[ WATCH THIS 5 minute video FIRST or JUST READ the instructions below the video
Payment choices for the textbook portal direct from
the publisher
[cheaper than the book store
which has a 20% markup! Payment not required for 2 weeks!
READ THIS WHEN YOU ARE READY TO PURCHASE LATER within the WebAssign
portal;
| click “Review Purchase Options” on your dashboard to review all your options]
Once you are ready to actually use this platform, t
How to Use WebAssign video.
EXPLANATION (recapping above link information):
This class has an online textbook with a homework portal which offers students many advantages beyond the old style paper textbooks. These WebAssign website materials are accessed from your course content within BlackBoard. If you have not used WeAssign previously, the first time you access it through BlackBoard it asks you to create an account with the publisher so that you can continue into the WebAssign class. If you already have a Cengage WebAssign account from a previous semester, it asks you to login. New accounts have a 2 week grace period to purchase access for the rest of the semester (beginning Tuesday January 16 when student access starts). Students who already have multisemester use access to WebAssign can simply login.
This registers you for your class where you will find the homework assignments listed for each day of class, which I will post as the semester progresses. The due date is midnight the next class day after the material on which they are based is presented in lecture. This allows students to raise questions in class so they can return to get full credit on all the homework problems before midnight. HOWEVER, this is only to keep most of you regularly doing the homework which is essential for your learning. Students may ask for extensions in the due date or in the number of attempts permitted on a given problem, now set at 5, until success is achieved (with no penalty!). We all occasionally have too many demands on our time at once and must postpone some obligations for a bit. I believe in flexibility with due dates.
WebAssign offers students the opportunity to get help on any problem or do similar problems for practice before returning to any given problem. But the most important tool is the Ask Your Instructor tool which allows each student to interact directly with me when they fail to get the correct answer or are stuck on a problem. Using it, I receive your version of the problem and your inputs, and a text message from you explaining why you are puzzled, as well as the correct answer. Often this is enough for me to give you guidance to fix your error, but you can also email me directly outside of WebAssign with an attached photo of your work via your smart phone for me to see your work if you cannot find your error.
If you are persistent you can get every homework problem correct eventually. I am committed to helping you achieve this goal, but you have to keep up with the assignments. If you get too far behind, it becomes difficult to catch up, especially at the end of the semester.
This PDF document explains the choices available to Villanova students. If you have to take another calculus class after the current one, the best option is Cengage Unlimited for $124.99. The explicit instructions for paying for this directly from the publisher (much cheaper than the book storewhich has a 20% markup!) are here:
If you MAT2500 is the only calculus class you need to take, one semester access is cheapest.
These tools serve different functions. They may be used together or separately but not one for the other. Please do not ask for extensions through Ask Your Teacher. I have to slog through many screens, forced to remember details that my brain does not manage, etc. These tools make it super easy for me to respond quickly to your messages. And if you need an extension AND help, use both tools.
And if you need help and are unable to see what went wrong with your calculation, send me a photo of your work. Sometimes it is enough to see what you entered incorrectly but if not, I can only help you if I can see your work.