Think about the
placement test this way: If you do well at it, it may place you in a
course above where you expected. If you do poorly, then you probably
are not prepared to take the course that you desire. Before you sign up for the exam, study!
I
suggest any college algebra, intermediate algebra or precalculus text.
Pay attention to
problems involving order of operation, simplfying rational expressions,
solving linear equations,
graphing and solving quadratic equations, recognizing low degree
polynomial functions' graphs, elements of trigonometric, exponential
and logarithmic functions.
Make sure that your little brothers and sisters won't bother you, the television is off, and that you have time, pencil, and paper in order to concentrate. You are better off taking the test before you come to campus for orientation. Do not hit the submit button before you take the test. Be aware of the internet procedures that one usually follows. See the instructions for complete information.
When will the placement test score be posted? The placement test machine is a distinct machine from the banner registration machine. We have "scripts" that run twice a day which feed data from one machine to the other. I, and others, receive "message sent" notifications from the placement machine at 7 AM and 11:30 AM and "message received" notifications from the Banner software at 7:30 AM and 12 PM on a daily basis.
If you complete the exam in the morning, then you may register for a math class that afternoon. If you complete the exam between 12PM and 6:59 AM on the following day, then you will be able to register after 7:30 AM on the following day. Take the exam early enough to allow adequate time for the score to be processed. Your good behavior will facilitate your registration.
Upperclassmen who have postponed taking their mathematics
courses
do not garner a lot of sympathy. You should schedule your courses in
close consultation with your academic advisors. In certain majors,
mathematics and statistics are prerequisites
for upper division courses.
I need to be advised and my advisor is out of town, what should I do? Normally, academic advising occurs mid-semester. You should plan to see your advisor during the academic year when classes are in session and when your advisor is available. I make several efforts to communicate with our majors to remind them of advising.
But I already know what I need to take! We are providing you a service. Our faculty are here to remind you of what courses are scheduled. We examine your grades and try to steer you towards the mathematics and statistics courses that will best suit you personally. We don't want you to be overloaded with a lot of difficult mathematics and statistics courses in any one semester. And we want to ensure that you have met the prerequisite courses in a timely fashion.
Arts and Sciences, Business, CIS, Engineering, or the College of Education will help you with your core courses. The courses within your math/stat major are what we want to discuss with you.
Your advisor may know about summer research opportunities. Your advisor may know about career opportunities, and your advisor may know about good graduate opportunities for you.
You should ask yourself many questions before contacting me or your instructor. Did you have a passing grade going into the final? In my own experience, the grade on the final exam for a weaker student usually is less than the grades on other exams. Your instructor may put more weight into the final than you expected. Did you understand the grading scheme? Generally, each component of a course has a slightly different weight. Roughly, each of my tests weighs 22%, the sum of the homework quizes weighs 22%,and the final weighs 34%. If you don't understand how such weights affect your grade, then it is likely that you did not grasp the material in the course.
In mathematics courses, we do not grant grades solely on class participation or on effort alone. You must demonstrate through your homework and test grades that you have mastered the material. If you did not perform at the level expected by your instructor, you did not pass. Not everyone who dresses out gets selected for the team.
Always, you are better off contacting your instructor during the semester in which you are being graded, or if necessary contact the instructor after the next semester starts. After you have discussed grades with the instructor, and if you feel that you have been graded unfairly, then I will intercede.
But I will be teaching elementary school kids, they don't need to know precalculus. Everything that is taught up through high school is, by definition, precalculus. As a teacher you will have to have competencies beyond those of your students in all of the content areas. An in depth knowledge base is a necessary requirement to being a good teacher. My piano teacher does not keep only one lesson ahead of me, nor should you be on the same intellectual level as the children you are teaching.
Where are the style files for the Journal of Knot Theory and its Ramifications? They are found here. They are down-loadable from here.
Edits for 2009-2010 bulletin descriptions of math courses are located
Edits for 2009-2010 bulletin descriptions of stat courses are located here.