When a student has trouble with a mathematics course, the cause is usually one or more of the following:
1. You must have the necessary prerequisite skills
A Mathematics Department flow chart set up by Mary Parker (click here) illustrates the normal sequence of courses at ACC. When you take a mathematics course at ACC, we assume that you have "current knowledge" of mathematical ideas covered in courses which occur earlier in the sequence. These prerequisite courses are also described in the ACC College Catalogue.
Having "current knowledge" means that you still remember the concepts and are able to use the mathematical skills covered in prerequisite courses. If you took the prerequisite course 5 years ago and haven't used the mathematics since, you probably do not have the minimum "current knowledge". If you are uncertain about the adequacy of your prerequisite knowledge, you should talk with an advisor and arrange to take an ACC assessment test.
2. You must be willing and able to spend the time that the course requires
Mathematics courses are very time-consuming. Class attendance is important, but out of class study is essential. Extensive homework practice is necessary to master the concepts and problem-solving skills needed to be successful. The time required will vary from student to student, but a good rule of thumb is to plan on spending at least 3 hours outside of class (doing homework, preparing for the next class, and reviewing) for each hour of class time. This can amount to more than 12 hours per week outside of class for a 4 credit course during the Fall or Spring semester and more than 17 hours for a Summer course. This is a lot of time!
Many students at ACC have part time jobs. You must be realistic about the course load that you can handle along with your job. The problem is not just time, but the amount of quality time that you have available to devote to both the job and school. Trying to study mathematics when you are tired and strung out from a long work day is not effective. Also, some jobs have irregular hours that may frequently conflict with class attendance or study time. This can be fatal to you success in the course.
3. Study strategy
Unfortunately, many students view a mathematics course as a bewildering forest of loosely related problem sets, each of which requires memorization of a special solution procedure. This is rarely the case. Most undergraduate mathematics courses require that you learn only a few key concepts that are applied again and again during the course and throughout your mathematics career. If you learn these key concepts, the course material will seem easy. If you fail to see the big picture, you will have a lot of trouble.
You should study to learn the major concepts. This is best accomplished by a "spiral" rather than a "linear" progression through the course material. As you cover new material, you must constantly review old material, relating the new to the old in order to get the big picture. Here is a study plan:
Click here to return to the Redge L. Greenberg home page.