to the book: Read the introduction, the learning objectives, and the summary of the chapter in the "What You Should Know" section at the end of the chapter. Maybe make an outline of the chapter concepts. Now is the time to dive deeper into reading the book. If you learn best by reading, it will make even more sense after you practiced a little. Write all the formulas you used in the homework down on a separate sheet of paper (colored paper if you have) and then add the formulas you did not use but seem important. Did you know for the closed-book final exam, you are allowed to use a "cheat" sheet (and it is never too early to start it)? This formula sheet will also come in handy saving you time when you take the UNIT exam since you will spend less time searching around for formulas (and you will know how to use them). From now on use your own formula sheet when solving chapter problems. If this chapter has IAs (Interactive Assignments) give them a shot now.
Step Six: If you feel ready: take the chapter quiz in MEL. Consider the QUIZ your first chapter exam. The quiz is where you and I find out if you understand the chapter material. If you don't feel quite ready yet (and perhaps a bit shaky about some concepts), then go to the STUDY PLAN first to find many more opportunities to practice and get feedback. NOTE: There is a PROGRESS tab in the upper center of the screen in the STUDY PLAN section where you can navigate to the chapter you need to work on. You have three attempts for each quiz, and if your first attempt is unsatisfactory, please please go back to the STUDY PLAN and practice. Taking the quiz again without practicing or studying gives you a 50% chance to do worse. Alternatively, you may go to the CHAPTER RESOURCES tab (on your MEL home page) and see what other help you can get on the chapter. There are also two CHAPTER TESTS for most chapters and taking those before the quiz (not to be confused with the UNIT EXAM on BB) is an excellent preparation.
Step Seven: Don't forget to update your sheet with formulas during or after the quiz. It will help you a lot during the UNIT EXAM and even more during the FINAL exam when you can't access your book or other notes. Update the crib sheet some more when you review your UNIT exam after it is graded.
If you approach each chapter in a structured and disciplined way, you will learn much more than if you approach your reading task in an unorganized manner, and you will do much better on the exams than you would otherwise do. Feel free to adjust the way you approach each chapter, but if at all possible reserve/schedule a set time each week when to study (and take tests).
Spend as much time studying for this non-traditional course as you would have spent if you had registered for this course in its traditional lecture format - going to lectures and doing homework. This translates to about 10 hours a week for a 16-week course, or about 12 hours a week for a 12-week course.
Do not procrastinate, and you should not cram for exams. Set up a regular study schedule for this course and stick to it! Read the learning objectives. The learning objectives listed in the textbook at the beginning of each online chapter are more general than those composed by the instructor. The instructor's learning objectives will be correlated to the examination questions.