UNIVERSITY OF UTAH ONLINE CALCULUS:

VERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (VFAQ)

When and how will I get my WebWorK account information?

We do not set up WebWork accounts until the first day of classes to have the most up to date registration information possible. You do not need to inquire about it unless you haven't received your login information by the 2nd day of classes. If you registered sufficiently in advance, you should have received it your login information and a welcome email by then. If you haven't, or if you register after or too close to the start of classes, please email me, Bob Palais (``Bob'', bp AT math.utah.edu) with your full name, the course number, your uID and your @utah email address, and we will set up your account and send you the login information and welcome email. The math department does not use WebCT/Blackboard for its online courses, except perhaps to facilitate intraclass communication (email, discussion board, chat rooms).

Always include the course number - 1210, 1220, or 2210 in any non-webwork related email so we know what class you are in and asking about.

How do I get help on webwork questions?

Click the ``Email instructor'' button on the page of the problem you are having trouble with. It sends us a direct link to your problem. Otherwise it takes several steps to get to it, so we will not answer questions sent in any other way. A major suggestion for getting the right answer is to enter the formula directly into webwork - let it do the calculation, rather than using your calculator and copying the numerical result. This way saves you work, avoids roundoff errors, makes it easier for you (and us!) to correct any errors, and sometimes you can paste and modify the answer to one part of the problem to another part.

How and when do I register for exams?

All registration and exam logistical issues are handled by UOnline (linked from the homepage). You must register for your exams 2 weeks in advance. If you have any questions about exam logistics, contact them.

How do I get help with other course related problems?

For any other questions, send me an email to my math.utah email address, from your utah.edu email address. You are required by the university to use that email address for academic matters, and we will not respond to anything else. Set up your UOnline information with this account, so your webwork account will have this email address. You can change your webwork email address to this if it was set up with a different address. People with .com addresses often write to say they didn't get course related email, including webwork login information, and invariably these services have filtered them to junk mail. We will not pursue you by emailing from other accounts to get through to you anymore, it is your responsibility to be reachable by us by email.

How and when do I get my exam scores?

Exam scores will be sent to you by email from webwork system about a week after you take the exam. Exams are taken Thursdays and Saturdays, and we don't get the exams from UOnline until mid-the following week, and will usually send the results after the next weekend. Show your work on the exams, not just the final answer, or you will get little or no credit. You do not have to give a full derivation of the formulas that I might provide for background on solutions to a practice exam, but you should show the formulas you are using and how you are using them. You may use regular or graphing calculators on exams, although notes are not permitted. If there are any complicated formulas required for a problem that are beyond the basic material of the course, we will provide them on the exam itself.

What if I drop the course? Please let us know so we can remove you from the database and you will not receive further emails. We are not alerted when students add or drop the course, so the only way we know either one is if you tell us.

For additional informations and links to the course, UOnline, the registrar, to myself and other course personnel, and information regarding the text, calculators, tutoring, help with the WebWork system, etc., please consult the complete FAQ page. For the syllabus and supplementary notes, recommended text schedule, general course information page, and other helpful links, please bookmark your course homepage http://www.math.utah.edu/online/xxxx

You should also bookmark the WebWorK login page for your class that is linked from the homepage, so you can access it if other pages are temporarily down. I don't know if WebCT or Blackboard will continue to be supported (one company took over the other) but we will try to make resources available for students in the class to be able to contact each other via the email, discussion boards, and chatrooms they have supported in the past. However, please use the Webwork system or math email to contact us, as we do not typically use or check the WebCT system for these facilities. If we can set up a chatroom for remote students to participate in office hours, and for when we are not on campus during an office hour, we will try to do so as we have tried to in the past, but technical difficulties have often prevented this.

Good luck and keep in touch,

Bob Palais