June 18 - The solution manual in MyMathLab should be more readily findable under "Chapter Contents."

June 6 - On all exams this summer the following formulas will be given: Formulas.

June 6 - The policy of dropping the lowest of the first three exam scores I don't implement if it actually results in someone getting a worse grade. It is possible! For instance if someone gets 80%, 90%, 90% and 30% on Exams 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, dropping the lowest of the first three exams results in an average of (90+90+30)/3 = 52.5% (an "F"). Keeping all the scores results in an average of (80+90+90+30)/4 = 72.5% (a "C"). But if the drop policy is implemented, as it usually is, then each exam not dropped is worth a third of the grade.

June 2 - Assignments, as I've said, are on the Assignment Sheet linked to below. I do not have assignments in MyMathLab, as that would utterly defeat the purpose of having MyMathLab be optional.

May 27 - Orientation for Section E31: Start by reading the syllabus (link below). Then take a look-see at the assignment sheet (link also below). The first exam will be available to take at the Newtown testing center from June 12 to June 18 and will cover sections 7.1 - 7.6, so the assignments for those sections should be done by then. That should give you some idea of the pacing. I'll give 2 hours to complete Exam 1, and the testing center will insist on verifying your identification before allowing you to take the exam. If you want to take the exam at the lower or upper county campuses you'll have to let me know well ahead of time, because it'll take at least an extra day for things to get to those places. As for the remaining exams, see the syllabus for dates and sections. The dates of availability for the exams are fairly firm, but check this website for possible changes before heading anywhere to take the exam. Also take note: the lower and upper county testing centers have more restrictive hours than the Newtown testing center! See for yourself: Lower/Upper County Hours & Newtown Hours. Know the hours a testing center is open before you go, because they may change. Exams are paper-and-pencil affairs (no computers). They are printed on a single sheet of paper and are completed with a blue book that the testing center supplies.
     As soon as the window of availability for an exam closes I put the exam and its key up on the website under Resources (link below), so there is no possibility of taking an exam late! I do this because I want everyone to learn about any mistakes they may have made on an exam as soon as possible. A missed exam is given a score of zero. Make-up exams are not allowed, but I will drop the lowest of your first three exam scores (Exam #4 cannot be dropped). Thus if you miss one of the first three exams then that will be your dropped score. Only one exam may be dropped! Do not e-mail me asking to take an exam days after the deadline. I shall respond with electronic laughter, or possibly there will be no response at all.
     Exam scores I send out via your BCCC e-mail address, so get that set up if you haven't done so already. It may take awhile to get your exam score. By "awhile" I mean upwards of 10 days from the time you take the exam. This is because I adjust exam scores based on the performance of the class as a whole, but I can't do that until I have all exams in my hands and graded. So if you take Exam 1 on June 12, understand that I won't have all exams back from all testing centers until June 18, and then I've got other classes keeping me busy that could protract the grading process out to June 22 or so. That's a worst-case scenario, but the thing is I will not send out unadjusted scores that may be significantly different than the final adjusted score.
     As stated in the syllabus, use of MyMathLab (MML) is optional but may be helpful. The course name is Math141SUM13, and the course ID is erickson73884. If you have questions, send an e-mail! There may also be access to tutors in MML, but I can't swear to it. Also a solutions manual is available via MML, as well as an electronic version of the book.
     In Resources there is to be found exams from past terms, along with their keys. They should help shed light on what my exams generally look like, more or less. The exams are based on the homework, so if you do the homework thoroughly you should be well prepared. Do not rely too much on the old exams, though, because I change things up fairly frequently!
     If you don't get a response to an e-mail, don't assume you're being ignored. Your e-mail could for some reason have been shunted automatically to a spam folder, or perhaps the delivery simply failed. Also I don't necessarily respond to messages that seem not to require a response. Whatever the case, contact me first if you are having any problems. The department chair should not be your first resort, because she'll simply bounce you back to me.
     Overall I try to keep a course like this as self-paced as reasonably possible, without too many deadlines or other nuisances that tend to defeat the purpose of an online class. You do have to be disciplined to succeed in a course like this, there's no doubt about it. This concludes the Orientation.

April 6 - The syllabus for the 12-week Summer 2013 distance-learning section of Calculus 2 is now available below!