Math 075 A #3517 Spring 2006
Room C-206 9:30-10:20 Monday through Friday.

Larry Susanka Office: 564-2484 L-200F Office Hour: 11:30-12:20

This is a self-paced tutorial style course with several grading options and two different texts. The option you take depends on the results of a skill inventory exam we give on the first day. Please see the course materials passed out when this is evaluated for more detail.

This class meets 5 days per week with the exception of Friday, April 21 and Monday, May 29.

Based on a number of years of watching some students succeed and others not, it is absolutely clear that both regular attendance and homework is vital to your success in this class. What you get out of this class will depend on what you put into it.

The attendance requirement is 46 class hours in the regular class room spent studying math (not doing your English homework, chatting about non-math topics or text messaging to friends!) during the regular class time. There are 49 class days total, plus the two hour final, so you can miss up to five days without penalty. If you miss a few days more than that, these hours can be made up in the math lab next door or in another section of 075 held in this room. When I say a few days, I use that phrase with its usual English meaning. I will not turn in a passing grade of any kind for anyone who fails to attend and take the class seriously.

I have seen that around 50 hours of homework seems to be enough for many - but not all - students to complete 5 chapters in the basic book, which is your goal in this class. 5 chapters in the basic book seems to be enough so that most students can then go on to succeed in 097. If you don't finish 5 chapters you may take this course again to get yourself in shape to succeed there. More than 5 chapters is better. With less, most students fail or withdraw from 097. The more you learn here, the easier your life will be when you reach later classes.

The last day of regular class is Monday, June 12. All tests (except the final) must be taken by the end of class on this day.

The cumulative final (constructed individually for the chapters you do) will be given Tuesday, June 13, 9:30-11:20.

The class atmosphere in Math 075 is casual and we want everyone to feel comfortable. Sometimes things get a bit noisy and I find that from time to time I need to ask folks to keep the volume down. There also is a side room you can use if you need more quiet. We should all try to focus our attention on Math during class time, keep on task and not disturb our fellow students who are trying to work on their assigned chapters or take chapter tests.

With that in mind, let's have fun and learn a lot of Math this quarter!

Tests must be started within the first ten minutes of class, and end at twenty minutes after the hour. You may not use notes or the book on tests. The first three chapters of the basic book are to be done without a calculator. That is to make sure people really remember the multiplication table, and how to perform basic arithmetic. If you do not pass a test (below 80%) or want to increase your percentage on a test you can take the test again- but NOT on the day following your last test. You must study the material for at least one full day before trying again.

In order to avoid wasting your time, I strongly advise you to take the chapter test in the book at the end of each chapter, and check your answers against those in the answer key in the text. That should let you know if you are ready for the "official" test, or not.