Online Courses

Before choosing appropriate online math courses you should know costs of the online math courses.
            1 What will be the total cost - registration, tuition, books and materials, equipment, other fees?

Can you afford it? Are there special technical fees or access fees that are not usually included with tuition?
            2 Are the cost options (e.g. taking math course for university credit may be more than taking a course for noncredit) clearly stated?

Do you need college credit in order to transfer to a degree program? If you take it noncredit, are there different expectations for passing the course/program?
            3 Is there financial aid available? How is it accessed?

Are there limitations on the financial aid in terms of the number of math courses, the timeframes for completion, or the level of the course? Are there scholarships or grants, as opposed to loans?
            4 How do you get out of the course if you are not satisfied? What are the policies for withdrawal and refunds?

Check specific rules for refund timelines and amounts. If you withdraw with the intention of returning at a later date, are there special fee arrangements?

Online math course delivery system     
1 Is there a demo of a math course or how the course delivery system works that you can practice with and evaluate first?

Some online course delivery systems require special browser configurations, passwords, or security protocols. How do these work with your computer configuration?
            2 Is the navigation logical and well-organized? Can you find the materials you need when you need them?

Is it easy to use? Can you practice with all the course options (e.g., discussions, quizzes, reading, simulations, etc.)

3 Do you need to download software to interact with the course or must you be on the Internet to interact with the course?

If software is downloaded is it compatible with your computer system? If you must be on the Internet, what is the time requirement and does that affect your overall cost (e.g. per minute charges for Internet access).

Effective collaboration with other online math courses students requires you to plan in advance and come to sessions well organized. Most online collaboration is accomplished either through email or through chat rooms. Recent advances in online whiteboard technology (the ability to interactively create drawings online) make it another medium used for collaboration - particularly in the corporate environment. Using email for collaboration is no different from sending assignments to instructors or attaching documents for your classmates to review. This section will elaborate on techniques for collaboration via synchronous communication methods: chat and electronic whiteboards.