So in this very brief lecture, I'm going to tell you the secrets of how to succeed in this course.
Please note that this is a summary of the full How to Succeed lecture.
So to view the full lecture, which includes more background information about why these guidelines
exist and where they came from, please visit the FAQ at the end of this course.
So there are three guidelines you should follow if you want the highest chance for success in this course.
Guideline number one, use the Q&A.
This goes for any and all questions.
Even if you think they are not worth asking, or that the costs might outweigh the benefit.
One common objection I see is that students believe it will take too long to get an answer.
In fact, questions are typically answered within 24 hours.
Another common objection I see is that students say they don't know what question to ask.
In fact, you are exactly who should be asking questions.
The fact that you cannot even think of a question is a sign that you haven't thought about the topic
enough.
Understanding the material enough to even formulate a proper question is part of your homework as you
take this course.
In fact, oftentimes simply thinking about how to formulate your question clearly leads to finding the
answer yourself.
What I do not want to see is people being afraid of asking questions because they don't want to be corrected
in front of their peers.
As a reminder, this place is totally anonymous, so you should have no fear of being wrong.
Guideline number two This is simple.
Meet the prerequisites for this course.
To clarify, the prerequisites are not an obstacle or barrier to entry.
They are simply information for you to make use of.
For example, if you come across something in this course that you don't understand, you can bet it
relies on some prerequisite that you haven't completely fulfilled.
Therefore, the prerequisites tell you where to go when you don't understand something and you need
to refresh your background knowledge.
Guideline number three.
Get your hands dirty.
There are two types of lectures in this course Conceptual lectures and coding lectures.
For conceptual lectures, the best way to stay engaged is to take handwritten notes.
Importantly, written in your own words, not mine.
For any derivations, make sure you follow each step and use the Q&A if there's a step you don't understand.
For coding lectures, the best way to stay engaged is to actually code what you see.
If you're not coding in a coding course, something isn't right.
See the lecture called How to Code by Yourself in the FAQ.
If you're unsure about how to approach coding exercises, the key point is that every coding lecture
you see is an exercise.
Sometimes I'll even give you further exercises verbally inside those lectures.
Ultimately, it's up to you to do the exercises I've suggested so that you stay engaged and achieve
the learning goals for this course.