Learning Style
Statistics.com courses have 3 main elements: (1) Weekly lessons with assigned readings (usually in a text, sometimes supplemented by additional materials online), (2) Private online discussion board for all students and the instructor, and (3) Homework assignments with feedback. On the first day, the private course web site becomes available to all students, and the course begins. You participate during the week at times convenient to you, as there are no set times when you must be online. Post your questions on the discussion board, and the instructor, along with other participants, will respond with answering posts. The discussion board is the heart of the course.
At the end of the week, the homework is due and the assignment is closed. The model answers are then displayed, and feedback is offered on students' homework individually. If you are not able to complete an assignment before it closes, there is no need to tell the instructor, simply continue to work on the assignment, and then compare your answers to the model answers when they are revealed. At the end of the week, the next week's readings and homework are posted, and the process repeats itself.
On the last day of the course the instructor posts a concluding message. You will continue to have access to the full course (lessons, materials, discussion boards and assignments) for at least two more weeks, so that you may fully review it.
Note that in many of our courses, the instructor is, in fact, the author of the required text. Therefore, it is natural that many of our courses rely heavily on the required text and its exercises.
How to be a Successful Learner
The Statistics.com course model was conceived as a cross between the "buy a book and try to master the subject on your own" approach, and the "attend a class and receive concentrated instruction for 3-4 days." Successful Statistics.com students are those who take an active approach to their learning projects, are comfortable working from written materials and "learn by doing." There are no lectures, and much of the value of Statistics.com courses lies in doing the exercises, getting feedback, and interacting with your fellow students and the instructor. The ability to organize your time and effort with some discipline is also helpful. The flexibility to work at your own convenience is a great advantage; still, a regular, paced attention to the course over its duration allows sufficient turnaround time to address questions. The instructor and your fellow students will be attending the discussion board on their own schedules, and may not be available for an immediate response. The ability to "multitask" in your learning (by proceeding on to topic B while your question about topic A is resolved) is helpful in this respect.