Skim the book for formula and examples, watch ALL the videos often there is a problem done there. Make sure you try to attend as many office hours as you can. Find a TA you like and stick with them. It is a doable class, but often the material in conveyed in a poor way in the book. The book is dense, instead look for a view youtubers who are teachers, some very good ones out there.

Submitted Tue Nov 28 2023

Practice algebra before starting this course. Attend Vakalis' office hours to make sure your homework grade is good. Don't waste too much time trying to learn from the book or modules-just find what the topic is by skimming, then to watch some youtube videos over the topic from a real teacher. It'll save you a ton of time, and you can go back to revisit the book and modules as needed. The final exam was easier than any of the assignments.

Submitted Thu Jul 13 2023

Conceptually the material isn't difficult, there's just a lot of busy work plus assignments should be typed. Don't waste time with latex, word gets you the same results with 10% of the effort. Don't bother with the lecture videos the book is adequate. Always look up answers online before submitting to not lose easy points, plus those explanations are usually more descriptive than the book's answer key. The final was easier than the assignments.

Submitted Thu Jun 22 2023

Make time for this course! Looking back, the material wasn't that difficult, but you will move through topics quickly and the homework assignments are very time consuming. The most important thing to focus on is formatting similar to the instructor example problems, as that is where most points are lost. I did not take advantage of office hours, but I heard really good things about Dr. V. Also, utilize the class discord for support from other students.

Submitted Wed Jun 21 2023

This was my first term at OSU Ecampus. I work full time and initially registered for both CS161 and CS225, but chose to drop 161 after a few weeks so I could focus all my attention on CS225. I'm glad I did.

Submitted Mon Jun 19 2023

The only difficulty in this class is the pace of the work and amount of it. If you're working full time and taking another class this will be very difficult for you. It was pretty overwhelming for me working part time and I'm very comfortable with algebra. I did learn a lot but it felt like I only knew what I was working on that week until I studied for the final and it all came together. Go to Vakalis' office hours even if you have to take off work. Or hopefully someone can record them and share them with you. They are invaluable and I would even say you have to go to them. Worth every penny.

Submitted Mon Jun 19 2023

Start all the assignments as early as possible and get comfortable with Latex! I used Overleaf for assignments and tests and it was super helpful. Also, brushing up on college algebra really is helpful. I wish I didn’t have to spend as much time reviewing college algebra when completing some of the longer proofs!

Submitted Mon Apr 10 2023

Start the homework assignments early, and be prepared to spend a lot of time on them. I haven't taken a math class in almost 10 years, and I think I didn't suffer as much as I did because I reviewed a lot of algebra on Khan Academy before starting at OSU. Remember to read the rubric for the homework assignments to make sure you're completing the assignment correctly, and do practice problems in the textbook where the answer is available in the back - this is helpful if you get lost.

Submitted Fri Mar 24 2023

Go to Dr. Vakalis’ office hours. He essentially does a lecture like an on-campus class, which makes some of the more difficult content much easier to understand

Submitted Sun Mar 19 2023

Go to Prof Vikalis's office hours if you're able to. Frankly, the lecture videos were hit or miss in terms of being helpful for your assignments. I found the textbook to be helpful, I'd recommend doing the example problems as you read along. The example problems are generally applicable to the homework problems, and they're good practice as a ramp up to the difficulty of the homework problems. Start each week early! Get good at algebra (exponent laws, factoring) in the first week of the class if your algebra is rusty. The material for this class will take a good amount of time to complete, but the content can be difficult but nothing overwhelming if you have the time to commit.

Submitted Sun Mar 19 2023