Get Started

This class is available via the Internet. All assignments are accessible online and are submitted using your web browser. The only times that you are required to come to campus are for the three tests and the final exam. (An exception to this requirement is available to distance education students who live more than 50 miles from NCSU. See the Overview of Testing under the Tests tab at the top of each page at this website.)

There are a few things you must do to get started.

Watching and re-watching the videos is essential. So you need a device that gives you ready access to the videos. The videos have been tested with most of the popular web browsers. And the videos are available at YouTube as well, so any device that will work with YouTube will allow you to watch the class videos. If your computer or mobile device supports either Adobe Flash or HTML5 (as do iPhones, iPads, and many Android phones and tablets), then you shouldn’t need to install anything else in order to watch the class videos.

You must know your Unity ID. (Every NCSU student has an ID and password for NCSU computer access. This ID is referred to as your Unity ID.) You will use your Unity ID to access NCSU computers for the purpose of taking your tests and final exam on campus, and you will need use your Unity ID to access all of your WebAssign homework.

Make sure you know how to use your NCSU e-mail account (run by Google). On the rare occasions when we need to e-mail info to the class, that's the address where your mail will be sent. This new policy is consistent with the general NCSU policy of sending all official correspondence to students via the NCSU mail accounts. (If you send e-mail to us, we will generally "reply" to whatever you have listed as the return address on your e-mail.)

The only thing you need to buy for this class is a WebAssign license. The license must be purchased during the first 2 weeks of class, and the purchase can be made through WebAssign. The price is in the $20-$25 range. No textbook or lab manuals are needed. However, there is a textbook that was in use at the time this online class was created, and it is still available in PDF format. It's available as a free download and can be used as an optional study resource if you like.

Do the first WebAssign homework immediately when the semester begins. This will ensure that you have proper access to the assignments. You'll need to learn how to use WebAssign immediately. WebAssign is used for the assignments you will access and submit via your web browser. (See the Grades page for more information.)

You will access the WebAssignments at webassign.ncsu.edu. To get to assignments you must enter your Unity ID. Each WebAssignment can be submitted as many times as you like before the "due" date. And you can check your grade on the assignment immediately after any submission. The grade you receive on each assignment will be the grade obtained on your final submission. So the WebAssignments are your primary tool for learning and testing yourself on what you know. See the Grades tab for more information.