Home, 5/30 (last message)
The semester is over and the final grades have been in for quite a while now. On the "scores and docs" page, you can see distribution of the final letter grades, and find all the exams we had during the semester, along with their solutions. (Only one person took the final exam, so I am not publishing the breakdown in scores.)
The final grades are nothing to write home about, but coming to class definitely made the difference between passing and not passing.
I enjoyed teaching this class, and appreciate everyone's willingness to work on the board, even if a tooth filling may have been preferable for many of you.
Have an enjoyable summer!
Home, 5/6
Exam 4 turned out halfway decently, especially compared to usual scores on this exam.
The final exam is scheduled for Thursday at 10:30 in our usual classroom. It will have six pages and consist of problems like the ones on the exams during the semester. Therefore, to start preparing for it, make sure you can do all the problems on the four exams we have had. (Solutions to all of our exams will shortly be available.) Also, check out the sample final exam on the "scores and docs" page. No one should have any problem finishing the exam, since it is 50% longer than a usual exam, but you get twice the time.
If you opt to take the final exam, turn in joysheets 10 and 11 if you haven't already, and work on MyLabs for 5.4-5.6, whose deadline I have extended to Wednesday.
Office hours schedule Monday-Thursday:
Monday by Zoom only
Tuesday 10:00-2:30, Wednesday 10:00-2:00
Thursday 9-10:30, 12:30-1:30
To attend office hour by Zoom, send me an email first, so I can start the meeting.
Good luck on finals!
Home, 4/28
Exam 3 turned out poorly. Students, you really need more practice ahead of an exam, the problems were much like on the sample exam and like what we did in class and on the joysheets!
Exam 4, covering chapter 5, is scheduled for Friday. Check out sample exam 4 for some representative problems and make sure you are up to speed on MyLab. By Saturday evening after the exam, you will receive your overall grade in the class so you can decide whether to come to the final exam to attempt to improve it.
MyLab for section 5.2 is due tonight, and for sections 5.3 is due on Monday. Joysheet 10 was distributed today, and is due on Tuesday (you can download it on these pages if you would like to have it before Monday.) On Monday, we will finish homework in section 5.3 and start working on new material.
Home, 4/21
Exam 3 will be returned next week.
If you have not yet done MyLab for Just-in-Time 27, the due date has been extended to Saturday. As we have finished section 5.1, we will discuss its homework on Monday, with the MyLab due on Tuesday.
These are the last two weeks of classes, and we will be covering some material (logarithms) that will be quite new to many of you, so you will find it demanding, even though it is not so complex computationally. Therefore, it is especially important that you stay current with the material and the MyLab homework for these two weeks.
Home, 4/14
Exam 3, covering sections 3.1-3.5, 4.1 and 4.2 is scheduled for Wednesday. Check out sample exam 3 for some representative problems.
Joysheet 9 was distributed today, please return it on Monday so I can get it back to you before the exam. If you did not get yours in class, find it on these pages.
MyLabs for sections 4.1 and 4.2 are due on Saturday, so hurry up to do them if you have not already. I have also assigned two just-in-time review sections (will not be on exam) that we will work on Monday. Those sections are due on Thursday.
Home, 4/7
Joysheet 8 was due today, but since no one had it ready, it can be turned in on Monday.
On Monday, we continue discussion of homework in sections 3.4 and 3.5. Their MyLabs are due on Tuesday.
Exam 3 will be given during the week after next. Stay tuned...
Home, 3/31
MyLab for section 3.2 are due tonight. Joysheet 7 was due on Thursday, if you have not yet given it to me, bring it on Monday.
On Monday, we will finish section 3.3 and start working on homework in this section. MyLab for the section has already been assigned, due on Thursday.
Can you believe it? March is already over! Five weeks of classes to go, and we'll be done sooner than you think!
Home, 3/17
Exam 2 turned out better than exam 1, so most students will see an improvement in their overall grade, which has been updated on Canvas. Everyone is probably still not where they want to be with the grade, so keep working on it.
Joysheet 6, which was due on Monday has gotten turned in throughout the week. In the future, I hope you will be better with turning joysheets on time, because if most people have turned it in, I post solutions to the joysheet, which may aid you in studying for the next exam.
JIT sections 21 and 22 are due tonight on MyLab. JIT 23 was also due tonight, but I extended it until Sunday, since we only covered it yesterday. Section 3.1 has been assigned for homework - it is due on Tuesday after spring break. On Monday after spring break we will work on some homework from section 3.1.
Have a good spring break! Get some rest, do some work.
Home, 3/10
Exam 2, covering chapter 2, is scheduled for Wednesday. Check out sample exam 2 for some representative problems. If you want to work on more sample exams, do a little internet sleuthing to find my homepage. It has links to all my past courses' webpages, which have exams and solutions on them. (Don't look at courses before Fall 2012, as we used a different book then.)
Joysheet 6 was distributed in class yesterday and is due on Monday, so you can get it back before the exam. If you did not receive it, find it under "joysheets." If you need some tips on how to do the problems, look up solutions to "in-class joysheet 6" on the "scores and docs" page.
MyLab for section 2.5 is due tonight. MyLabs for sections JIT 13 and JIT 15 are due on Monday.
We will continue with discussion of some aditional JIT sections on Monday. They have been assigned on MyLab and are due on Friday of next week. On Tuesday, we will go over any questions you may have ahead of the exam.
Home, 3/3
Exam 1 turned out fairly poorly, but not too much off typical scores. Everyone will need to gain more proficiency to do better on exams, which means more practice! Try to find exams from my other semesters of College Algebra, and do more of them. A positive component of the overall class average was that a lot of students scored between 50 and 60, so they could improve a little and be passing the course.
Your current overall grades are now on Canvas, and you can find exam solutions and class statistics on the "scores and docs" page. Exam 2 is not far - during the week after next.
Due date for Mylab for sections 2.2 and 2.3 has been extended to Monday, because I saw a pretty large number of people has not done it. Please work on this homework if you have not done so already.
Joysheet 5, due on Tuesday, was handed out today. If you did not get it, and would like one before Monday, you can find it on theses pages. If you need help working on it, see the solutions of the in-class joysheet on the "scores and docs" page, or see me for office hours.
Home, 2/24
Sorry for not grading your exam 1 yet - you will have it back on Monday.
On Monday, we will finish homework discussion of 2.1, and contine with new material. The due date of section 2.1 MyLab has been postponed to Monday, too.
Home, 2/17
Exam 1, covering sections 1.1-1.6, is scheduled for Tuesday. Check out sample exam 1 on the "scores and docs" page: our exam will be fairly similar to that one, but don't expect that just numbers will get changed. Try to do the exam on your own and time yourself. You will have to be somewhat quick and well-practiced to do well on the exam.
On Monday, we will do some exam review: come with questions.
Joysheet 4 was due today. If you did not get it to me, bring it on Monday. Solutions to joysheets 1-3 are available on the "scores and docs" page; they may help you study for the exam.
Home, 2/10
We finished chapter 1 today and started working on homework in sections 1.5 and 1.6, which are due on Tuesday and Wednesday on MyLab. We will continue discussion of these homeworks on Monday.
Expect another in-class joysheet next week, over sections 1.5 and 1.6, and another take-home one. Having finished chapter 1, we should have an exam over it, but we will not be able to do it next week. I anticipate it the week after, probably on Tuesday. You can find a sample exam on the "scores and docs" page, so you can start practicing. Check you can finish it in 50 minutes; if not, practice more.
Home, 2/3
We finished section 1.4 today. On Monday, we will discuss homework over it.
Joysheets 1 and 2 were due today - if you didn't give them to me, make sure you have them for Monday. MyLabs for sections 1.3 and 1.4 are due on Saturday and Tuesday, respectively.
If you need help, you can always come for office hours. You can also get help in two places on campus. Free tutoring information has been updated with current semester schedules, see "free tutoring."
Sample exams have also been posted on the "scores and docs" page. Other useful downloads on the "scores and docs" page are solutions to in-class joysheets, because they are similar to the take-home ones.
Home, 1/27
We finished discussion of homework up to section 1.2. On Monday, we will have an in-class worksheet over sections 1.1 and 1.2, and I will distribute two take-home worksheets over the material we have had so far.
MyLab for section 1.1 is due tonight. The following sections are due on days until Monday (check MyLab for details): JIT 6, 7, 9, 14, and section 1.2.
Home, 1/20
First week done! A mere 15 to go!
We finished working on homework in JIT 8, 11, 12, 17 and will continue with homework in section 1.1 on Monday. Make sure you look over it!
If you have not found the online homework yet, it is time you did, as the first assignments are due on Wednesday. Instructions on how to sign up: here. You should be working on online homework over JIT 8, 11, 12, 17.
After finishing homework discussion for 1.1 next week, we continue with lectures on section 1.2.
Missed anything this week? Remember that notes and images of the homework done in class on blackboard are on Canvas/files.
Home, 1/16
Welcome to the course! Look around to familiarize yourself with the layout of these webpages. To get to other pages, click on the links in the menu (or drop-down, if viewing on a smartphone). The most often-used pages are in the first line of the menu (or the first several choices of the drop-down). "Scores and docs," for example, has all the documents for the course.
Your first exercise is to find the syllabus on these pages and read it. The items there that are typically of greatest interest to students are from "Homework" to "Make-ups."
These pages will get more content as information becomes available. Check back often: useful information is provided in the "home" section (which you are reading), typically updated weekly. For now, here is some information on the textbook, online homework and Canvas.
Textbook and online homework: In this course, you have signed up for "Inclusive Access," which automatically bills you for access to the online homework system and includes the e-book. You can access these materials by following the instructions here. (On Canvas, look under "Modules" to find Pearson materials.)
Canvas: will mainly be the repository of class notes and your grades. Information about the course and weekly messages will be posted to this website (also accessible from Canvas). (Why bother with the website outside of Canvas? Two reasons: it's easier to make updates to it, and it stays public, something I value, and you may grow to as well, as a service to future students of this same course.)
Lecture notes: Print these so that you can follow the lectures in class without having to copy a lot. Blank notes on the "scores and docs" page, ones written in class are on Canvas.