How to do well on Prof. McCormick's online quizzes

Here is my best advice for mastering the material in my online courses and for studying for the online quizzes in Canvas.

1. Don't wait until the last day or last hour of the quiz period to start. There is a lot of material covered that can take days to study and absorb, and Canvas often has problems. Getting started early gives you a chance to deal with problems, study in between, and contact me if there are issues.

2. Figure out which video lectures, webpages, or other material is being quizzed on the schedule and by reading the description of the quiz in Canvas.

3. Study those materials carefully. Take careful notes. Identify the important concepts, principles, arguments, and objections. Get a short, clear, accurate definition for important ideas. Pause and rewind the lectures.

4. Take the long version of your notes from the study materials and condense it down to a short version that’s a page to two long. Make these notes clear, concise, and focused on the essentials. Study this set of notes carefully.

5. Take the first attempt at the quiz with this set of condensed notes in hand.

6. Take your time on the first attempt. Think carefully about each question, the wording, and all of the possible answers before choosing.

7. Learn from your mistakes. Study your wrong answers on the first attempt:

A. Go into Canvas and click on our course.

B. Click on "Grades" on the upper left side.

C. Then click on the title of the quiz.

D. Scroll through to see your correct and incorrect answers.

8. Go back to the materials and your notes and figure out what you did wrong on these questions. What is the correct answer? Consult the lecture. Check your notes. Add to your notes or correct them. Consult with Prof. McCormick on email at mccormick@csus.edu or during office hours in MND 3020.

9. Go to office hours and talk about the parts of the material that you're not understanding. MND 3020. The hours are posted on the left of this page.

10. Take the second attempt on your quiz after you have studied and corrected your mistakes.

11. Repeat this process for the cumulative midterm and final exams.

12. Also see this page for advice on studying in general and doing well in college classes: How To Do Well in a College (Philosophy) Class.