Each week, we were to complete one homework assignment and one quiz. The number of questions ranged from around 6 to 10. The questions were multiple choice, from at least 4 choices to as many as 11. The questions were about two thirds calculation and one third conceptual.
The first couple of assignments did in fact require calculus - fairly simple definite integrals. Although we were supposed to use the language R, I found the required calculations simple enough (if not a bit tedious) to do with just pencil, paper, and a calculator.
Passing the course required an average of 70% or better on the quizzes. The homework assignments were not graded, and feedback was given on the answers. We are given three attempts at each quiz. In the first week, it was your last attempt that counted, and you were given no feedback on your answers. Students complained, somewhat reasonably, that without knowing which problems they got wrong, taking the quiz multiple times did not necessarily raise their score. The grading policy was changed such that your best quiz of the three counted, and after submitting each quiz you were informed which questions were answered correctly.
I felt the assignments did a good job of reinforcing the material. They only took about an hour, certainly no more than two, each week. But, I did not feel that this amount of work was sufficient for me to 'master' the material. I don't think at this point, about 2 months after finishing the course, I could remember exactly how to calculate probabilities and confidence integrals as I did in class. However, I'm not sure that this is the point of these short courses. More valuable to me is that I know how to solve a class of problems, and with a short look through a book I could solve them again.
Small aside, this is something I hope my students learn while they are in college. Knowing how to access knowledge and remembering how to use it quickly is more important than memorizing things.
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