Students enrolled in the Clipper Calculus used the same textbook as the on-campus version of the course and had the same required structure of readings, homework, quizzes, and exams. This entailed the following:

Assigned homework problems from the text, some using a computer-algebra program to do a portion of the computations and graphing. The majority of these problems, however, stressed on-paper computations and techniques, and by-hand graphing was be required. A mixture of drill exercises and more subtle problems were assigned to develop both skills mastery and critical analysis.

Exercises on each topic were provided on-line both to offer immediate reinforcement of the key concepts and to gauge each student's difficulties as they developed, allowing intervention by the instructor before the student became lost.

Two major exams were taken at specific points in a student's progress through the material. These were proctored, written, essay-type exams. These exams were the same as the on-campus mid-term exams, although the timing of their administration was determined by the student's pace through the material (subject to deadlines), rather than the rigid pace of the on-campus course.

When the student completed the course (or reached a predetermined deadline), a comprehensive final exam was be administered in the same manner as the major exams. Again, this exam was of the same nature and scope as for the on-campus course.

The course presentation was divided into discrete topics, as with the on-campus course. Students were instructed to first do the assigned reading, then to go through the on-line presentation accompanying that topic. This presentation was a written lecture component highlighting the important points of the topic and audio/video (or audio alone) commentary on those points by the instructor meant to be played at specific times while the student is going through the lecture material, along with examples that can be presented in various formats.

Drill and practice examples of the mathematical techniques were presented as a step-through textual presentation, with animated graphics as warranted, along with either textual or audio (or video) commentary as needed. Examples could also encourage students at key points to develop their ability to apply the proper technique.

Students could view these materials as often as necessary for them to understand the topic, which presented an advantage over in-class lectures. Feedback and interaction, between the student and the instructor individually, among the students with or without the instructor's participation, and in a group discussion, were provided. Individual interaction between a student and the instructor was provided primarily via exchanges of e-mail. Experience has shown that, although students occasionally had difficulty expressing mathematical topics through e-mail, forcing them to write their questions, thus completely expressing themselves, is beneficial. E-mail responses often accomplished the objective of steering a student towards the right path better than an office visit.

Group discussions among students were achieved through use of a discussion group and/or a chat room, where students can post questions or observations and follow up on questions posed by other students. There was a considerable learning and exchange of information in these discussions

The instructor participated in this discussion forum but did not dominate it. The instructor also kept the discussion on-topic and corrected any misleading information that might be propagated. Both e-mail and discussion exchanges were not limited to text. Formatted mathematics, graphics, and even video clips were attached where needed during the exchange. Group discussions took place in a chat room, with specific hours of operation. Visual as well as textual interaction were used.

Additional material that students could explore as their interests lead them were provided. Links to historical information, more advanced topics, and more general mathematical discussions were included in the material. A general mathematical discussion was provided in a question-and-answer format led by the instructor, where questions from students were (selectively) discussed in a general mathematical setting, leading students to explore mathematics beyond the scope of the course material. The aim of this feature was to replicate the general questions that occasionally arise, either during office hours or in a lecture, that provide opportunities to discuss topics that were not directly related to the course, but which came out of connections students make between course material and other subjects that interest them. The model for this format is Frank Morgan's "Math Chat", available on-line at the Mathematical Association of America site. Similar forums are provided by Swarthmore's "Ask Dr. Math".