Straighterline - Taking My First Course - Advice?

[Silly_Me]

Hey, guys.  I'm taking my first Straighterline course - Microbiology w/out lab.  I'm hoping that you guys might be able to give me some advice for how to do the course quickly.  Fortunately, I bought the text book a few weeks ago (found it used & cheap), and I've been scanning it to familiarize myself with the material.  Now that I've purchased the course, I have access to the e-book as well.

So.... Should I go ahead & jump into that first graded exam?  How many retakes do I get per graded exam (if any)?  I understand that if I do well on all of the exams, then I don't necessarily have to worry about the proctored final (which counts for 200 points).  Are the exams timed?  How many questions are there usually?  I'm so worried that I'll spend all of my time searching for answers & I'll flub the exams.  Yikes!  

Also... It looks like the "command - f" function doesn't really work in the e-book.  There is, however, a search bar in the book app, but it doesn't necessarily work the same way as "command - f."  I'm using a Mac, if that makes a difference.  Hopefully one of you guys will know what I'm talking about!    

Lastly... How do I know which units are being tested for a particular exam? As far as I can tell, I only get "Graded Exam 1, Graded Exam 2," etc. But, there doesn't seem to be a clear indication of which units are included for each particular exam. Hmmmmmm.

Thanks for the help!

[n2yoga]

You can only retake the first exam. I hear it is possible to retake it even after you take the final exam if you are a few points short. I have not retaken the first exam yet, so I have no idea if the content of the retake is similar or not.

The tests are timed. If you click the exam link in Moodle, you get an information page about the exam that tells you how many questions and how much time you will get. There is a second link to click on that page that takes you to the actual exam. Time is tight if you are searching for answers. I have to do the reading beforehand, or I run out of time. There just is not time to search for the types of questions that compare overall ideas. There are also many questions that are so exact that you need the open-book search to be able to answer correctly. It seems like you get less time-per-question on the courses that have no mid-term exam.

Take a look at the syllabus for the info on which units are tested in each exam. A common formula on the 6 test courses is to have exam 1 after unit 3, exam 2 after unit 7, a midterm covering units 1-7, exam 4 after unit 10/11, exam 4 after unit 14 and the final covering all units. 

I use the search box integrated into the ebook. It is tricky. takes lots of trial and error of keyword combinations. If your search term uses any articles (a, the) or pronouns (this, that...) You get hundreds and hundreds of returns. Try the full phrase first to see if the question is word-for-word if you don't get returns then search using only the keywords. If you have more than one keyword you need to scroll down in the list to find the entry where the words appear together.

[Silly_Me]

Thanks for the input! I don't suppose the graded exam questions are a compilation of the quizzes at the end of every chapter? Or, are they completely new & different questions?

[n2yoga]

Thanks for the input!  I don't suppose the graded exam questions are a compilation of the quizzes at the end of every chapter?  Or, are they completely new & different questions?

I don't feel like there is an exact formula used on every course. I have definitely come across questions from quizzes and eLessons in the exams. Some courses I have taken have more of this crossover than others. But there seems to be consistency within each course, so if you see them on the first exam you are likely to the same pattern on the remaining exams.

[keepsingin]

In my experience, the search feature in the etextbook is sooo crazy slow and freezes up if you don't baby it just right. It's so annoying, especially in timed exams. I just downloaded an update for the VitalSource Bookshelf Reader, so I really hope that speeds it up.

[n2yoga]

In my experience, the search feature in the etextbook is sooo crazy slow and freezes up if you don't baby it just right. It's so annoying, especially in timed exams. I just downloaded an update for the VitalSource Bookshelf Reader, so I really hope that speeds it up.

Yes, I have had to restart the bookshelf 2-3 times per proctored exam. I get nervous each time that the proctor will not allow it but I feel lucky that they have allowed it. I notice on a MAC that the hang-up most often happens when I inadvertently select text and the highlight function pops up and then the swirling search hangs up and there is no way out but to close the browser window. Thanks for the tip on downloading the update. I will try that before the next exam.

[cookderosa]

My tips for adults that want quick credit

1. On day 1 of your class, schedule your final exam for 3 days from now.
2. Take exam 1 and look up every answer, don't guess.
3. If you do poorly, you can retake exam 1, but if you do better than 90%, keep moving forward.
4. Take exam 2 and look up every answer, don't guess.
-insert to add: you can watch the slides much faster than reading the text, which won't coordinate well. But, the answers to the questions are likely pulled from your text. As far as getting comfortable with the material, I suggest just watching the slides and not reading the text - use the text for tests and just learn/look up as you go.
5. Keep watching slides/ taking exams. You can easily do 1/day, but more if you have time.
6. Take your final no matter where you are in the class.
-insert to add: I know this feels crazy, but if the exam questions are fresh in your mind (because you just did them) you'll have an easier time either remembering or guessing your way through compared to waiting, studying and taking your final much later. You can do entire SL courses inside a week (assuming the 4-5 exam format)
7. Finish remaining exams (if applicable) and add your course to your ACE transcript. -insert to add: since Straighterline is also an Alternative Credit Project partner, add Microbiology TWICE. First as a SL course, and second as an ACP course. You'll get approval for both but it will only count once later.

[Silly_Me]

Do you guys happen to know the bare minimum I can get on the exams & still be able to "click through" the final? I got an 80% on my first exam. I really hope I can do better on the next one!

Here is the breakdown for the course -

Graded Exam 1 - 100
Graded Exam 2 - 100
Graded Exam 3 - 100
Midterm Exam - 200
Graded Exam 4 - 100
Graded Exam 5 - 100
Graded Exam 6 - 100
Final Graded Exam - 200

Total - 1000

[bjcheung77]

Buddy, you just need 700 for the entire course. You can pass the course BEFORE you hit the final, don't stress out man!
If you continue your 80% throughout the entire course, you'll hit 640 points, you just need 60/200, which is 30% on the final.
Essentially, it depends on what YOU get on each exam/midterm before YOU do your final... "just DO IT" and quit whining.

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My tips for adults that want quick credit
 
7.  Finish remaining exams (if applicable) and add your course to your ACE transcript.  -insert to add:  since Straighterline is also an Alternative Credit Project partner, add Microbiology TWICE.  First as a SL course, and second as an ACP course.  You'll get approval for both but it will only count once later.

What other courses should we do this and what's the benefit of doing this? 
I only added all my SL courses to ACE and not ACEP.  Hmm... I wonder...

[Gymfan15]

Yeah, I'm curious as to what the benefit is for adding them under two different headings.