Syllabus: Spring 2026

Office Hours

Office hours are a combination of on-campus and online. I am in my office on campus every Monday and Wednesday, but I have online office hours via Zoom every Friday from 11:00AM–12:00PM. Office hours are always 'walk-ins welcome!' You never need an appointment for office hours. But if you need to see me outside of these times, please contact me and we will set up a meeting at a time that works for both of us! This link is valid for the duration of the semester.

Course Materials

There is triple redundancy for accessing course materials: Blackboard, the course web, and a shared Google drive. The course web is convenient because it does not require a log-in (or go down for maintenance exactly when you need it most). You have already received a notification about accessing the shared drive.

Watch and Read

There are 37 pre-recorded problem-solving videos in the Bboard Media Library. Videos are cross-posted in each of the specific Chapter folders in the Online Classroom. You must consult the course calendar and watch the appropriate video prior to attending class. Read and review the necessary sections of the textbook before arriving each day. Consider this your homework, and commit to it.

I will not be standing at the board solving problems during lecture periods; you will be working on problems, on paper, during each class session. You will have a much easier time if you have watched the video and read the sections.

Effective Communication

Please feel free to communicate whenever you have questions or need clarification. If you are unable to speak to me directly during class or office hours, the most effective way to communicate with me will be via my official UCA email.

I will respond as quickly as practical; you should not expect an instant response, but you can expect a response within 24 hours. During regular weekday business hours, you should get a reply the same day. However, if you email after 5:00 PM on Friday or over the weekend, you should not expect a response before Monday. Emails will not be processed over the weekend.

Please do not telephone my office if you have an urgent communication. There is a high probability that I will not be at my desk on campus when the phone rings. Again, email is always the fastest way to get a response.

Lecture

Things are different this semester, so please be sure to read carefully.  You will only earn participation points for submitting work completed during class time. You may work with your classmates on these assignments., up to the point where it becomes obvious that the entire class is playing on their phones waiting for one person to complete the problems so they can copy the solutions, at which point assignments will be restricted to solo endeavors.

Come to class prepared. You should always bring your textbook, calculator, and at least two pencils with really good erasers. I will provide the paper, and if you need a straight edge or protractor, the tools will be provided for you. You should be on time and ready to go on day one.

Plan to attend every lecture. You will be actively engaged in solving problems. This semester, you will only earn participation points for work completed: twenty points possible per day, for a maximum of 600 points, or 60% of your grade.

There are 37 lectures on the calendar. That means that you are not responsible for perfect attendance; you can earn 100% of the points by participating in 30 of the lectures (81%). This is a very generous ROI, and if you get sick or have an obligation, you can still meet the threshold.

There are no extra-credit points. However, if you complete more than the required 30 assignments, your lowest score(s) will be dropped..

Exams

There will be three exams this semester. Each test will cover three chapters. Tests will be completed in-class. You will have 50 minutes to complete each test; if you arrive late, you will not be afforded extra time. Check the course calendars for specific dates.

You will be given exam targets. Prior to each exam, you will be given specific targets to study. You should expect problems that reflect what you have completed in class, or that have been analyzed in lecture. Problems might require numeric solution, error analysis, or may be symbolic in nature.

Exams are calculator-only. Your phone is not a calculator. Your tablets, laptops, and smart watches are not calculators. The AI is not a calculator. The paper cheatsheet taped to the inside lid of your calculator is not a calculator. I will have a spare calculator available, but you should not rely on what I happen to find in the lost-and-found drawer.

Exams are never, ever collaborative. There is zero ambiguity here; you must complete every portion of every exam by yourself. You may not share calculators during exams.

If you must miss an exam, you must notify me via email within 24 hours of the missed test. If you do not email me within the required timeframe, no make-up exam will be scheduled. If you know that you have a pre-existing obligation on an exam day, you should let me know as far in advance as you are aware of the obligation. Any make-up exam must be completed within 7 days of the original exam date.

Points and Grades

Scores will be reported using Blackboard, but you should keep track of your point progress over the semester.  Points may be earned in the following ways: