Adjunct Courses

About the SLC

Adjunct Courses Math & Stats

Learning is Mathemagical

About

Math 98/198 and Stat 98/198 are 1-unit Pass/No Pass courses taken in conjunction with one of the following lecture courses: Math 1AB, 10AB, 16AB, 32, 53, or 54, or Stat 134. The adjunct course is designed for students to explore and apply key learning strategies, develop high-level problem-solving techniques and make deep meaning of their course material. We provide opportunities for students to experience learning as an iterative process and learn from their mistakes in a positive, judgment-free and low-stakes community with their peers. By engaging in an active and collaborative learning experience that is tailored to their specific learning needs we believe all students will make significant progress towards understanding how to develop comprehensive knowledge of the material and become better learners.

The first formal meeting of all Spring 2024 adjunct courses will be during the first week of the semester, please see the overview page for more details.. 

For the first few meetings of Spring 2024, adjunct courses meet virtually, through Zoom. We anticipate that the adjunct courses will transition to being taught in-person by the third week after students begin enrolling via CalCentral.

Why Join Adjunct

Adding the adjunct has many benefits, as you will be welcomed into a supportive mathematics and statistics community consisting of your peers, the tutorial staff, and the Adjunct Instructor, who is a mathematics or statistics learning specialist there to coach you and give feedback on your progress in learning the material. We strive for all students to be able to engage in a community where each learner is free to make mistakes and can express their thoughts and ideas with others so that all members of the community can learn from each other. 

Each of our Adjunct Instructors are highly versed in not only the content of your lecture course, but also on strategies on how to best learn the material. In this way, by engaging in the adjunct you can not only improve your understanding of the content, but also be empowered with the skills, knowledge, and ability to learn quantitative material beyond the course. By engaging in reflection assignments and conferences with your Adjunct Instructor, you will refine your ability to moderate and deepen your own processes of learning.

Each adjunct administers weekly quizzes with a corrections process designed to help you assess your understanding and identify your next steps for improvement. By taking these low-stakes adjunct quizzes, you get feedback and the ability to correct your work in order to prepare for the lecture quizzes. Research shows that this iterative process of learning is critical for students in mastering the material. 

We hope you consider checking out the adjunct during the first two-week enrollment period! If you’re still not sure, please check out the  Student Testimonials section below to hear what the community has to say about their own experiences.

Student Testimonials

Here are what other students who have enrolled in the Fall 2021 SLC Adjunct Program have had to say about their experiences. We hope that you find their experiences compelling enough to check out the adjunct!

Becoming a Better Learner

“Making mistakes on the quizzes forced me to grow because I became aware of the errors I kept making. Eventually my brain was like "ok stop doing this and do this instead."

“[T]aking adjunct helped immensely with my understanding of the material since I struggle with being self-driven and disciplined when it comes to my learning. . . [M]y learning came mainly from going to adjunct, doing quizzes, doing corrections, etc. Adjunct helped me prepare for the main course’s quizzes and has helped me get into A range for my final grade, which I never expected possible.”

“My best advice to future students would be if you are going to take math. . . definitely take this adjunct. . . it will make the course more bearable and a lot easier. It really does give you a smaller space where you can ask questions or even just help you refresh your memory and further your knowledge on course content. . . . Overall, my advice would be to take it, even it’s a little more work, just do it, because in the end it really does help you. There were definitely times where I didn’t understand a single thing on an assignment, but being able to go to drop in and have the staff help me . . . was worth every minute spent.”

“​​I would tell [future students] to take the adjunct course because they provide helpful insight Into the course expectations and help you better understand the course. This is the second time I have taken an SLC Adjunct course and both times I have had a good experience. The instructors are really helpful and the material they presented is especially helpful when you are struggling with the same material in the lecture course.”

"I had a little bit of a love- hate relationship with [math] before . . . and the more math I do here I am liking it.. . . The adjunct helped me a lot more on concepts I was introduced to for the first time that I wouldn't understand through the lectures.”

“[As a result of the Adjunct, I improved my] time management and problem strategies. I know how to manage my time better when taking exams and approaching a problem that I don’t understand.

Building Community

“Taking an adjunct course turns a 300-person class into a community of less than 30 students, all of whom are there to learn the same concepts as you. In a place as big and prestigious as Berkeley, it might be easy to feel small and like everyone else knows more than you do. .. . [B]eing in the adjunct course helps you realize that it is not necessarily the case that someone else knows more things than you; more often than not, it is actually the case that you have a certain sphere of knowledge, that they have a different sphere of knowledge, and that your two spheres overlap in some places, while being completely different in others. The places where your spheres overlap is how you both end up in the same place, and the places where your spheres don’t overlap is where you both learn new things and grow into a more developed person.” 

“I loved the adjunct course and I have nothing but good things to say about it. [My Adjunct Instructor] was an amazing and effective instructor who always made sure that everyone was taken care of, my conceptual understanding of the material was immensely strengthened, I became much more comfortable solving difficult problems in a multitude of ways, and I became better at helping my friends work through questions. I also feel very grateful for the tutors and how they were incorporated into the course, as they were very supportive and I always left tutoring sessions and the adjunct feeling confident that I understood the material.” “I love the collaborative work we have among students and the tutors as well as instructors!” “I have improved greatly thanks to this class! Specifically, my ability to ask questions, not be afraid of embarrassment, and to take the initiative to network and make connections”

“Taking an adjunct class as a person with anxiety and imposter syndrome helped me realize that I am not alone, and that I am capable of more learning than I credit myself with sometimes.”


“I enjoyed the community I made in adjunct, and the guidance the [Adjunct]  instructor provided me.”

"Everyone in the course is super close! We’re like a family!"

Spring 2024 Adjunct Courses

Please visit the Math Program Overview to see all of our Spring 2024 offerings. 

How to Sign Up:

We invite prospective students to attend and try out the course anytime within the first two weeks of class! However, we encourage you to attend the first session in case the course gets full and to get more information about the service. In addition, if you join after the first session you will have to make up assignments you may have missed. Official enrollment happens at the end of week two after all students have decided whether they have the time and ability to commit and engage fully in the course. The adjunct course will be capped at 35 students this semester, so we encourage you to try it out and experience the service before enrollment closes! (Note: If the course is full when you try to add we will generate a wait-list)

To express interest in the adjunct course please complete the appropriate Adjunct Interest form for your course in the Course Specific Information Section below. After completing the Adjunct Interest Form you should be able to access the Zoom Link for adjunct at the end of the form and should also receive a welcome email from the adjunct instructor detailing next steps for attending and making up any work you may have missed if you did not attend the first session.

To see specific information, logistics and requirements for the adjunct course you are interested in please also see the appropriate syllabus located in the Course Specific Information Section below!

For any questions, please email slc-mathstat@berkeley.edu.

Course-Specific Information for Spring 2024 Adjunct Courses

To see the Math 98 Adjunct Syllabus for your course and access its interest form, click the links next to your course/professor. If your course is not listed, please see our Math Program Overview to see what services we are offering for your course.