Academic Expectations
The purpose of this statement is to make you aware of the expectations of your mathematics instructors at the University of Louisville.
You will also
find some suggestions as to how to meet those expectations. If you follow
the suggestions you should understand the course better and obtain the grade
you are capable of earning.
- IN THE CLASSROOM Expect to have material covered at a much faster
pace than in high school. We expect you to come prepared to class as detailed
below.
- OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM Lecture time is at a premium, so it must
be used efficiently. You cannot be taught everything in the classroom.
Much of your learning must take place outside the classroom. At
a minimum you should plan on studying two or more hours outside the classroom
for each hour in class. You should attempt all the homework that is assigned
and try additional problems in areas where you feel weak.
- THE TEXTBOOK You are expected to read the textbook for comprehension.
It gives a detailed account of the material of the course. It also contains
many examples of problems worked out, and these should be used to supplement
those you see in the lecture. Use pencil and paper to work through the
material and to fill in omitted steps.
Read the appropriate section(s) of the book before the material is presented
in lecture. Then the faster-pace lecture will make more sense. After the
lecture carefully reread the textbook along with your lecture notes to
cement your understanding of the material.
- TESTS Our intent is to determine how well you understand the
basic principles underlying the methods and if you are able to apply these
principles to novel as well as routine situations. Some problems on a test
may seem new, but all will be solvable using principles from the material
on which you are being tested.
- SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS It is your responsibility to communicate
clearly in writing up solutions for homework, quizzes, and exams. Your
results must display your understanding well and be written in a
correct, complete, coherent, and well organized fashion. The rules of language
still apply in mathematics, and apply even when symbols are used in formulas,
equations, etc. Neatness counts!
In Conclusion:
It is your responsibility to learn the material. Most of this
learning must take place outside the classroom. The instructor's job is
primarily to provide a framework, with some of the particulars, to guide
you in doing your learning of the concepts and methods that comprise the
course. It is not to "program" you with isolated facts and problem
types.
The instructor stands ready to help you learn, but the responsibility
is yours. If you are experiencing difficulty, go to your instructor's office
hours for extra help. If you don't do your part, then there is very little
the instructor can do to make up for it.
Based on: Zucker, Steven, Teaching
at the University Level, AMS Notices (43), 1996, pp 863-865.