How Do I Get Help?

Tips for Success: First, here's some advice for improving your chances of doing well in this course:

• Read the textbook. This is your primary source of instruction in this course.
• WORK PROBLEMS!!! The best way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics. Work through the list of recommended problems for each section until you understand the material. Do even more problems if you are having trouble with a particular section.
• Get help. If you have made an honest effort to understand a concept or to do a problem and are still struggling, get help. Make use of the resources listed below. However, before you consult one of the class tutors, make sure you have first read the material and tried some of the homework problems. The best way for tutors to help you will be for them to first look at your homework attempts to see where you are having trouble.
• Keep up with the class schedule: Try to keep up with the homework and reading, and get questions answered promptly. If you fall behind by a week or more, it will be very hard to catch up. If you have problems with a particular section, spend extra time and do extra problems from that section, and get help as soon as possible from some of resources listed below.
• Put in the time. This may be a very challenging course for some of you. You should plan to spend about 9-12 hours of work per week on this course. This is a big time commitment. It is imperative that you plan your social life around your courses, not the other way around.
• Find a friend or group to work with. Mathematics is more fun to learn, and can be better understood if you work with others. Swapping ideas with others when you are all stuck on a hard problem, quizzing each other before a test, or critically reading each other's solutions to homework problems are all valuable ways to enhance your (and others') understanding of the material. However, it is important that all members contribute in such a group environment, and that each student takes responsibility for her or his own learning and understanding of the material.
• Don't wait until the deadline date to take a unit exam. The computer lab is crowded on deadline dates, sometimes noisy, and you have less time to spend on the exam. Also, if you don't happen to feel well that day, or you get a flat tire, etc., then you're out of luck. Plan to take the exam on an earlier day when you feel good and the lab is quiet and uncrowded. Also, if you take the exam on an earlier day and you do poorly, you are allowed to repeat the exam on a later day if you wish.

Important Guidelines: Here are three important guidelines that I expect you to follow, and which will help you do well in this course:

• Check the course website at least three times per week for new announcements and updated pages. Since there are no class meetings, the course website is only way that I can communicate with the class. Checking the website three times per week is analogous to attending class in a normal class, and it just takes a few minutes each time. As with all classes, sometimes circumstances require minor changes to the class schedule and structure. I also include important exam hints on the website, and you don't want to miss them. Announcements and reminders are frequent, and I expect you to read them.
• Read the unit exam description before you take each unit exam. I often give reminders and announcements about syntax, and other information about exam questions. I expect you to read this information.
• Take several practice unit exams before you take the graded exam. Past classes have found the practice exams extremely useful study tools for the graded exams. Sometimes the textbook is rather thin in certain types of problems that I feel are important. In addition, due to the limitations of computer-graded exams, some questions have to be asked in a different manner than in the textbook. Thus, taking the practice exams will alert you to the types and formats of questions that I expect you to know in each section.

Help Resources: Since this is a self-paced course, you cannot ask questions in class. Instead, you can use the many resources given below to help you understand the material in this course.

• Textbook answers: The answers to many of the problems are in the back of the book.
  
  
• Solutions manual: A solutions manual comes with the textbook, with solutions to all the odd problems and most of the review problems.
  
  
• Practice unit exams: Take several practice exams for each unit before you try the actual unit exam.
  
  
• TA's office hours: The Teaching Assistants for this course are Rajiv Bhandari and Hasib Jahangir. They will hold office hours every week in 468 Carver during the following hours:
  

  Monday - Thursday

  2:30 pm - 5:30 pm

  
  
  
• Mathematics Computer Lab: The Mathematics Computer Lab in 449 Carver also functions as a help room for Math 140, 141, 142, 165, 166, and 265. It is staffed mostly by junior and senior math majors. The schedule is given in the table below. Occasionally the lab is reserved for a class or workshop. The reservation schedule is posted on the web and also outside the lab.

  Monday - Thursday	9 am - 5 pm & 7 pm -11 pm
  Friday	9 am - 5 pm
  Sunday	1 pm - 11 pm

  
  
  
• Online tutors: Online tutors are available via a service called NetTutor. The tutor uses a "whiteboard" to communicate between you and the tutor. Tutors are provided most afternoon and evening hours according the schedules given below, but you can also use the service at any time to post questions for tutors. See the Online Tutoring page for more details.
  • The course TA is available on NetTutor during the following hours:

    Sunday - Thursday

    7 pm - 9 pm Central Time

  • Online tutors provided by the textbook publishers (McGraw Hill) are available during various hours during the day. The schedule may vary, but the current schedule is always listed on the NetTutor website after you login to the service.
    
    
• Instructor's office hours: The instructor's office hours are Mon 2, Wed 1, Thurs 2-4, and Fri 10. In addition, you can usually get answers to questions about the course within one day by sending email to math140sp@math.iastate.edu. If you need help with the mathematics course material, it is better to use the online tutors or one of the other tutoring rooms mentioned on this page.

• Mathematics Help Room: The Mathematics Help Room is located in 196 Carver, and is staffed by graduate students. The schedule is given in the following table:

  Monday - Thursday	8:30 am - 4:30 pm
  Friday	8:30 am - 3:30 pm

  
  
  
• Private and group tutors: If you are really struggling, and you need more individual help than the above resourses can provide, you might consider hiring a personal tutor. Contact Tutoring Services for more information.
  
  
• Supplemental Instruction: If you feel you need some regular group instuction, you should consider one of the Supplemental Instruction sections for Math 142. Check the Supplemental Instruction page for more information and the current schedule of sessions. (Note: You can go to any Math 141/142 session, even if it is listed under another Professor's name).
  
  
• Academic Success Center: In addition to Supplemental Instruction and Tutoring Services, the Academic Success Center has additional programs to help you with any academic problems.

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