FA18: FINITE MATHEMATICS: 2732

Finite Mathematics, M118

Instructor: Asilya Suleymanova
Office: Rawles Hall 437
Office Hours: Monday 2:00 - 3:30pm, Thursday 11:00am - 12:30pm
Email: asuleym@iu.edu

Class Day and Times: MWF, Woodburn Hall 101
Textbook: Finite Mathematics, 6th Edition by Maki, Thompson, McKinley

IMPORTANT!   You MUST allow Canvas to send you notifications immediately by email!

 

WHAT YOU WILL HAVE TO DO

 

2 EXAMS and 2 TESTS:  There will be two major departmental cumulative examinations - a midterm exam and a final exam. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CANNOT MISS THESE EXAMS OR TAKE THEM AT ANY OTHER TIMES! 

Midterm Exam: Saturday morning, October 13th from 8:00am to 9:30am.
Final Exam: Wednesday afternoon, December 12th from 2:45pm to 4:45pm.
There will also be two additional in-class tests.
Test 1: Wednesday, September 12th.
Test 2: Monday, November 5th.

TEST ABSENCE POLICY: If you miss a test or exam without first notifying me, you will receive a zero on the test or exam. No makeup exams are given.

CALCULATOR POLICY:  NO CALCULATORS OF ANY KIND OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES (including Cell Phones) WILL BE ALLOWED ON ANY TEST OR EXAM THIS SEMESTER. If a cell phone or other electronic device is visible to us during an exam, you will receive a zero on that exam. No exceptions.

LOTS OF HOMEWORK: The homework will be done using the WEBWORK internet-based homework system. Assignments will be posted on the Webwork system shortly after the end of each class (except on exam days). Assignments that open after Monday’s class will be due on Wednesday morning, assignments that open after Wednesday’s class will be due on Friday morning, assignments that open after Friday’s class will be due the following Monday morning. No late homework will be accepted for any reason. Each assignment will consist of 7 to 15 problems. There will be a total of 25 to 35 assignments, but regardless of the total number of assignments given out during the semester, you will get to drop your 6 lowest homework scores when your final grade is figured (please see below).

DON’T WASTE YOUR DROPS! These 6 drops are designed for you to use in case of illness, etc., and since there is NO LATE HOMEWORK ACCEPTED, FOR ANY REASON, do NOT use up your 6 homework drops prematurely, you may need them later in the semester!

CHECK YOUR GRADES REGULARLY:  It is your responsibility to make sure that the Webwork system is recording your homework scores and exam scores properly as the semester progresses. I have no choice but to trust the system at the end of the semester when determining your grades, so you must make sure the information is accurate as the grades are entered into the system. Last minute pleas concerning your homework or exam grades are not acceptable.

THE “EMAIL INSTRUCTOR” BUTTON CANNOT BE USED TO CONTACT ME FOR HELP WITH WEBWORK HOMEWORK. You should always try to FIND A LIVE HUMAN BEING to help you (this is a good reason for starting the homework early, you can’t always find a LIVE person who can help on extremely short notice!). The emails will be received by an AI.

 

HOW FINAL GRADES ARE DETERMINED

 

HOW YOUR FINAL GRADE IS FIGURED:  At the end of the course, your final course percentage is determined using the following formula:

COURSE PERCENTAGE = (.17) *Test1 + (.23)*MT + (.18)*Test3  +(.27)*FNL + (.15)*WW.

MATERIAL COVERED: 
Test 1 - Chapters 1, 2
Midterm - Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3*
Test 2 - Chapters 5, 6
Final exam - All course material
*the topics of Variance and Standard Deviation in Section 4.3 will not appear on this exam.

LAST DAY YOU CAN WITHDRAW IS: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21^st  

If you remain in the course past this date, you agree to accept the grade that the grading scheme outlined in this syllabus gives you at the end of the semester, with no questions asked. If you are not comfortable with this policy, you should drop this class NOW.

 

FIVE ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF HELP WITH THE CLASS:

 

1.)  DEPARTMENTAL HELP SESSIONS - The math department runs M118 help sessions every Monday through Thursday from 4:00pm until 6:00pm, in Swain East 340.  These help sessions are very informal and are staffed by Associate Instructors and Undergraduate Interns who have experience with the class. 

Help Sessions will begin on Monday, August 27, the second week of classes. There will not be any tutoring on Monday, September 3 (Labor Day), during the week of November 18-25 (Thanksgiving Break), or during the week of December 10-14 (Finals Week).

2.) ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTERS - There are math tutoring centers in Teter, Briscoe, and Forest  Dorms.  These centers are opened from 7pm to 11pm Sunday thru Thursday and provide mostly small group tutoring for classes such as finite.   (They usually open the second week of classes).

3.) THE FINITE SHOW - There are help videos located from the link at The Finite Show. There are practice exams available at M118 Practice Exams.

4.) PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) tutoring, for Schedule, see https://sac.indiana.edu/pass/ or see in Files.

5.) YOUR MATES, CLASSMATES, ROOMMATES, AND DORMMATES – Ask around, don’t be shy! 

KEYS TO SUCCESS ON THE HOMEWORK: The homework problems in this class can get pretty challenging. Probably the most important thing to do to ensure success on the homework is to start working on the assignments as soon as you possibly can, and don’t expect to get every single problem on the first try. Solving challenging math problems often takes time and lots of wrong ideas before you finally find the idea that works, and you often need a LOT of patience and persistence to succeed. Thus, if you start working on your homework the day before it is due, you run the risk of encountering problems that you simply cannot solve in such a short time.

 

Other University Information

Academic Misconduct. The Department of Mathematics expects its students to comply fully with Indiana University policies on academic integrity. The Penalties for a student caught cheating in this course may include a final course grade of F* (the star tells the registrar that the F is due to cheating) along with probation, suspension, or expulsion from the University. Academic misconduct will be reported to the Office of Student Ethics. Students should review the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, posted at: http://studentcode.iu.edu/

Bias-Based Incident Reporting: As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to create a positive learning environment for all students. Bias incidents (events or comments that target an individual or group based on age, color, religion, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or veteran status) are not appropriate in our classroom or on campus. What should you do if you witness or experience a bias incident? See it? Hear it? Report it by submitting a report online (biasincident.indiana.edu) or calling the Dean of Students Office (812-855-8187).

Disability Services for Students: Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with disabilities (e.g. mental health, learning, chronic health, physical, hearing, vision neurological, etc.) You must have established your eligibility for support services through the appropriate office that services students with disabilities. Note that services are confidential, may take time to put into place and are not retroactive; Captions and alternate media for print materials may take three or more weeks to get produced. Please contact Disability Services for Students at http://disabilityservices.indiana.edu or 812-855-7578 as soon as possible if accommodations are needed. The office is located on the third floor, west tower, of the Wells Library, Room W302. Walk-ins are welcome 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. You can also locate a variety of campus resources for students and visitors that need assistance at: http://www.iu.edu/~ada/index.shtml If you have registered with the DSS office, you MUST present your documentation to me at least ten days prior to the scheduled exam time to be given accommodations for that exam (because scheduling times, rooms, and proctors for such exams is non-trivial and often takes time to accomplish). 

Sexual Misconduct and Title IX: As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to create a positive learning environment for all students. Title IX and IU’s Sexual Misconduct Policy prohibit sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, and dating and domestic violence. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help.

If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with:

The Sexual Assault Crisis Services (SACS) at (812) 855-8900 (counseling services)
Confidential Victim Advocates (CVA) at (812) 856-2469 (advocacy and advice services)
IU Health Center at (812) 855-4011 (health and medical services)

It is also important that you know that Title IX and University policy require me to share any information brought to my attention about potential sexual misconduct, with the campus Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IU’s Title IX Coordinator. In that event, those individuals will work to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available. Protecting student privacy is of utmost concern, and information will only be shared with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.

I encourage you to visit stopsexualviolence.iu.edu to learn more.