Attendance wasn't madatory for the most part since they were asynchronous. On Fridays they are synchonous but they're also very helpful if you have questions. Ian has been very understanding of circumstances and it was clear what the expectations were. The class itself felt like you were doing a bit of research/report, which helped me understand materials better than textbooks alone.

The assignments can get tricky if you don't fully understand the concepts. Make sure to review lecture materials and relate them to the assignments.