Finite Math
Saint Michael's College, Spring 2000
 Instructor: Joanna Ellis-Monaghan (please call me Jo) Office: JEM 393 b
E-Mail: jellis-monaghan@smcvt.edu
Phone: 654-2660
Office Hours: By appointment 7:30-8:30 a.m. MWF, 11:00-12:00 Th, and 9:30-10:30 MF
Text: Mathematics, A Practical Odyssey, 3rd Edition, by Johnson and Mowry.
Help Sessions: Time and place to be announced in class and in the public folder. Typically they are on the third floor of Jemery from 7:30-9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. These are a great resource, and I recommend that you use them regularly.
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 quizzes. 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 hour test on each of the following Thursdays: 2/17, 3/23, and 4/13. They are from 6:00 to 7:00 in Jem 391.   Exam Change: The exam schedule for 3/23 has been moved to 3/24, 8:30am-9:20am in STE 106.  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 on Friday, May 5th from 9:00-11:30 am.
Grading: homework—5%, Hour test average--45%, group projects--20%,  final exam--30%.

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