GROUND RULES for MA 153 Fall 2007 • CLASS PERIOD Students are expected to attend every class meeting and to read the appropriate sections of the text before coming to class. Instructors may not have time to cover every topic in class. • HOMEWORK /QUIZZES A daily score will be given for almost every class, starting with the third one (Friday, 8/24/07). The daily score will typically be a short, 2-3 question quiz covering the assignment due that day. Paper and pencil homework will only be collected occasionally, as most of it is done online. Completing each homework assignment (online or by hand) is certainly your best way to be prepared for quizzes and exams. No make-ups will be allowed for the daily scores or online homework, for any reason. The four lowest scores for each will not be counted. To have a fifth score (or more) not counted at the end of the semester will require acceptable written justification for having missed all five (or more). • EXAMS There are three multiple-choice, machine-graded evening exams scheduled for your class this semester. The dates are as follows. (Mark them on your calendar.) EXAM 1: Tuesday, September 11, 2007, 6:30-7:30 PM, Hall of Music EXAM 2: Monday, October 15, 2007, 8:30-9:30 PM, Hall of Music EXAM 3: Thursday, November 15, 2007, 8:30-9:30 PM, Hall of Music Missing an Exam: If you miss an exam for any reason, contact the course coordinator immediately and inform your instructor. Make-up exams can only be approved in writing by the course coordinator, Cari Van Tuinen (MATH 440, 494-7920, [email protected]). Make-up exams will be allowed for valid reasons. For non-valid reasons, a make-up may be allowed with a grade penalty being deducted from the student’s earned score. Not knowing the right date, time or location of an exam is NOT a valid reason for missing it and will thus be imposed by a grade penalty. Academic Conflict: If you have an academic conflict with any of the evening exams (e.g. another exam or class at the same time) you must let the course coordinator know no later than two business days before the exam takes place. Emergency: If you have an emergency situation that will prevent you from attending an evening exam you must contact the course coordinator by telephone or in person (not by voice mail or e-mail) no later than 2:00 PM on the day of the exam. Extenuating circumstances that prevent you from contacting the course coordinator (by phone or in person) in a timely manner will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 20-Minute Rule: No one will be allowed to leave the exam site for the first 20 minutes of the exam. After that time, no one will be allowed to enter the exam site and take the exam. Students arriving after 20 minutes will be allowed to take the make-up exam. If they arrived late for a non-valid reason, a grade penalty will be deducted from the make-up exam score. Make-ups will be given only once for each midterm exam, on the following dates and times: MAKE-UP EXAM 1: Friday, September 21, 2007, 6:00-7:00 PM, Location TBA MAKE-UP EXAM 2: Friday, October 26, 2007, 6:00-7:00 PM, Location TBA MAKE-UP EXAM 3: Friday, November 16, 2007, 6:00-7:00 PM, Location TBA If you miss an exam and the alternate you will have a score of 0 (zero) recorded for that exam. For each of these evening exams there will be one class period for which attendance is not required; however, it will not be cancelled: it will be a no-attendance-required help session for the exam. To prepare for the midterm exams, students should review all of the material covered by their homework assignments, quizzes and the announced review problems. Past exams (available online) are a source of additional review problems and can also give students a rough idea of the length and difficulty level of their own exams. However, many students have the mistaken impression that just by reviewing some past exams they will have seen all that is expected of them for their own exams. Past exams should absolutely not be used as a guide to the exact content and wording of the exams. The final exam is a 30-question, multiple-choice, machine-graded exam that is given during the sixteenth week of the semester. Students may get a copy of practice questions for the final online. THE SEMESTER ENDS ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15th AT 9:00 PM. THE DATE AND TIME OF YOUR MATH FINAL WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER THIS SEMESTER. NO ALTERNATE WILL BE ALLOWED IF YOU PLAN TO LEAVE EARLY. PLAN TO BE ON CAMPUS TO TAKE YOUR FINAL EXAM. (OVER)CALCULATORS A scientific calculator is required for this course. You may only use a nonprogrammable, non-graphing scientific calculator on quizzes and exams. No substitutes, such as a cell phone or PDA, may be used during quizzes or exams. WE WILL NOT ALLOW THE SHARING OF CALCULATORS AMONG STUDENTS. •• OFFICE HOURS Most instructors hold common office hours in MATH 205. After the first week of classes, the office hour schedule will be posted on each instructor’s door and students may get a copy online. You are strongly urged to go to someone’s office hours if you have questions. It is the best way to get individual help. • ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENTS Students who have been certified by the Office of the Dean of Students-Adaptive Programs as eligible for academic adjustments should go to MATH 242 with a copy of their certification letter and request an Information Sheet for this semester, that explains how to proceed this semester to get these adjustments made in Mathematics courses. It is not the same as last semester. This should be done during the first week of classes. Only students who have been certified by the ODOS-Adaptive Programs and who have requested ODOS to send their certification letter to their instructor are eligible for academic adjustments. Students who are currently undergoing an evaluation process to determine whether they are eligible for academic adjustments, are encouraged to find out now what procedures they will have to follow when they are certified, by requesting the above mentioned Information Sheet from MATH 242. Large print copies of the Information Sheet are available from MATH 242 upon request. • GRADES Daily scores are worth 50 points and online homework is worth 50 points, each evening exam is worth 100 points, and the final is worth 200 points. At the end of the semester, each student’s final grade is calculated using his/her total points. The final grades