How to do Well in the Course

I believe (hope) that every teacher wants all of their students to find success. That is my goal for all of you- to master the content and earn a good grade in this course! This page outlines some important aspects of the course for doing well

Most Common Hurdle: Time

Physiology is a challenging course, but it is not rocket science or quantum physics. Everyone is capable of doing well in the course. The number one issue I see with students though is time. It take time to learn physiology, and it is not possible to do well without that time investment. This issue is compounded by the fact that we are an 8-week course; we are moving twice as fast, and twice as much time is needed to be successful. For our course, the time investment looks as below (see other syllabi page for text version). This assumes 2-3 hours of extra study per hour of “lecture”.

That is more than a part time job! Make sure as you are ready to tackle this course by ensuring you have the time available to be successful.

Most Common Solution: Good Study and Work Habits

I think we all have experience with time “disappearing”; It has a habit of going somewhere. One way to prevent this is by sticking to a schedule. For example, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays: watch one lecture video per day; Thursdays: do lab; Friday: do discussion board; Sunday: write replies. Regularity is the most common thing I recommend to students. Remember, the tortoise finished before the hare!

Beyond that, using the resources available to you is critical. For example, forming a study group can be incredibly useful for success. Similarly, using tutoring services can help. Forming a strong network of support and resources can lead to good outcomes. Utilize the Course Cafe to talk with fellow classmates about resources, study groups, and other ways to be successful in the course.

If at any point you need help with the course, you can reach out to me (see the home page for contact information). There is also tutoring available from both West LA and a third party tutoring service called NetTutor. For technical help with Canvas, please see this web page. 24/7 technical support from Canvas is also available. If you need help getting logged into Canvas for the first time, see this webpage.

Again, my goal is to help you succeed in this course. Let’s work together to reach that goal!