Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Math 95 can be difficult, but with commitment, a good work ethic, and good class attendance, it is "doable".  Expect to spend at least 12-15 hours outside of class to understand the material. This course is intended for students with strong foundational math skills.  Students need to have a good grasp of basic math skills and should not rely on their calculators for basic computations.  All exams are given in 2 parts: a non-calculator section and a calculator section as per the CCOGs of this course.  Multiplication facts/skills are fundamental to your success.  Seems like an easy thing, but it's so important. Here's an old copy of my syllabus.

Just a few details to start.

• We will be meeting on campus with proctored exams.  
• I am running this class as a flipped course.  Please look at the following video to familiarize yourself with a flipped class. Flipped Class Video Introduction 
• Here is another video of a KGW news report on two instructors at PCC who are flipping their classes.  News Story on Flipped Classroom at PCC

With a flipped class, you will be working on the content before we meet as a class.  You will have a "pre-assignment" in our online platform (Webworks), which includes videos of the content we will be studying mixed with some practice problems.  When we gather as a class, there will be group activities where you will reinforce the content. Working with and helping others in your group will reinforce the concepts.  As an instructor, I will be going around the classroom and clarifying/answering any questions your group may have.  After the activities, you will work on the "classwork" from that section within the online platform Webworks.  I will be there to answer and help with any problems you may have.  You will also have your classmates to help you with your classwork.  The goal is to get your classwork completed in the last half of the class so that you can focus on the next class lecture material.  Finally, most classes will have a short (10-15 minute) "assessment" over the content covered that day.  This assessment will be 3 - 5 problems per section that will be turned in by the end of class.  The goal of these assessments is to give you a chance to see how well you are understanding the topics from the section(s), which is important for you to know for upcoming exams.  As I will be grading these, it will also give you an idea of how I will be grading exams, using correct formatting, and where you may have to get extra practice/tutoring before the exam.

You will need to have a laptop, tablet, or desktop and good internet for the online homework and "preassignments".  The homework is very hard to do on a smartphone, so if you can gain access to a tablet, laptop, or desktop, it will be easier to complete the homework.  We will work on homework for the last portion of the class; however, if you don't complete the homework in the allotted time, please make sure you have something other than your smartphone.  I don't know if our classroom will have computers/laptops. You will need a pair of earphones to use on a computer/laptop to listen to math-related videos during class time. You will need a 3-ring binder, a basic calculator, and a straightedge for the class as well.