| What do I do if my question is not answered on this page? You can submit your question at the Contact Us page. We will answer your question and update this page as well. |
| What version of Thinkwell's courses am I purchasing through the Co-op, and what do I get with the purchase? The Co-op is offering the Homeschool version of the Thinkwell online courses. The Homeschool version is an online product.
All Homeschool courses include: - Thinkwell's award-winning online video lectures. Students can watch them from any computer, at anytime.
- Registration into the Thinkwell home schooling website where students have access to exercises, illustrated notes, animations, and more.
- Chapter practice tests and chapter exams (except American Government, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Public Speaking).
- Worked out solutions to exercises with instant feedback.
- Tracking of homework and chapter test results.
- Website access of 12 months.
Note: We don't know why, but American Government, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Public Speaking do NOT have chapter practice tests and chapter exams.
The Homeschool courses do NOT include:- Test Bank
- Custom Website
- Course Management Tools
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| Does my purchase include CDs? No. However, when you register for the course, you can optionally purchase a CD set for $25.00. Sorry, no discount is available. However, the Thinkwell note says "All content on this CD set is included in our online subscription product. The optional CD set is designed for students with poor or limited internet access who are unable to view video content online. We recommend that you purchase the optional CD set if you have problems viewing our sample videos."
Depending on the course, there are additional supplemental materials available for purchase separately, as follows:
Prealgebra 2nd Ed.:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Workbook - $19.00 US
Beginning Alegbra:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Workbook - $19.00 US
Intermediate Alegbra:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Workbook - $19.00 US
College Alegbra:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Workbook - $19.00 US
Precalculus:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Workbook - $19.00 US
Trigonometry:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Workbook - $19.00 US
Calculus:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Printed Course Notes - $19.00 US
Biology:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Printed Course Notes - $19.00 US
Chemistry:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Printed Course Notes - $19.00 US
Physics:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
Microeconomics:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Printed Course Notes - $19.00 US
Macroeconomics:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Printed Course Notes - $19.00 US
American Government:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Printed Course Notes - $19.00 US
Beginning Alegbra:
- Optional CD Set (Video only) - $25.00 US
- Companion Worktext - $19.00 US
When you receive your subscription code from the Co-op, you will register with it at the Thinkwell website, where you will have the opportunity to purchase these optional supplemental materials. |
| When will my 12 month's Thinkwell subscription begin? Good news! The 12 months period begins when you register for the course, NOT when you purchase. Here's how it works...
1. You buy the course(s) through the Co-op.
2. We will provide you with your own unique subscription code (also called an "authorization" code) for each course per the Terms & Conditions.
3. When you are ready to start the course, go to the Thinkwell site using the link we give you in your "My Subscripitions" page.
4. Register for the course and enter the authorization code.
The course begins when you complete Step 4, and continues for 12 consecutive months. So, you can purchase the courses now, but wait to start them until the time of your choosing. |
| If I buy now, can I save the subscription code and use it later? How long will my subscription code be valid? There are no limits on the validity of the subscription code. It is valid until it is used, at which point the course is then available for 12 continuous months. However, we recommend that you use the subscription code within 6 months. That's the Co-op talking, not Thinkwell. Just to be safe. |
| Will there be a way for me to extend a course beyond 12 months? We are working on this with Thinkwell. However, it is unlikely that you will be able to extend a few months at a time. More likely, we will get you a great price on a 12 month renewal. |
| Can I suspend my subscription after a few months, then restart it for the remainder of the 12 months? No. Once you activate your subscription with the subscription code, the subscription will continue for 12 consecutive months. We expect to have an affordable way for you to extend a subscription in 12 month increments. |
| Are these courses complete curriculum or to be used in conjunction with other material? If these are complete courses, are they considered honors level? This is the answer from Thinkwell:
The Physics title is a calculus-based physics: what you would encounter at a big university freshman "physics for science majors" course. It's appropriate for AP physics, however, we only have Physics I, where most colleges will treat physics as a 2-semester course. So in that way, it may require some supplemental material. One can check the table contents to compare topic coverage with the AP exam.
Our Bio and Chem are also built to the college freshman level majors courses. Non-majors courses use them as well by covering fewer topics and in less detail.
Calculus is a full 2-semester college course, what would have been the beginning math course at respected universities in the days before 45% of college kids not being able to do algebra (Harvard currently runs 6 sections of precalculus). It's a great prep for the calculus AP exams.
We find a one-semester course at the college level is usually a one year course in high school, but the topics are very similar.
Any of our titles are designed to replace the textbook and the need for any other supplemental material is purely optional. |
| For what grade levels are the courses intended? Thinkwell doesn't publish target grade levels for the courses. However, we are guessing that what you really want to know is "Which courses are appropriate for MY child?"
We have a couple suggestions for you:
- Check the Table of Contents for each course you are considering. That will give you a feel for the level of knowledge needed. We have published links to each course's Table of Contents on the order form.
- Have your student take the demo class, and see how he/she reacts. Did it mostly make sense? Or was it hard to understand? |
| Do the CDs contain the entire program, including practice exercises and tests? No. The CDs have only the videos. Everything else is online. Thinkwell recommends the CDs for those with slow Internet connections. But the text materials are easily accessed online, even with a slow Internet connection. |
| Can students skip around in a Thinkwell course, or do they have to go one topic at a time? Students can easily skip around in Thinkwell topics; the program does not require a student to complete any topic before moving on to another. |
| Will Thinkwell have a geometry course soon? Probably not in the near future. Their focus is Advanced Placement or college level courses. However, we have encouraged them to produce one and make it available, because we believe there would be interest among homeschoolers. |
| Do some of the courses have the same content? Yes. Some video segments in math will appear in more than one course, however, the corresponding exercises are not the same. Thinkwell courses tend to be slightly overbuilt (content starts earlier and ends later than typical textbooks), which contributes to this sharing of videos. Thinkwell titles are built to reflect the coverage of the leading textbooks. |
| How often can I take the tests? Each course has a practice test and final test for each chapter. You can take each test ONLY ONCE. |
| Why isn't Economics offered? Thinkwell didn't offer it to us, but they pointed out that the Economics course is, essentially, the combined Microeconomics and Macroeconomics courses. |
| Can a single subscription be used by two students? Several students could of course watch the lectures, but the practice and chapter tests can be taken only once. So, if you want to get the full benefit of the program, you should purchase a separate subscription for each student. |
