Saint Michael's
College, Fall 2002
Instructor: Joanna Ellis-Monaghan
(please call me Jo) Office: JEM 380
Phone: 654-2660
Office Hours: MW
7:30 - 8:20 a.m., by appointment.
Text: Mathematics, A Practical
Odyssey, 3rd Edition, by Johnson and Mowry.
Help Sessions: Time and place to be
announced in class and on the website.
Study skills workshops: The Student Resource Center runs
excellent workshops every semester on study skills, time management, test-taking
techniques, etc. For details: SRC study skills
Study groups: You may form your own
study group (2-4 people) or wait for me to assign you to one. There will be group
projects/homeworks scattered through out the course. Each group turns in one report for
the whole group, and you will be graded as a group on these projects. You are encouraged
to work together, discuss homework, and help each other study for the tests. A group must
have at least 2, but no more than 4, members. If there are 5 or more names listed on the
project, I will arbitrarily split the names into two groups, and each group will get only
half credit for the project.
E-Mail: If you don't already have an
account, go to the computer help desk and ask for one as well as a handout on using
electronic mail. This is a great way to communicate with me (not to mention lots of other
people) if you have questions about homework or whatever when I am not here. You even can
send me an e-mail message at night, and I will often be able to respond to that night from
my computer at home.
Class Web Page: You can find a link to the
class web page on my home page at http://academics.smcvt.edu/jellis-monaghan
I will post class communications here (a copy of this handout for example).
Most (if not all) of the group projects will be posted here. I will also use this page to
notify you in the case of class cancellation, homework hints, answers to frequently asked
project questions, or grade postings. You need to check it regularly.
Calculator: You must have a calculator for
this class. It must have a memory and a factorial key (which will look like n! or just !).
It is handy but not necessary to be able to compute combinations and permutations (nCr and
nPr keys). It should also have e, ln, log, and exponents, but need not be any fancier. No
graphing or financial calculators may be used on tests. You will probably need the
instruction manual that comes with your calculator--don't throw it out!
Homework: Homework
for the preceding week will be collected every Monday. Late homework will NOT be accepted,
but you may drop two homework grades. Check the web site if you are unsure which sections are due.
Hour Tests: There will be an in-class hour
test on each of the following dates: Wednesday, September 25; Friday,
October 25; Wednesday, November 20. The tests are not cumulative.
They will consist of a vocabulary section and then several questions very similar to the
recommended homework. Carefully doing all the recommended homework is the best way to
prepare for the tests. There are also some sample
tests posted on the web site. Hour tests may not be made up. If you have a conflict
with one of the dates, you must make alternative arrangements with me at least 48 hours
before the test.
Notebook: You should keep a careful notebook containing class and text notes, vocabulary, formula
lists, sample problems, homework, corrected quizzes, etc. A complete, well-organized
notebook is vital as you will be able to use your notebook to compile a single sheet
(front and back) of notes to use on each hour test and two sheets (front and back of each)
to use on the final.
Final Exam: There will be a cumulative
final exam from 9:00 - 11:30 am on Monday, December 16 for section A (9:30
class) and from 9:00 - 11:30 am on Tuesday, December 17 for section B (8:30
class).
Grading: homework—5%, Hour test
average--45%, group projects--20%, final exam--30%.
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