MyMathLab Navigation
Registration:
To purchase an Access Code for MyMathLab, go to www.coursecompass.com , and on the bottom left hand side of the screen you’ll find materials prepared by Pearson Education that illustrate how to register and purchase access to MyMathLab. When you click “How to Register” at the bottom of the screen you’ll find video tours to accommodate all of the possible situations. Note, if you have already purchased an Access Code for a particular textbook you may not need to purchase another Access Code (see the enroll in another course video tour for more details). I strongly recommend that if you are a new user to MyMathLab that you take a few moments and watch the “Take a Tour” video under the Getting Started menu (http://www.coursecompass.com/html/student_getting_started.html).
Navigation:
Once you have registered for the MyMathLab site, you gain access to the course materials by going to the Course Compass site at www.coursecompass.com where you will Login under Students. Simply Click on the link for the course and you will be into the MyMathLab course site.
Alternative Site (for MyMathLab):
If the CourseCompass site is down for maintenance or they are experiencing technical difficulties you can access your assessment materials (homework, quizzes and exams) by going through the MathXL site located at www.mathxl.com . If you are using MathXL to access course materials you will click on the MyMathLab login link on the right hand side of the screen and then type in your username and password (don’t type in your username and password that appears on the initial MathXL screen, this is for MathXL users only). Let me know if you have any problems accessing course materials using the MathXL site.
Computer Settings:
When you enter the course site you will be in the Announcements section. Begin by allowing Pop-Ups and listing CourseCompass and MathXL as trusted sites if you use Internet Explorer. If you are not sure how to do this there are instructions in the Getting Started part of the Desire2Learn site (specific for Internet Explorer users, if you are using another browser you will need to contact Pearson Support or DSU campus support, see the syllabus for support contact information) for this course and you can also contact Pearson Education technical support at 1-800-677-6337 or follow the “Help” link at the top right hand side of the screen or you can wait until a dialogue box appears that will ask you to allow pop-ups from the course site and follow the instructions provided.
Installation Wizard:
The first time you enter the course site on any computer (for example: if you are using a different computer to take an exam you will need to do the following before taking the exam) you will need to download the plug ins and players which are contained in the MyMathLab Installation Wizard. Simply click on the MyMathLab Installation Wizard link on the Announcement page and follow the instructions. Note, if you ever see a blank screen when doing homework, quizzes or exams you probably don’t have the plug ins and/or players installed! All courses require Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader and Apple Quick Time and some require that the Test Gen Plug-In be installed (if there are multiple choice quizzes).
Pearson Tutors:
Pearson Education provides a free Tutor Service which you can call or email up to three times per day, but you have to register for the service (no additional charge). Simply fill in the information (register) by following the Math Tutor Center link contained on the Announcements page. Remember, it is very important to get your questions answered.
Ask Questions:
E-mail me through the Desire2Learn email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you’re asking about a question on a homework assignment, quiz, or exam please include the question number and assessment name (Example: question 2 on HW 3.2) in your email and I can retrieve directly from your assessment. Remember, this is an Internet course and if you are having difficulties you need to send me an email with a question. I can’t provide you with any help until you know what it is that you don’t understand, be as specific as possible. I will usually send you a pdf file with an answer to your question or an explanation of the topic.
MyMathLab Menus:
On the left hand side of the screen once you have entered your MyMathLab course you will see the navigation menus Announcements, Homework, Chapter Contents, Take a Test (these are quizzes as well as tests), Gradebook and StudyPlan (sometimes additional menus that collect items in these categories appear below these menus). The Homework and Tests sections are where you go to complete homework, quizzes and exams. The online textbook is contained under chapter contents (there are also links to chapter homework, quizzes, exams, gradebook and studyplan under each chapter).
What do I do?
For each section:
1. go to the section under Chapter Contents
2. watch the video presentation (just like being in a real class), there are videos for some sections (the more graphic sections and the ones that are more difficult to read)
3. read (or at least skim) the textbook (linked as multimedia book since there are additional video clips, you try it problems and animations in many of the sections)
4. complete the sections homework (redo the problems until you have a perfect score on the homework! Click the similar exercise button to redo the problem.)
5. take the multiple choice quiz (for some courses, not all courses have multiple choice quizzes)
6. take the brief quiz (a few questions similar to homework questions).
When you have completed the last quiz before the exam, take the sample exam (the sample exam has no effect on your grade in the course) and schedule your exam.
Help Me Solve This:
For nearly every problem assigned in MyMathLab as homework, to the right of the problem there are buttons “View an Example” and “Help me Solve This” which will demonstrate without or with your participation, the solution of the problem. Use the tools! This is the real benefit of using MyMathLab. Instantaneous help a mouse click away.
Prerequisites:
In most cases a prerequisite is set for a homework score to be able to take the sections quiz. On quizzes that you can take multiple times only your best score is used in the evaluation procedure (so redo these quizzes until you have a perfect score).
Deadlines and Order of Assessments:
Complete the assessments (homework, quizzes and exams) in an orderly fashion – which can be done by completing the quizzes and exams in the order listed under the Take a Test Section (this also lets you know what the prerequisites are for each quiz and exam). When you go to the Take a Test or the Do Homework sites you will see the deadlines and for quizzes and exams there is a column that lets you know how many times you can take an assessment.
Proctor:
You must have a suitable Proctor to administer your Exams – I don’t have control over this requirement. For example the Extended Programs office at DSU can serve as your proctor if you are in or near Madison and the UC Center is a very popular choice if you are near Sioux Falls (contact information for the UC Center is at the bottom of the proctor guidelines form on the D2L course site). If you are not using the UC Center or the DSU Extended Programs office as your Proctor you need to fill out the Proctor form and follow the associated proctor guidelines which can be found on the Desire2Learn course site. If you are using the UC Center or the DSU Extended Programs as your proctor simply send me an email letting me know as soon as possible. Fill the form out as soon as possible and return to me through the Desire2Learn email or mail the form to me using my campus address at the bottom of the form.
Gradebook:
In the MyMathLab gradebook will be all of the results of your assessments and this is where you will go to review your assessments. Please let me know if there is a problem with how your quiz or exam was graded (for example: if you have a typo in your answer) and I can go in and review your exam then change your score if necessary. If you skip an assessment then that score will be recorded as a zero at the end of the session (I manually need to submit the zeros) and with that exception your grade in the course will be up to date (you always know how you are doing in the course, just look at the percentage).
Study Plan:
The remaining section of the course site is called the StudyPlan, you can use this site to do any of the homework exercises as well as working sample chapter exams which gives you access to the buttons “View an Example” and “Help me Solve This” which can be beneficial to you when preparing for exams (your work in the study plan has no effect on your overall grade). Your work in the StudyPlan is not used in the evaluation procedure. Take a sample test then look at the StudyPlan to see what skills you have mastered and what skills you need remediation on before the actual exam. Great tool!
Exams:
Send me an email a few days before you are ready to take an exam (before the deadline) and I’ll send the password to your proctor. You can use any handwritten notes, a calculator and anything you have saved on your computer during any of the exams; however, you are not allowed to work with others or use any communication tools (like email, phones, …) during an exam. The quizzes are glorified homework assignments (one attempt for most quizzes and the quizzes contain just a few problems from the homework) and as such you do not need a proctor for the quizzes.
Ready to Get Started:
You will need the Course ID (contained in the syllabus), a valid email address and the zip code for Madison (57042) before you go to register your Access Code. Complete the Proctor Form as soon as possible. If you plan to use the UC Center or the DSU Extended Programs office to proctor your exams please send me an email message letting me know as soon as possible (you don’t need to fill out the proctor form in this case).
Best wishes while completing the course and remember to send me an email whenever you have any problems, questions about the content or general concerns about the course.
Rich Avery