Since 1998, I have been teaching Beginning Algebra and/or Intermediate Algebra via the Internet. In these 5 years there is a pattern to the type of student who is successful. We ask that students assess their compatibility with Internet Math before they register. I'll show how that assessment matches the successful type of student.

This is our opening: When compared with on-campus students, distance learners are often better organized, more motivated to learn, and more willing to spend extra time (and technology hassles) to succeed in a course.

A few of the questions & student matches (or mismatches):
Are you the type of person who

1. Does not give up when facing challenges?
2. Works well until challenges get in the way?
3. Gives up easily when faced with a challenge?

I learn best when I work

1. By myself and when I want
2. Alone with some help for the instructor and/or other students
3. In groups or in a classroom situation interacting with students and the instructor

1. Extremely difficult for me since I have too many commitments during class time.
2. Somewhat difficult for me, but I can rearrange my schedule
3. Easy for me

1. I finish my school work early
2. I need reminders to finish assignments on time
3. I finish my assignments at the last possible minute.

1. Can motivate yourself to do things?
2. Need a push now and then to get things done?
3. Must have someone organizing your schedule to get things done?

When you receive directions for an assignment, you usually do which of the following?

1. Read the direction and follow them with no help necessary
2. Follow the directions and ask for help sometimes
3. Often ask the instructor or another student to explain the directions
   Successful: Once I read the material, I found many resources; or more reading than I expected - a monitor is different from a whiteboard.

1. Quickly move on until you receive a response
2. Pause and then go back to the same problem
3. Postpone all work on the material until you receive a response.

1. Comfortable with asking the instructor for help?
2. Uncomfortable with asking the instructor for help but realize that you must?
3. So uncomfortable with asking for help that you do not ask for help?

Rate your level of comfort using a computer

1. Very comfortable; I use a computer all the time
2. Fairly comfortable; I use a computer occasionally
3. Uncomfortable: I've never used a computer before

When juggling work and personal responsibilities, how would you best describe the amount of time left to work on math?

1. I have as much time as I need; it is my first priority
2. I have a moderate amount of time, about the same as for an on-campus class
3. I have a minimal amount of time, less than what I would spend for an on-campus course

In addition to asking students to take this quiz, here are some comments I've used at the beginning of a semester:

- I'd like to share with you some of my course evaluations from last semester.

• I enjoyed this class - having the book helped me. I wasn't restricted to a class schedule to ask questions. I liked the video demonstrations.
• It was very convenient, as I didn't have to travel to MATC.
• I tend to procrastinate but knowing when I have to have material done kept me on task. The teacher's weekly email really helped me get a move on and keep up.
• I found it took longer than I anticipated. I tried to do a week's worth of work in one day and found it was too much to do! Doing one section a day helped me & my grade improved.
• It was much harder than I expected. Next time I'll take a class on-campus as I think it's easier to learn from an instructor
• This class required more work than I thought it would. I really had to stay motivate.
• I came into this class thinking this would be very easy --- WRONG! It took much more time and self-motivation to keep up with the assignments.

• Advantages:
  • Liked how the problems were explained
  • Easy to understand
  • Could redo problems until I understood
  • Liked the "hands-on"
  • Liked the presentations for different learning styles - very effective
  • Flexibility
  • Freedom to work at own pace
  • Could check answers & see solutions immediately
  • Could work while the kids were asleep
  • It was like being on your own, in a classroom
• BUT...
  • Almost everyone said something similar to: The course required MUCH more time and self-discipline than I anticipated.
  • A quote "I went into this thinking it would be very easy. Didn't happen that way. You really need to be self-motivated to do this class.
  • Another quote" "Very demanding class. It took much more time than I would ever have guessed. At the initial class meeting I thought you were maybe exaggerating about the time involved, and that this was not a class for procrastinators - but you weren't!
  • I learned that I really need to slow down when entering answers into the computer. Many times I would have the correct answer on my paper but would miss-key something in and would end up with the wrong answer.
  • A few people complained about imputing answers from the keyboard using proper mathematical notation - but hey, it's a MATH on-line course!