Spring 2008 Syllabus - Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Greetings! I am pleased to welcome you to Arizona State University’s Distance Learning Version of Mat210.  I have designed several innovative features in this course to enhance student success in mathematics, to make the learning environment “user-friendly”, and to make mathematics personally meaningful.  It is my hope that this will both enhance your education here at ASU and also serve you well for many years to come.  Your success is our first priority:  please feel free to send me an email whenever you have a question or need assistance.

Leslie Arce

arce@math.asu.edu

SLN: 12544 and 12545

 

Please note: there has been a little difficulty with ASU email in the past.  If you have sent me an email and you have not received a reply within a day or at most two days, send another one. Of course, please tell me (1) who you are (2) what you need and (3) verify your current email return address.  If the email is a continuation of a conversation we have been having, please include that info when you email me. 

Also I encourage you to check in with us periodically during our live online office hours in the Virtual Classroom every Tuesday and Thursday, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. While this is not a formal course requirement, you will find this additional resource can help you connect with the material and will help us personalize the course and adapt it to your needs.

INSTRUCTOR’S PHONE for messages only:  480-965- 8369

INSTRUCTOR’S OFFICE:  ECA 209, ASU Main

Again, please always feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions or need assistance.

Best Regards,

Leslie Arce                                                                                   

Department of Mathematics & Statistics

Keep this map handy for the in-person midterm and in-person final exams if you are not familiar with the campus!

ASU MAP

 

Link to ASU Online Parking Map:  http://www.asu.edu/map/

Course Description and Prerequisites

Brief Calculus is a one-semester course covering topics in differential and integral calculus of elementary functions with applications. This course is recommended for students majoring in business, certain life sciences, and other areas using applied mathematics. It is a good review course for K-12 teachers who have had calculus at some point in the past and who wish to update their knowledge in a contemporary modeling/data oriented format. This course is not available for ASU credit to students with ASU credit in Mat260, 270, or 290. The prerequisite is successful completion of Mat117 (college algebra) or its equivalent. While most of chapters 1 and 2 in this course are review from Mat117, students who know that they need a more in-depth review in order to be successful in this course may review selected topics from the mat117 online lessons at http://math.asu.edu/fym/Courses/mat117-internet/mat117-topic-list.html.

Mat210 Online is a 16-week internet course during the Fall and Spring Semesters, and a 10 week internet course over the summer.  It is not a self-paced, open-entry open-exit course, but an alternative to attending classes on campus. The Fall course begins on January 14, 2008 and ends on April 29, 2008. The final exam is Saturday May 3, 2008  from 7:40-9:30 AM.  This is also the common final exam time for the following mat courses: MAT 270, 271, 272.

The student is responsible for checking the Spring 2008 final exam schedule (http://www.asu.edu/registrar/registration/finals.html) to make sure no final exam conflicts with this one. The online version of this course covers the same topics and uses the same text as the classroom version of the course.

Why distance learning?  Let’s face it; your day isn’t like anyone else’s.  Neither is your personal best in terms of learning style or the demands that life places on your time.  You need the freedom and flexibility to be able to fit your education in with the rest of your life.  To utilize this freedom effectively to optimize your success in this course, it is essential that you set up a detailed time-organization calendar so that you can fit in the kind of study time it takes to do well in calculus. (A lot!) 

So it is time to map out your life for the semester:  build your study calendar, customize it, fine-tune it, until it fits you like a glove.  What you must plan your work around are the homework and test deadlines listed on pages 11 and 12 of this syllabus. Thus, you need to set up a study schedule something like the topic calendar given on page 10, so you have ample time to make sure that each homework assignment is done, questions are answered, and you have entered your solutions online before midnight on the deadline day for that assignment.

CAUTIONS!:  Experience is a great teacher, and experience has shown that to be successful in a distance learning course there are certain key items you want to pay close attention to.

1)  Please read the syllabus.  I know that it is a bit long, because it contains the rules and regs, assignments, and all of the other info you need to know.  You are probably a busy person and you may want to jump in and start experimenting rather than read the syllabus.  That would be a mistake!  Experimenting is good and please do so, but if you don’t also read the syllabus you will miss important points that will trip you up later on down the line in the course and seriously affect (lower) your grade.  You don’t have to read all of it at once.  But get it read and digested certainly before the first week of the course is over.

2)  Don’t procrastinate on the homework thinking that it is just the tests that matter.  This is an unfortunate habit some students seem to have acquired in high school.  Since the course grade is based on the total number of points accumulated, failure to submit a homework assignment is automatically lowering your grade! And if you find yourself needing a time extension or other special help from your instructor, a spotty homework record does not help a student’s credibility!

3)  Pay close attention to the deadlines and understand the difference between a due date and a deadline date.  A deadline is the last possible opportunity to do something, sometimes called a “drop dead” date J .  A due date is when you want to have something done by in order to get your work in before a deadline.  Here is an example:  the deadline to submit your tax return is generally April 15.  That does not mean that the evening of April 14 you start working on your taxes.  If you do, you have messed up.  You probably can’t get the job done properly. And then you are in trouble with the IRS. So you set a personal due date for yourself of April 1, to make sure that by April 15, you are done and have had enough time to do a thorough and careful job. The dates given for homework and exam assignments are deadlines: the last possible opportunity to input your work.  Sometimes these deadlines fall on weekends, because time extensions have already been built in to the deadline date.  So make your own personal due date ahead of the deadline date for that assignment. Since the only fair way to grant extensions is to give them to everyone,  the extensions or “fudge factors” have already been included in the deadlines.  Of course if you are ill or encounter emergencies beyond your control, contact me before the deadline date if at all possible so that we can work something out for you.

Getting Started

PLACEMENT:  It is highly advisable, but not required, that you take the online math placement test (if you have not recently done so) to see how you score relative to other students who are taking mathematics at this level.  After you submit the online exam an advisory chart appears that shows you what your score means relative to your readiness for the class. This is a win-win situation:  if your score is low and you intend to remain in the class and give it a go, you know that you will need to spend extra time, and probably get extra help).  The first chapter we cover is review, and is sometimes skipped in an in-person class, so you have a golden opportunity here to get started on the right foot.  If your score is high, you will probably need to spend less time on the first chapter (but expect the workload and your study time requirements to get heavier once we reach chapter 1.) Your score on the advisory test will not affect your eligibility to remain in the class. The following link will connect you with the placement test:

https://math.asu.edu/fym/placement/html

LOGGING IN:   Log in to the course as soon as the semester starts.  Use your web browser to go to the ASU portal at http://my.asu.edu and use your ASUrite Userid and Password to log in.  (How to acquire the ASUrite userid and password is covered in the online orientation mentioned above.)  There are homework deadlines the first week of class, so you need to get started right away.

After you have registered for the class officially with the ASU registrar, this course will be added to your my.asu list of courses automatically, usually within 24 hours.  If you do not see a link to the mat210 class when you log in to my.asu, notify me promptly via email.

LATE-ADD STUDENTS:  If you added this course during drop add week, your deadlines have been adjusted for the first few homework assignments based on the day you registered for this class. Please contact me ASAP with the date of your late add.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR THE COURSE

1. Textbook:  Essential Mathematics for Business and Economic Analysis Second Edition, custom publishing by Pearson. You can obtain a copy of this text from the ASU Bookstore on campus.  If you do not live within the Phoenix/Tempe metropolitan area, the ISBN for this text is 0-536-20811-5.  Your local bookstore can obtain the text from the publishers.  If there is any delay in obtaining the textbook, contact your instructor by email immediately.

2.  Graphing Calculator:

The Casio 9850GB or the TI-83 + (“plus”) or TI-84+ calculator are highly recommended. You can obtain this calculator at the ASU bookstore along with your text. You can also purchase this calculator at many different locations throughout the valley and elsewhere; typically all larger office supply stores carry them. The TI-82 is a similar calculator.  If you already have some other kind of graphing calculator and you know how to use it, it is not necessary to purchase a new one.  Some type of graphing calculator is required. However, calculators that perform symbolic algebraic calculations, such as the TI-89 or TI-92, are not permitted on the midterm or final exams, so it is unadvisable to purchase those for this course.A good free online starter tutorial for the TI-83 and 83+ (and virtually the same for the TI-84+) may be found at:

http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/graphing/ti83/index.html

and short, user-friendly “how to” handouts are available at:

http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/calc_v2/frameset_83.html

These same handouts are available for the Casio and other graphing calculators at:

http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/calc_v2/index.html

3.  Computer Access:  Any computer with Internet access is fine.  We recommend you use Internet Explorer (4.0 or later) browser.  You can work on this course from home, from work, or use a computer on the ASU campus at any of the 5 different ASU computing sites.  If you intend to use the computers on campus, you will need a computer account to be able to log on.  (It is free).  Computer Accounts may be obtained in the ASU Computing Commons, first floor, new accounts desk.  (See map on the following page.)

IMPORTANT WEB ADDRESSES ("URLs") TO BOOKMARK NOW (Add to “Favorites”)

LOGING IN TO THE COURSE:

You must be officially registered for the course before you are able to log in to it at http:// my.asu.edu.  Students are added to the online course on a daily basis automatically after registering. This can take up to 24 hours, so don't panic if you add the course and then immediately cannot log in. Once you have registered for the course, go to http://my.asu.edu and log in using your ASUrite userid and password. Once you have logged in, look for the title “My Courses”.  Mat210 should appear under “Courses you are taking” as shown in the illustration below. Click on that link and read the information on the mat210 screen that follows, and follow any instructions given.

UPDATING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

COMMUNICATION - Expect frequent communication via email from your instructor updating you on various aspects of the course, including providing hints and other problem solving tips.  It is extremely important that you verify that your ASU email address is correctly given, and that you check your email frequently. 

If you are a new student at ASU, you may not be familiar with ASU’s Electronic Post Office, or EPO.  New students are automatically given an ASU email account, and all email in my.asu to you is sent to that account.  However, until you activate your new account, emails to you will likely wind up in the Electronic equivalent of the dead letter office, resulting in missed information and possibly lowered grades!

Email : Here is what the student new to ASU must do. First, the student must add Student E-Mail Service (Emma/Pine) to their ASU computing services by going to http://www.asu.edu/selfsub.  This web site is really user friendly.  You can type in any of the following numbers:  your ASU ID or your Affiliate ID (found on your ASU ID card or your ASURITE UserID) as illustrated below.  Then click “next”.   Basically you just answer the questions that appear on the screen and keep clicking “next” until you are done. 

Once you have your ASURITE userid activated, you can go to the EPO (Electronic Post Office) and arrange to have your email forwarded to wherever you want it to go (if you want to use a forward.)  Or, you can use the EPO to give yourself an email address like “Leslie.Arce@asu.edu” instead of the usual weird configuration of letters and numbers, and use the EPO as your regular email.

You can also do any or all of the email updates by logging in to:  HTTP://www.asu.edu/emma and clicking on “EPO Update.”  Type in the new destination address and then click on the Update button.

GETTING STARTED WITH THE DAILY COURSE WORK

The online homework, quizzes, and the chapter tests are all located in the Assignments section of your Blackboard Brief Calculus Course Account.  The Assignments button is one of the blue buttons that appear on the left hand side of the screen, as illustrated below

Click on the Assignments button, and then click on the DAILY LESSONS category.  We suggest you begin by clicking on the Daily Lesson for Section P.1.  Please note: You need to interact with the lesson page in order to get the most out of it.  Math is not a spectator sport!  When it says calculate, or “try this”, or “move your mouse” over something, please do so!  Nobody is watching: you can take as long as you like, and if you get something wrong on the lesson page, you can try again.

Math is not a spectator sport!  Interact with the web lesson!

After you have worked through the Web daily lesson, at the bottom of the daily lesson, click on and print out the hard copy of the homework problems that appear.  These are the same problems that you will later answer as the homework assignment or “quiz” for that section.  There are usually 5 problems or so for each section.

Homework Part Deux:

After you have gone through the web lesson and printed out a hard copy of the online homework from the bottom of the page, go to the same section in the textbook and read it: focus on working the examples as you go.  The web lesson has already “primed” you so to speak to understand what is going on. Think of it as the replacement for a lecture that you would have received in an in-person class format.  Then work out the assigned homework for that section (see homework assignment table later in this syllabus) and check your answers in the back of the book to make sure you are on the right track. When you are confident you know what you are doing, work out the problems on the hard copy you printed out.  Use the online tutor or visit me during my office hours in the Virtual Classroom as necessary to get help with anything you do not understand.  There are a few sections that do not have problems assigned in the textbook: in that case, the examples in the web lesson are sufficient for our purposes, and you should be able to complete the online homework for them as usual.

Input your solutions: You should now be ready for the online homework for the section you are studying, for example, section P.1. The online homework is of course required, not optional. Work out and double check the problems on the hard copy you printed out after you went through the daily web lesson.  Then go online back to the my.asu server, and back to the Assignments area.  Click on the folder for chapter P homework, and then click on chapter P online homework for section P.1.  Input your solutions as you have them written out on your paper.  Double check to make sure that you have not made an entry error.  Then click on the “submit” button at the bottom of the screen.  That’s it!  You will get your graded results, score, and feedback within a minute or so.  If you missed a problem, be sure to circle the correct answer and pay close attention to the feedback by the solution (it is a good idea to correct your hard copy and keep it handy for future study (exams).  The following is a generalization of this process for a daily study routine.

 Your Homework Routine- Summary  

1. Work through the Daily Lesson on the web for the section you are working on.  If the my.asu server is temporarily down, you can still access the daily lessons at:

http://math.asu.edu/fym/Courses/mat210_web/lessons/Daily_Lessons.htm

Print out the hard copy of the online homework linked at the bottom of the lesson.

2. Read through the section in the textbook. Try the examples.  Work the assigned exercises shown in the homework table later in this syllabus.  Since only a small number of homework problems have been assigned per section, be sure to do them.

3.  Work out the solutions to the online homework problems on the hard copy you printed out from the web lesson. Get help as needed from the online or in person tutor centers.

4.  Input your solutions back in the Assignments area in Blackboard and correct your hard copy on anything you miss.

Be proactive in getting tutoring help and get EXTRA CREDIT at the same time! You can earn 5 bonus points per week for using the online tutor to get help.  After getting help with your homework, ask the online tutor for the "secret word."  Then use the "secret word" for the week as the password into the extra credit area in the Assignments, and the bonus points will be added to your homework point total.  Note:  you must legitimately seek help to earn this credit.  Going to the online tutor just to get the "secret word" will not work.  Tutors are instructed not to give out the secret word to anyone but students who legitimately seek help in understanding and completing the homework.  You cannot get "retroactive" credit.  Once a week has passed, you can no

Cautions about BUGS! (Software problems)

No software is perfect, and this can certainly be said for the software we currently use to deploy this course.  There are a couple of things you need to bear in mind in order to save yourself (and me) some wasted time and effort.

Do not go directly into a homework assignment or test to see what is on it and then exit.  Print the hard copy from the links provided both in the Assignments area (at the bottom of each Daily Lesson) and also in this syllabus in the homework table. Once you have opened a “quiz”, if you exit, the software may not allow you to get back in.  You will see a red exclamation mark “ ! ” or a lock symbol   where a score would normally appear (use the “Tools” button and then click on “Check grade” to keep tabs on your progress.)  If this happens, don’t panic.  Just send me an email in a timely manner and I will fix it. Be sure to notify me before your upcoming deadline for that assignment. :-)

RECOMMENDED CALCULUS TIME MANAGEMENT CALENDAR Spring 2007

IMPORTANT!! See submission Deadlines on page 11 (below on web page)

Other Important Dates:

March 28	Course Withdrawal Deadline - In Person
March 30	Course Withdrawal Deadline - SunDial & ASU Interactive
April 29	Complete Withdrawal Deadline

HOMEWORK DEADLINES – PLAN YOUR PERSONAL DUE DATES BEFORE THE FINAL SUBMISSION DEADLINES GIVEN on the following page. The assigned problems represent the minimum number of problems you should do to gain a working familiarity of the concepts.  The student who wants to do well will work as many additional problems as necessary to master the concepts.

HOMEWORK SUBMISSION DEADLINES

Sec.	Assignment - Textbook Problems (for your use – not to be turned in)	Online H.W. Number (to be done online)	Final Submission by midnight on:	Final Submission Date:
P.1	None in text – see web lesson P.1	Online Homework P.1	Tuesday	January 15
P.2	None in text – see web lesson P.2	Online Homework P.2	Wednesday	January 16
P.3	None in text – see web lesson P.3	Online Homework P.3	Thursday	January 17
P.4	None in text – see web lesson P.4	Online Homework P.4	Friday	January 18
1.1	1 – 17 odd, 20, 22	Online Homework 1.1	Saturday	January 19
1.2	3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12	Online Homework 1.2	Tuesday	January 22
1.3	2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 13	Online Homework 1.3	Thursday	January 24
1.4	1 – 6 all	Online Homework 1.4	Saturday	January 26
	Exam on P.1 – 1.4	Web Test 1	Tuesday- Thursday	January 29 – 31
1.5	1 – 9 odd, 10, 12, 13	Online Homework 1.5	Saturday	February 2
1.6	1, 2, 5, 6	Online Homework 1.6	Tuesday	February 5
1.7	1 – 15 odd	Online Homework 1.7	Thursday	February 7
1.8	1 – 13 odd, 15, 17	Online Homework 1.8	Saturday	February 9
1.9	1 – 13 odd	Online Homework 1.9	Tuesday	February 12
1.10	1 – 8 all	Online Homework 1.10	Thursday	February 14
1.11a	None in text – see web lesson 1.11a	Online Homework 1.11a	Saturday	February 16
1.11b	1 – 29 odd	Online Homework 1.11b	Tuesday	February 19
	Exam on 1.5 – 1.11	Web Test 2	Tuesday - Thursday	February 19 - 21
2.1	2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11	Online Homework 2.1	Saturday	February 23
2.2	1 – 4 all	Online Homework 2.2	Tuesday	February 26
2.3	2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16	Online Homework 2.3	Thursday	February 28
2.4	1 – 4 all	Online Homework 2.4	Saturday	March 1
	Exam on 2.1 – 2.4	Web Test 3	Monday – Wednesday	March 3 - 5
Midterm	Comprehensive: chapters P- 2	Midterm Exam	Wed, Thurs or Fri	March 5, 6 or 7
3.1	1, 2	Online Homework 3.1	Tuesday	March 18
3.2	2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17	Online Homework 3.2	Thursday	March 20
3.3	2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13	Online Homework 3.3	Saturday	March 22
3.6	1 – 7 odd, 10, 11, 13	Online Homework 3.6	Tuesday	March 25
3.4	2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10	Online Homework 3.4	Thursday	March 27
3.5	1 – 7 all, 12	Online Homework 3.5	Saturday	March 29
	Exam on 3.1 – 3.6	Web Test 4	Monday - Wednesday	March 31 - April 2
4.1	1 – 17 odd, 21, 23, 31	Online Homework 4.1	Thursday	April 3
4.2	1 – 5 all	Online Homework 4.2	Saturday	April 5
4.3	1 – 15 odd, 19, 20, 21	Online Homework 4.3	Tuesday	April 8
4.4	1 – 10 all	Online Homework 4.4	Thursday	April 10
4.5	1 – 19 odd	Online Homework 4.5	Saturday	April 12
4.6	1 – 9 odd	Online Homework 4.6	Tuesday	April 15
	Exam on 4.1 – 4.6	Web Test 5	Tuesday - Thursday	April 15 - 17
4.7	1 – 11 odd, 12 – 16 all	Online Homework 4.7	Tuesday	April 22
4.8	1, 3, 4, 5	Online Homework 4.8	Thursday	April 24
Final Exam	Comprehensive – covers all assigned sections from P.1 thru 4.8	Final Exam	Saturday	May 3 from 7:40 – 9:30 AM

 

QUIZ DEADLINES – SEE EXPLANATIONS BELOW DEADLINE TABLE

1. Mat210 Syllabus Quiz	Extra credit – makes sure you have read the syllabus	Deadline Thurs. Jan. 17
2. Algebra Review quiz	Required – tests over basic algebra techniques used frequently in calculus	Deadline Sat. Jan. 19

Quizzes – Explanation & Comments:

1. SYLLABUS QUIZ ( 15  POINTS) Extra credit – makes sure you have read the syllabus before you take the syllabus quiz.

Find out what your current algebraic misconceptions are (if any) , and correct them!  From my experience, at least 20 - 30% of students entering this course still have basic algebraic misconceptions that will cause them to miscalculate solutions and thus will seriously affect their calculus grade.   For example, note the following

Common Algebraic Misconceptions will lower your grade: PLEASE read before you take the algebra review quiz!

The following represents commonly held notions about basic algebra that are not true.

1. Misconception: Everything is “distributive”: (No it isn’t!)  The following represent several instances where the distributive idea is mistakenly applied:

•  and  - to prove this for yourself, plug in x = 1 and y = 2 into both expressions and see if they have the same value.

• and   again, to prove this for yourself, plug in x = 1 and y = 2 into both expressions and see if they have the same value.

•  and : again, to prove this for yourself, plug in x = 1 and y = 2 into both expressions and see if they have the same value.

2.  Misconception: Side by side expressions always indicate multiplication. (Not necessarily!)

• 1.   It means, the sine of the quantity two times x.

• 2.   It means, the log of the quantity two times x.

3. Misconception: you can always cancel like terms from the numerator and the denominator. (Not across multiplication or division!)

• 1.  To prove this for yourself, plug in a = 1 and b = 2 into both expressions and see if they have the same value.

example of error: 

   (this is incorrect!)

•   again, to prove this for yourself, plug in a = 1 and b = 2 into both expressions and see if they have the same value.

•    (this is incorrect!)  again, to prove this for yourself, plug in x = 1 into the expression and see if you get .

Misconceptions are often hard to eradicate from memory. Thus, pay close heed to the feedback after the quiz is graded.  If you missed an item, focus on your mistake, remember it, and look for this situation in upcoming problems you will encounter. You will save many many points by so doing and boost your final grade.   I have unfortunately observed students miss these simple problems in algebra, make these same conceptual mistakes on the “warning quiz” when they come to calculus and miss them again in homework, followed up by missing them on the midterm and the final exam!  It is not that these problems are so hard to understand, it is that eradicating misconceptions is difficult if you are not looking for them!   This is very hard on a teacher’s spleen and a student’s grade.  Give yourself the best edge for a good grade by looking for and fixing “algebraic misconceptions!”

You must take the algebra skills review test on or before Saturday, August25.

WEB TEST AVIALABILITY AND DEADLINES (midnight of deadline day shown)

MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAM INFORMATION – (In-person requirements)

Midterm Exam

Dates:  You have your choice of Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, March 5, 6, or 7. Since you have some freedom here, please plan your time responsibly.  If a student shows up at 1 minute after closing time on the last day to take the midterm and is denied admission, there will be no sympathy and no possibility of a makeup exam.  

Location: If you live in Central Arizona:  ASU Main Campus, Math Testing Center, located in PSA21 (See map on page 2.)  If you live elsewhere- Northern Arizona, Southern Arizona or out of state/out of country, you may take the exam at a location other than ASU main campus – ADVISE YOUR INSTRUCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE VIA EMAIL OF YOUR INTENT.

Fall Testing Center Hours of operation:  The Testing Center Hours of operation are as follows:
8:00 AM -8:00 PM Monday – Thursday - The last exam is given out at 6:30 PM on Monday-Thursday and the  last exam is collected at 7:55. The testing center is open Fridays from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, The last exam is given out at 3:30 PM on Friday and the exams are collected at 4:55.

More information about the Math Testing Center may be found at this URL: http://math.asu.edu/fym/tstcenter.html

Midterm or Final Exam at a Remote Site:

Location: If you live outside of the Central Arizona Area: 

REQUESTS TO TAKE A MIDTERM/FINAL EXAM AT A LOCATION OTHER THAN THE MATH TESTING CENTER MUST BE MADE PRIOR TO Monday, January 28^th  (midterm) / Monday March 17^th  (final).

PROCEDURE: 

1.  Notify your instructor by email of your intent to take a midterm/final at a remote site.  This will prevent unnecessary problems should a miss-communication occur between different departments, or if your midterm/final exam fails to arrive back to your instructor in a timely manner.

2. CONTACT THE TESTING SERVICES AT A NEARBY UNIVERSITY, COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL.  REQUEST TO HAVE YOUR MIDTERM (FINAL EXAM) PROCTORED BY THEM. 

3. FILL OUT THE ONLINE PROCTOR FORM AT:

http://asuonline.asu.edu/support/ProctorRequest.cfm

You and your proctor will receive a confirmation email after your request has been processed. Your exam(s) will be faxed/emailed to your proctor within 24 hours of your exam date.  If you are taking more than one course or have more than one proctor, please submit a separate form for each course/proctor.

       The midterm is not timed, but the final exam is a timed examination. You may have no more than two hours in one sitting to complete it regardless of where you take it. The proctor will be advised of this limit. 

       After you take the exam, it will be mailed back to ASU, and will be routed to your instructor for grading.

MIDTERM TOPICS:  Covers sections P.1 thru 2.4

 FINAL EXAM TOPICS: Cumulative and comprehensive, covers all assigned chapters from section P.1 thru 4.8.

 SUMMARY OF WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU TO THE MIDTERM/FINAL EXAMS:

• ASU Sun Card ID - You must have an ASU Sun Card ID in order to take a test in the ASU Math Testing Center. 
• Graphing calculator
• Sharpened pencils and erasers (no ink pens please!)

The exam format is “SHOW YOUR WORK”, NOT MULTIPLE CHOICE.

Final Exam

Date:  Saturday May 3, 2008, 7:40 am – 9:30 am

Location: To Be Announced.   If you live in Central Arizona, the exam will be in the math building on ASU Main Campus 

The exam format is “SHOW YOUR WORK”, NOT MULTIPLE CHOICE. It is expected by the end of the course that you will have acquired the knowledge and skills to work a rigorous cumulative final exam in the 2 hours that have been allotted.  If you have just done the minimum amount of work in the course and have not made significant efforts to review, understand and synthesize the material periodically throughout the semester, you will in all likelihood not be able to meet the challenges of the final in a satisfactory manner. Forewarned is fore armed:  accumulate a fundamental understanding throughout the course and you will do well on the final exam.

GENERAL ADVICE:

1. We move at a fast pace.  It is crucial to stay current with the material: if you get behind in the homework it will be very difficult to catch up. Stay organized and stay on track.  Pace yourself and keep track of your progress by checking your grade (Student Tools).

2. Don’t try to take this math course if you are taking a large number of credit hours and also working a job:  math is a time consuming endeavor and there is just no short cut to assimilating the material in a meaningful way.  You have to give your mind a chance to digest ideas, to relate them to other concepts, and allow for some “settling time.”  You should plan to spend at least 10 – 12 hours per week going through the Daily lesson, doing homework, studying for quizzes and tests, and working online

3.  Make sure you have budgeted adequate time to get assistance and use your resources into your study schedule. Use the free online tutoring (and, if convenient, the free in-person tutoring mentioned below), instructor email and or the other online web resources set up for your use in the Daily Lesson.

4.  Be proactive in getting help. Use your resources!

5. Incorporate a regular review into your study schedule. Learning a concept is one thing, remembering it is another.  Make sure that what you learned last week (and the week before) is still in your working memory and that you are connecting and consolidating this information with your current studies.  Make sure that you get in enough practice with problem solving so that eventually you do not have to use the book or notes as a crutch!  This is exceedingly important!

 - ONLINE TUTORING AND OTHER SOURCES OF HELP

Here are 2 options you may use to get access to online homework help, and get the "secret word" for the week – i.e. - extra credit.  There are several additional sources of free help on campus for the student who needs live, in-person help, most important of these is the math tutor room.  See details that follow.

Option 1 – the online math tutor room: Go to “http://my.asu.edu” and look under “courses you are taking.” There will be a separate “course” listed called “math tutor room”.  Click on it and follow the instructions given to get to the interactive whiteboard. Also note the hours that someone will be online to help you on the Announcements page.

After getting help with your homework, ask the online tutor for the "secret word."  Then use the "secret word" for the week as the password into the Online tutor Extra Credit for that week (located in the Assignments area), and the bonus points will be added to your homework point total.  Note:  you must legitimately seek help to earn this credit.  Going online and just asking for the "secret word" will not work.  Tutors are instructed not to give out the secret word to anyone but students who legitimately sought help in understanding and completing the homework.  You cannot get "retroactive" credit.  Once a week has passed, you can no longer get extra credit for getting help for that week.

Option 2:  Visit us during online office hours to get tutoring help in the Virtual Classroom.  Go to “http://my.asu.edu” and look under “courses you are taking.” Click on the Mat210 course. Click on the virtual classroom button to get to the interactive whiteboard.  Check the Announcements page for any updates in my office hours. See below for details. Click on the Virtual Classroom button, as shown in the illustration below. Then Click on the words "Enter Virtual Classroom” on the screen that appears next. 

Wait for the Whiteboard to load. This can take a little while! When it finishes loading, it looks like the picture on the right. Just type in or write in your question, and the class tutor or I on the other end will see what you are doing, and will respond. You will see our response on this same whiteboard. Of course, you need to log in at one of the scheduled times someone is on duty!

Other Options - Free In-person help: (extra credit not offered for in-person tutoring)

(1) The Department of Mathematics maintains an in-person MATH TUTOR CENTER that is free to you as a math student registered in this course. The Math Tutor Center is located In PSA-116.

This is free, quality tutoring to all ASU students registered in mat210. However, you must bring your Sun Card.

The math tutor center will open on Tuesday, January 22nd. 

The Spring 2008 hours are: 
           8:00 AM to 8:00 PM  Mondays-Thursdays
           8:00 AM to noon  Fridays
          12:00 noon to 4:00 PM on Sundays

Holiday closures:

Martin Luther King Day - closed on Monday, January 21st.

Spring Break - closed at noon on Friday, March 7th and
remain closed until 8 am on Monday, March 17th.


There will be no hours on reading day - Wednesday, April 30th. However, there is a high probability that there will be some hours during finals week; this schedule will be posted later in the semester.

Check the ASU math tutor homepage at http://math.asu.edu/fym/TutorCenter/TutorCenter.html for the most current info on hours of operation and directions.  Check the Announcements page for updates on the online tutor hours.

(2) Consider The Learning Resource Center as an additional source of good math tutoring.  The Learning Resource Center at Arizona State University provides tutoring, peer coaching, academic skills workshops, and software training to help students improve their academic performance and persist to graduation.  One free hour of tutoring a week, or, for only $25 a semester you can receive 2-3 hours of tutoring each week. The LRC also has free online tutoring in math and English as well.  Check out their website for more details.

(3) If you are a freshman, consider using the Freshmen Year Experience tutoring program: Check their Website for fall hours. The tutoring sites are at Palo Verde East residential hall lobby, Manzanita residential hall lobby, and Sonora 5th floor residential hall lobby. These tutoring services are for all ASU students. It's a free service. The sites have math, English, science, and other subject tutors. The math courses tutored are the 100, 200, and some 300 level math courses. Students can stop in the hours above without any appointment, just walk in and be tutored.

GRADES

How to calculate your grade at any point during the course: Add up the total points you have earned.  Divide by the total possible at that point.  Convert to a percent and use the above grading scale.

COURSE POLICIES

Make-up Tests: Make-up tests are given at