Information for All Students"Generic"Student Information for Mathematics Classes Taught by

Ed Anderson, NVCC Manassas, during the 2005-2006 Academic Year

Scheduled Class Meetings Dates and Times:
Students are expected to attend each class at the regularly scheduled time (i.e.,on time), and to remain for the duration of the class; exceptions should be arranged by the student communicating with me in advance and in person or by phone, or e-mail , or by writing a note (also in advance) and then asking a division secretary (Rm. 330) to place it in my mailbox.. If "in advance" notification is not possible, then the responsibility of the student is to give such notification as soon as possible. Because students have access to my  home, office, e-mail address, and division office numbers ,  not communicating about absence or any other matter connected with the class  is not excusable!Students should use the web address above to download pacing schedules, course content summaries, and the information at this link (this entire text) in order to be aware of what is going on,and what my expectations are!

Tests, Quizzes, and Final Examinations:

Students are expected to take tests, quizzes, and examinations at the regularly scheduled time (see pacing schedule for more detail); exceptions are to be arranged in advance (in the same manner as noted above) with me. Failure to do so SHALL result in no make-up opportunity for the missed assessment!(Before you read further, reflect for a moment on the impact this would make if ,for example, you lost 100 points out of a possible 400,or 500 points this way!) Also, read "Grading System",below. Tests and quizzes will be returned except for final exams, which may be reviewed but will not be returned. Final exams will be kept on file for review for one semester after the end of the term in which the final exam was taken.

Evacuation of Room 246 Plan in the event of an Emergency:

Usually,my classes meet in Room 246 of Colgan Hall.  In Case of the Need to Evacuate the Room and Building due to an emergency, please be familiar with the following:
Primary Route Out of Room 246:  Go out the door of Room 246 (in the rear of the room), turn left, then immediately right ; at the end of the hall, turn right and either go out the glass doors to the outside, or use the door to the stairs (on your right) just to the left of the Women's Rest Room.
Secondary Route Out of Room 246: Go out the door of Room 246 (in the rear of the room), turn left, but keep going straight until you come to the end of the hall; then turn right, then left out the door and use  the stairs.
In general, if an obvious route is blocked, then use the alternate route at each stage of the trip.

Each classroom has a building/floor  "map" indicating  emergency exits for that particular room, in case evacuation of the room/floor/building is necessary. Become acquainted with all the exits, especially the nearest one.

American Disabilities Act Provisions/Accommodations

If you have a documented disability which requires classroom accommodations, please notify me as soon as possible. In order to do so,  students with disabilities are required to register with the Disabilities Services Counselor. At this Manassas Campus, that person is : Ms. Madonna E. Hoecker. Her office is in the Counseling Center, Room 110, First Floor Howsmon.Her phone number is 703-257-6663
 

Unexpected Delay of My Meeting  Class:

As soon as it is obvious that I am late for my class, students are responsible for getting to a phone and/or inquiring at the Mathematics (Division) Office: 703-257-6605,or simply going to Room 330 in Colgan Hall  . A division secretary or representative will then indicate whether or not to wait.

Expected Absence of Mine from  A Class:

When I know in advance that I will not be able to meet a class , I plan to notify all appropriate class members as far in advance as possible so that the class will know what is to be done in lieu of the regular attendance.  The notification may take any of the forms which students are expected to give to me in similar situations, and as noted above. If no such notification is given, then attempt the next assignment on your own. 

Inclement Weather Policy: It is NVCC Policy that all campuses are open, or all closed when the weather is bad. The radio and TV stations, and NOVANET: 323-3770 will give the information sometime after 4:30 A.M. (for day classes) or 2:30 P. M. (for evening/night classes). Please put safety and good judgment ahead of other priorities. Classes meeting at off campus locations will have their own rules, which will be announced in those classes.  Note: When class is delayed or cancelled, it will be expected that students will  still keep up with the Pacing Schedule topics and problems assigned, , noting difficulties to ask about when the class resumes its scheduled meetings.

Grading System:

All written work assignments for grades will be assigned points. The total number of earned points divided by the total number of possible points and then will be multiplied by 100, and a letter grade of A,B,C,D,F will be assigned (in credit courses) according to the scale: 90-100= A ; 80-89= B ; 70-79= C ; 60-69= D ; Below 60 = F

As a general rule, quizzes will be made worth about 50 points or less,and scheduled major  tests are worth 100 points.Unless information is given otherwise,  scheduled tests, and Final Exams will be comprehensive in nature. Written assignments are discussed in detail later ; they are usually awarded a minimum of 20 points. Final Exam points will be made worth about 20% of the total points possible for the course.

Office Hours:  TBA
                                                                
Note: These are Days and Times Which You Can Be Reasonably Sure That I Will Be in my Office, Colgan Hall, Room 331, Phone 257-6552 : (Unless I announce a change in class or  post a  note on the office and/or classroom door...)
Other Office Hours are possible, simply  by appointment ...don't be put off  by that...just ask! Every effort will be made to accommodate your schedule and your needs..
 
 

About Written Assignments: 


A Written Assignment Schedule for each class section will be distributed in class. Occasionally, a change will be announced in class...another great reason to attend class and keep informed!

      The "READ-TEXT-BEFORE-CLASS-AND-THEN-SOLVE-PROBLEMS-AFTER-CLASS" Approach

: As soon as possible AFTER each class, students should spend enough time on each section of the text presented/discussed/worked on/scheduled in the class session immediately preceding, so that the assigned problems are done , WITH THE WORK STEPS SHOWN!!! , using a pencil, pen, three-ring binder,(not spiral-please!) three-ring note paper and/or similar graph paper ( ALL GRAPHING PROBLEMS ARE TO BE DONE ON GRAPH PAPER!)  Criteria for acceptable 2-dimensional graphs include labeling the axes, showing units used on each axis,and presenting a graph that reflects any intercepts, symmetry,and maximum, minimum points,and end behavior of the equation being graphed.)

Doing this for each section of the text presented/discussed/worked on/scheduled for the class will ensure minimum acceptable practice, ranging in level of difficulty,  it will be self checking, since the answers to odd numbered problems are in the back of the text!  Solving these minimally acceptable assigned set  of problems is critical for one's ability to master the concepts discussed in class. In math, you need to practice, practice, so that you master the concepts and techniques, and begin to learn it for life.

I read a book recently which contained this passage which illustrates what I am trying to convey here:

" Mathematics is not best learned passively, you don’t sop it up like a romance novel...

...you’ve got to go out to it, aggressive and alert , like a surfer, carrying his board

to the waves or a chess master pursuing checkmate; you must cut your own path."

Robert Kanigel

Submitting (Turning In) Written Assignments: (This is usually done on Days of Major in-class Tests....see the Pacing Schedule for the Course You Are Taking...each is different)
Procedure:
On each major in-class test day , (not including quizzes), [ and except for take-home tests], each student is responsible for turning in the problem sets of those problems from the text sections which are to be tested ...(see the pacing /test schedule for these dates). These written assignments will be reviewed by me while tests are being done by you. Each student will earn a written assignment score of at least 20 points-depending on the total problems assigned-(these points are in addition to the test score) each time a major in-class test is scheduled. No problem set(s) submitted on test day means no written assignment points...no excuses. Don’t leave home on test day without your homework problems in your math notebook! If the test is a take-home test, then assignments related to it are usually collected when the take-home test is due.

NOTE AGAIN:ASSIGNMENTS THAT INCLUDE GRAPHING PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT DONE ON GRAPHING PAPER (AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHAT HAS  BEEN WRITTEN ABOVE) SHALL NOT RECEIVE MORE THAN 75%  OF THE POSSIBLE  WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS POINTS,(ASSUMING THAT IS THE ONLY OMISSION.)
ALSO, IF ONLY ANSWERS ARE SUBMITTED, 0 POINTS WILL BE ASSIGNED.  i.e., NO WORK SHOWN,NO CREDIT GIVEN)

Be Prepared to turn in your written assignments without tearing them out of your notebook.(They should be done on three-ring binder paper.Please do not use a spiral,or  "wired" notebook ) Simply be sure your name is on your papers and place them on the teacher desk as your first activity upon entering the room on the in-class test day.

 It is my usual practice, to encourage note-taking in class, to allow your class notes, NOT INCLUDING THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS, to be used during a test!

Research shows that the student who attends most frequently and works most consistently achieves at a much higher level than those who do not. You may need to do MORE than the minimum assignment given, in order to master the material! You must be honest with yourself and do whatever else it takes for you to master the concepts and topics of the course. YOU are responsible for YOUR learning. If you don’t have time to do it over, then, do it right the first time. LEARN THE MATERIAL FOR A LIFETIME. It (the material assigned) will be expected to be known in subsequent courses in mathematics and courses that apply the mathematics.

Discussion of Written Assignments: Guidelines
During each class session, except for test days , some class time will be devoted to answering students’ questions. However,please try to be selective in what you ask about...you should have, beforehand, attempted to answer the question(s) yourself and should have sought some other  kind of help first! It is my objective that the time we have available together as a class  be utilized to the fullest extent to help learning take place. To assist me in minimizing "down time", you need to let me know at the start of the problem discussion time what it is that  you need to have discussed; do not , disingenuously, make up questions! Be ready to share with the class what you have done as a start toward solving the problem(s). To accomplish this, you obviously must have put some effort into the written assignments after the preceding class(es), when the concepts connected with your concerns were discussed,  and before our next class, in order to determine where the difficulty lies.

Suggestions on How to Study Efficiently:

1. Study the most important material first. Usually, you can discover what this is by reading first (prior to the day) that the sections are going to be covered in a class session, and then attentively listening to what the teacher covers in class. Usually what the teacher discusses is what he/she thinks is important and probably what will be asked about on a test.

2. Focus on what you have not mastered. What did you get wrong on the written assignment problem sets (which you attempted to do ASAP after the class session)? Ask a classmate or teacher for help if you can’t diagnose the error yourself. This is efficient use of  the teacher’s office hours.

3. Periodically re-study important material. Even the best memory forgets those things not reinforced. Schedule some study time to go back over earlier material. Remember, math tests are inherently cumulative. A great way to keep current is to volunteer some of your time to tutor other students in our Math Center. 

4. Do your written assignments within two (2) days after  the appropriate class! Most classes meet within two days anyway, so this is a practical and very realistic suggestion. Also, it aids the memory....and not doing it within two days inhibits remembering.

5. Get help after one-hour’s fruitless study. Don’t give up, but don’t be a time-waster. Get help from a tutor, a fellow class member, or the teacher. But don’t stop on a given problem thinking all the rest are also hopeless. It doesn’t work that way!

6. Join or form a study group. Find one or two or more other students from the class.  Agree on times to meet, preferably regular ones...and help each other with written assignments... be careful not to violate the Honor Code, however, on work which is not intended to be collaborative and which will earn individual points. When in doubt, ask the teacher.

7. Check your progress each week. Develop your own "Early warning system". Are you getting behind in your assignments? Do you feel that you’re not getting the material? If the answer is "yes", then you need to ask for help. Don’t wait until the situation is so bad that it can’t be remedied. The semester does come to an end. I am not positively disposed to giving incomplete (I) grades.

8. Make a  weekly/daily/hourly schedule for yourself with work, study, and class times identified, then stick to it religiously. This is sometimes called time management. Everyone needs to do it and everyone can improve on how one is currently performing in this regard. Include where, when , and what you will do.
 

(In general, the universally accepted study guideline for mathematics and science courses at the college level is that you will need to study outside of class each week an average of the equivalent of twice the time which the class meets each "normal" week! For 3 credit classes, this means 6 hours; for 5 credit hour classes, it means 10 hours… remember :not including class time !)

WITHDRAWING FROM CLASS:
Each semester,including summer term ,the college publishes,among other important information, two important dates for students: The date to withdraw and still get tuition refund, and the date to withdraw or to change to audit and avoid grade penalty.
As a service to students, I also put these dates on the pacing schedule for each class I teach.

THESE DATES  ARE OFFICIAL TIMES THAT YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER THE WITHDRAWAL PROCESS.
AS YOUR TEACHER, I SHALL NOT WITHDRAW YOU; INSTEAD , YOU WILL NEED TO WITHDRAW OR CHANGE TO AUDIT. ( AUDIT MEANS CONTINUING TO ATTEND, BUT NOT HAVING TESTS COUNT).
CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID COUNSELORS AND YOUR COUNSELORS , BECAUSE IN SOME CASES, CHANGING TO AUDIT OR WITHDRAWING COULD AFFECT YOUR FINANCIAL AID SITUATION.
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO AUDIT, THEN YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO ATTEND!  IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO ATTEND, THEN WITHDRAW AND BE HONEST ABOUT IT.
HOWEVER, EVEN IF YOU DO WITHDRAW, YOU ARE INVITED TO CONTINUE ATTENDING MY CLASS IN ORDER TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE AND TO KEEP YOUR MATH SKILLS CURRENT BY TRYING THE PROBLEMS AND TAKING NOTES, ETC.  THEN, WHEN YOU TAKE THE COURSE AGAIN, LESS TIME WILL HAVE ELAPSED AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO RECALL MATERIAL TOO FAR GONE IN TIME.
 
 

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS:

Regular Hours are M-TH : 8:00 A.M.- 8:00 P.M.; Friday: 8:00 A.M.-5 P.M.; Saturday : 9 A.M.-1 P.M.

Lots of good math books,some of them showing solved problems for reference. Under certain conditions, you may be able to use/borrow a TI-83 graphing calculator. Ask at their desk for details.

The Math Center has computers which have mathematics software packages chosen by the faculty because of their ability to help with various mathematics concepts and topics. You are encouraged (and sometimes assigned) to explore these and see how they might help you learn. It is located in the 2nd floor of Colgan Hall, in Room 242 ,in the center portion, across from room 245. . The hours are usually posted outside of the lab. Currently, they are: Monday -ThursdayFrom 8 A.M. to 9:30 P.M., Keep in touch; other days and times are TBA at this writing.

The Math Lab also has selected VIDEOS, or CD ROMs, or DVDs corresponding to texts in most subjects taught here. In addition, there is a set of videos designed to assist students with the operations of TI-82,TI-83, TI-83 (Statistics),TI-85, and TI-92 calculators.

Check with the Lab for Hours of Operation. Usually, it is open from 8 A.M.-9:00 P.M. Monday thru Thursday, and from 8 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Friday;also, it's open most Saturdays from 9 A.M. till 2 P.M. It is located in Room 112 , Howsmon Hall (our first building, the older of the two main ones), on the first floor, adjacent to the Counselors' Offices.

Student Rights and Responsibilities:
The 2003-2005 or current edition of the NVCC Student Handbook contains much important information, so you should get a copy from a counselor. In particular, pages 55-62,and 64-66 should be carefully read. These pages contain, in part, sections about the college’s expectations for student conduct and honesty in all aspects of work done while enrolled here,including using technology resources of the college. I share those expectations and I will always expect that students in my classes will conduct themselves appropriately and I shall not tolerate any untoward disruption,misconduct, or dishonesty..
     Perhaps this paraphrase of  Knute Rockne , teacher and coach , best says  the way I mean for you to act:
" Be persons of honor, of disciplined character, of high ideals, of courage under fire.  Scorn the base and the vulgar , and win the clean glory of an unblemished name !"

Emergency Procedures:

Report emergencies to the Campus Police ( 703-368-3998).This number is independent of the campus phone system. You must dial all 10 digits. If an officer does not respond, notify campus general police no.: 703-257-6650 . (The campus switchboard number is 703-257-6600 and the business office number is: 703-257-6625.) The security office is located on the 3 rd floor of the Howsmon Building , next to Admissions and Records..

If there is a life threatening emergency , dial 911 or 9-911 if it’s an office phone on the Campus, and you cannot reach the campus police.

Self-Selected Student Study Groups:

You are encouraged to form study groups,including setting up chat rooms with students in our class.. .

Last Updated : 5/9/05