Download Syllabus

Math 6, Linear Algebra

Instructor		Thomas Glass
email		Use the Canvas email.
Office		1112
Phone		n/a
Office Hours		TTh: 11:00 to 11:50am

 

Conclusion

I believe that you can succeed and do well in this course. It is purposely designed to keep you accountable and on pace. If you embrace the system, I believe this course will be an enjoyable course in Linear Algebra. Welcome.

Required Materials

You will need a laptop or desktop computer running the most current version of Google Chrome; the text by Gilbert Strang, "Introduction to Linear Algebra, 5th Edition" ISBN 978-09802327-7-6; a pile of paper for practice and notes; and, hopefully on rare occasion, a calculator or equivalent app.

Online

Do not use the Canvas app for this course. It is not reliable. Only take tests and quizzes for this course using a desktop or laptop computer through the Google Chrome Browser. Should you have computer problems that arise because of the App or not using Google Chrome, no allowances will be made. In the event of a problem on your quiz or test, take a screen shot and email the photo to me.

Class Structure

The class is structured to keep a steady pace. Please keep pace with the class. New content is posted as a Monday and Wednesday schedule, but as long as you are keeping pace, you are free to your own schedule. The class has regular Office Hours. These are your time to ask me questions. The Office Hours are not required, but most students find them invaluable. If you cannot make office hours, they will be recorded and are accessible by going to "Shasta Zoom" then choosing the tab "Cloud Recordings". At the end of each chapter is a Chapter Test. The quizzes will usually be available Friday to Sunday, but you need to watch the dates.

Tests and Final

All quizzes and tests are timed and only one attempt is offered, so be prepared for the assignment before starting the assignment. The time allowed for tests and quizzes is fair, but not too long. Do not take the assessment and try to learn the material. You will run short of time.

Tests and quizzes are fairly straight forward. Read directions carefully. The directions often request that an answer be entered a certain way. If you don't follow the directions, you may get the question wrong. Following directions is a worthy skill and an integrable portion of this course to make it flow smoothly and assess learning for all. My reason for giving directions and asking that things be done in a certain way is to keep your learning focused, not to cramp your style.

There are no make-up assignments! No exceptions will be made, but this should not be a problem if you keep pace with the class, and all assessments have a window of time to complete. Make sure you watch the calendar and plan accordingly. Make sure you have access to a reliable internet connection. Make sure you have some uninterrupted time to complete the work.

The tests comprise 95 percent of the overall grade. One test score is dropped in determining the overall grade. The Final Exam is mandatory.

 

Discussions and Syllabus Quiz

Discussions vary in point value and are an important part of the course. A discussion is a place to work with your colleagues in an open format. The point of a discussion is to interact and learn. Your post may not be correct the first time. That is fine. In a discussion, your colleagues need to feel free to bring this to your attention. After making your first post, you can study other student's work. If you would like to make changes, updates, or completely revise your answer, you can. That is part of the process. Also, you need to help your fellow students by reviewing the work of others and bringing corrections to you colleague's attention. In the end your answer should be correct, but being incorrect along the way is simply part of learning.

I recommend that you begin your discussions at least a week in advance, so that you have time to post your answer, reflect and comment on others' work, and make any updates or changes to your own work.

The discussion and syllabus quiz are worth 5 percent of the overall grade.

LaTex

LaTex is a formatting language for typesetting mathematics. Since this is an online class, work needs to be submitted in an online format, i.e., properly typed. The first class discussion is based on practice using LaTex. Any discussion or mathematical answer needs to be entered using the math editor and LaTex.

Communication

Since this class is online, written communication is of the utmost importance. When emailing or posting comments, please use correct English grammar. This is to the benefit of everyone. When emailing me, only email using the Canvas email system so I can better serve you. I reserve the right to not respond to emails written using poor grammar.

If you need help writing, Shasta College does have an English tutoring lab that is free to Shasta College students.

Communicating math is difficult, and you may have times when you are stuck and cannot see why your answer is different than the answer provided. I have found pictures to be the best way to help each other. First, neatly work the problem. Second, take a picture and email it to me through the Canvas email. I can then open the picture, review what you did, annotate your work, and return it to you. Do not feel embarrassed that your answer is incorrect, use this as a tool to learn. That is why I, the teacher, am here. 

Tentative Schedule

The schedule for this class is available as of the first day of class. Since people make concessions in their lives to be in class and be successful, I do my best to not make any changes during the semester. I cannot see any reasons that it should change; however, if it does, it will be to the advantage of the students and everyone will be notified. 

Grades

Grades are always visible online. The total grade is based on the total points accumulated of the total possible. For example, one test may be valued at four points, another test might be ten points, and an assignment worth four points. The lowest grade will be dropped. The final will be the largest portion of the class. Following is the grading scale. Grades are only rounded to the nearest one-hundredth of a percent, e.g., a test score of 79.954% will be recorded as 79.95%. The grade scale follows in the table below.

 

 

Math Lab

If you need help writing, Shasta College does have an English tutoring lab that is free to Shasta College students. It is next to the Math Lab and is found in the 700 building of the main campus. Both services are free to students.

Technical Difficulties and Mistakes

When taking a quiz, do not use the enter key at all. Click on the appropriate answer, type what might be needed, and when the quiz is done, click on the submit button. Using enter has caused an entire quiz to be prematurely submitted and results in a zero.

There may be times when there is an error in the quiz or you have a question regarding a question. The easiest thing to do is to take a screen shot and attach it to an email. Then I can see immediately what happened.

The best internet browser to use with Canvas, at this time, is the most recent version of Google Chrome. You can use others, but sometimes strange code appears, technical difficulties occur more frequently, and it is at your own risk. Canvas is getting better working on different platforms, but you will find that the fewer technical issues encountered, the more pleasant the class experience. Should you have code appear instead of clear math notation, take a screen shot, and email it to me.

The Canvas app is not reliable! It works for viewing grades, assignments and files, but at this time, it is not reliable for any submissions of any kind. Please conduct work on a laptop or desktop computer, not a tablet. If you use the app for taking a quiz or assignment and it fails, that is at your own risk.

Mistakes

Mistakes will happen. These are very frustrating as a student. Unfortunately, I may make a mistake on a test. When this happens, notify me what happened. Provide the correct answer and where the mistake occurred. Sometimes you might suspect a mistake. Again, please contact me. Whether it is a mistake or not, we will both learn by investigating the issue. Your grade will never be reduced for asking or inquiring.

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College Policies

Academic Honesty: According to the Shasta College Student Handbook and the Shasta College Catalog, there are a number of unauthorized behaviours that violate the campus academic honesty policy. Each student should become familiar with the policy. Failure to acknowledge the work of other scholars constitutes an egregious breach of ethics and is a violation of civil law. You must, in all cases, do your own work, acknowledge sources, and document them appropriately. Otherwise, disciplinary sanctions will be applied. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please do not hesitate to contact me. In other words, cheating of any sort will not be tolerated and will result in an ``F'' for the assignment, quiz, or exam, and the case may be reported to the Dean of Students.

Student Conduct and Discipline: In accordance with the Student Code of Conduct (Board Policy 5500), students are expected to obey all California State laws and all Federal laws that pertain to behaviour on a college campus. Shasta College's jurisdiction and discipline shall be limited to conduct that occurs on Shasta College premises or that is related to school activities. Any student found to have committed misconduct is subject to the disciplinary sanctions outlined in Board Policy, Section 5520.

Dropping: If a student misses two consecutive weeks of class or more it may be assumed they are no longer interested in the course. School policy notes that these students may be dropped by the instructor either on census day or via the instructor initiated drop process. Nevertheless, if the student decides to stop attending, it is always the student's responsibility to officially drop or withdraw from the class.

Academic accommodations imposed by a disability: Academic adjustments due to a disability or serious medical condition: Students should contact the office of Partners in Access to College Education (PACE) for authorization of academic adjustments (accommodations) for this course. The office is located in room 2006 (242-7790). Students will need to provide documentation that verifies the condition and the type of limitations that may result. The staff in PACE have been designated with the authority to 1) evaluate that documentation, 2) determine which academic adjustments are appropriate to this course, and 3) facilitate the provision of approved academic adjustments. Students will submit notices directly to the course instructor regarding specific academic adjustments that are authorized for this class.

The Shasta-Tehama Trinity Joint Community College District (Shasta College) does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religious preference, age, disability (physical and mental), pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), gender identity, sexual orientation, genetics, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in admission and access to, or treatment in employment, educational programs or activities at any of its campuses. Shasta College also prohibits harassment on any of these bases, including sexual harassment, as well as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.