Q: Can I finish the course early?
A: Absolutely! Just let me know ahead of time when you plan to take your quizzes, and I'll make sure they're ready!
Q: How am I going to learn the material if there are no lectures?
A: You will use a combination of the videos I have created, your textbook, messages, discussions, WebAssign homework, and Blackboard (myGCC) to learn the material in this course. All of the lecture notes and other resources will be made available in a timely fashion.
Q: What if I ignore your advice and decide to take a three-week vacation around Valentine's Day?
A: Get ahead in the material, and take all quizzes required for this three week period -- before you leave for Venice.
Q: What if I miss a quiz?
A: There will be no makeups for quizzes. Plan for the unexpected. Missed quizzes count for a zero in the gradebook. Providing makeups would be an administrative nightmare. Get one week ahead on your quizzes, and this will not be a problem. Fortunately, even if you miss a quiz, the final exam grade will replace one of your quiz grades, so you'll still be ok.
Q: There was an emergency, that's why I couldn't take my quiz. Is there any way I can make it up? Please???
A: To accomodate true emergencies, I have enacted a "three late day" policy. This means, you have a total of three late days (Sundays don't count as a day) for the semester. You can use these three days any way you wish ... for example, take the second quiz 1 day late, and the third quiz 2 days late. But, be warned, I cannot offer you more than three days. Please don't ask.
Q: How soon will I know how well I did on my quiz?
A: You will take a quiz, and the test proctor will immediately send this quiz to me at the main campus. I will grade the quiz as soon as humanly possible, and post your score to the website. I will then send out the graded quiz, along with a solution key, through U.S. mail -- which should get to your mailbox in a few days.
Q: I've always hated math. Should I take this class?
A: No!!!! Taking a math course online is very difficult! If you normally have trouble with math, this class will be a disaster!!!! Please sign up for a regular, classroom based course.
Q: I can't say that I love math, but I've always been pretty good at it. Should I take this class?
A: Yes, provided that you are disciplined enough to stay current with the material. The most successful students have a good base knowledge of algebra and use this course as a brush up.
Q: Can I take quizzes online?
A: Yes, but only proctored quizzes offered through ProctorU at a cost of $20 per exam. See the syllabus for details.
Q: What are your office hours. How will I contact you?
A: My office hours will be listed on the Genesee Community College Faculty Website.
Q: How can I get help in this class?
A: There are lots of ways to get help with the material in this class. First and foremost, you should be taking advantage of the discussion boards embedded within the course. Post your questions about the material and I (or perhaps one of your classmates) will answer them.
Also available to all students in this class: free online tutoring offered by SUNY. More information available shortly!
Aside from this, there is math tutoring available on the main campus in room D360. Tutoring hours are available on the GCC website. Also, the Center for Academic Progress provides individual tutoring upon request. Please visit the CAP web page for more information.
Q: What is the final exam like?
A: It contains 10 multiple choice (2 points each) and 16 long answer (5 pts each) questions. These questions are similar to the questions asked on the quizzes. I will provide a sample final exam from which to study during the semester.
Q: Do I have to take the final?
A: Maybe. There is only one way to be exempt from the final exam. You must take all four quizzes during the semester, and have a final average of 90% or above on your collective body of work to that point in the semester. For example, let's say your grades on the four quizzes are 80, 90, 100, and 70. Additionally, your homework average is 95. Just add all these scores together and divide by 5: (80+90+100+70+95)/5 = 435/5 = 87. Sorry, close, but not quite.
Q: Is the WebAssign homework the only homework I need to do?
A: It's the only homework that will be graded. However, you still need to do all (or most) of the other problems I assign from the textbook to do well in the course.