Department Policies for Math 13xx
Your course syllabus and any
policies specific to your course are on your teacher’s web site.
Announcements
will be made at the beginning of lecture, on your teacher’s website, via email,
and on the CourseWare site. Your teacher reserves the right to make changes to
the syllabus/policies of the course and to announce such information as
needed. You are responsible for knowing the content of any announcements
concerning changes.
Calculators are not permitted, except in Math 1313 or Math 1314.
For these courses, see your teacher’s website for information about what type
of calculator will be allowed.
The CourseWare site is located at www.casa.uh.edu.
This site will be used for test reservations, testing, discussion board help,
your gradebook, and other course information. You are responsible for setting
up your account online at the CourseWare site.
Cell phones must be turned off before class begins. Cell phones
may not be taken to the testing carrels in CASA Testing Center. Text-messaging
during class is not permitted.
Cheating will not be tolerated. See page 8 of the Student
Handbook for details.
The Course Policies Quiz
will be available at the beginning of the semester and will remain open
throughout the semester. You must take this quiz and score 100 on it BEFORE
you will be allowed to use CourseWare for your online assignments, including
quizzes, practice tests, and any online tests. Math 1310 and Math 1314
students: This means you have to score 100 on this quiz BEFORE you can
take Test 1.
Daily Poppers will be taken each class day starting the 3rd
week of classes. Multiple choice questions will be asked throughout the
lecture. You will record your answers on the Popper bubbling form and turn the
form in at the end of each lecture. It is your responsibility to bubble in
the information at the top carefully and completely; incomplete, improperly
bubbled or illegible forms will not be graded. Popper grades will be
posted to your gradebook periodically.
You may buy a semester-pack
of Bubbling forms at the Copy Center in the Welcome Center. Daily popper
Bubbling forms WILL NOT be returned to students and will be shredded
after scoring. You must use the special Bubbling form and you MUST
bubble in the information at the top properly!
You should keep a record of
your popper answers separate from the Bubbling form. Your teacher will post
daily popper solutions at regular intervals so you can check how you’re doing.
Your four lowest popper scores will be dropped before calculating your popper average
for the semester to allow for absences of any sort.
Dropping the course: You are responsible for making arrangements to drop
the course if you wish to. If you wish to drop the course, complete and return
the paperwork before the deadline to drop. Note that your paperwork must be
turned in before the deadline; it is NOT sufficient to have your teacher sign
the form before the deadline; the signed form must be turned in before the
deadline. The receptionist in 651 PGH can help you if your teacher is not
available to sign your form. Do not assume that your teacher will drop
you for any reason or that your drop will be processed automatically. Pay attention
to the deadline; keep a copy of your signed drop form; and check PeopleSoft to
make sure your drop has been processed.
Email: Students are responsible for information about the
course that is emailed to them using the email address that the students
provide to the CourseWare site or the PeopleSoft site. It is the student’s
responsibility to keep the email address on file current and to make
arrangements for email from the instructor, PeopleSoft, and CourseWare to reach
the student.
Extra Credit: A practice test will be available online on CourseWare
prior to each test. You may take it up to 20 times, and 10% of your highest
score will be added to your test grade. Please note the date that the practice
test expires, and complete the practice test well before that date. There will
be a Practice Final that will be extra-credit on the final, as well. Note that
extra credit will be added in your teacher’s gradebook at the end of the
semester and NOT to your test grades posted in your gradebook
during the semester.
Do not wait until the end of
the time period to begin a practice test. CourseWare has limits on the number
of logins available per hour. There will be no extensions or make-ups allowed
for these practice tests for any reason.
You may print out the Practice
Tests and get help on baffling questions at the CASA Tutoring Center. Tutors are glad to help with questions off printed copies but are not allowed to help
you if you’re actually taking the practice test on the Tutoring Center computers.
Final Exam Schedule: For all Math 13xx courses except Math 1310, the final
exam schedule posted online under “Academic Calendars” will be followed.
Consult this schedule for the day, date and time of your final. Keep this
schedule in mind when making end-of-the-semester travel plans. The Math
Department does NOT give finals at any time except during the days scheduled
for finals. Your final day and time will also be publicized by your math
teacher. Math 1310 will have finals in CASA Tutoring by appointment for a
portion of the finals period; not the whole finals period…1310 finals generally
begin on the third day of finals.
Grading: The University standard grade system will be used.
If x is your semester numerical score*:
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A
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x > 93
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B-
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D+
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|
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A-
|
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C+
|
|
D
|
|
|
B+
|
|
C
|
|
D-
|
|
|
B
|
|
C-
|
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F
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Below
|
If you score below 60% on the final, including any extra credit points
earned, your grade for the class will be an F. This applies to each 13xx
course except 1311 and 1312. If you are in 1310, 1313, or 1314 and you score
70% or above on the final, then you will pass the course with at least a D-; this does NOT apply to Math 1330 and 1300. If you
are in 1300 or 1330, your computed average must be a passing score for you to
pass the course; you cannot get an “automatic” pass by doing well enough on the
final in these two courses.
*in 1330 the D- range is 
.
A grade of I for “incomplete” cannot be assigned unless you are passing
the course at the time you request this grade AND you have a compelling
NON-ACADEMIC reason for requesting one. Imminent failure is not an acceptable
reason to be awarded an incomplete.
Exemption from the Final: If
your final numerical score for the course is 80 or higher – calculated by the
official Math Department Grade Calculator (available starting in October), then
you may CHOSE to be exempt from the final. The deadline for choosing exemption
will be announced by your teacher shortly after mid-semester. If you are
eligible from exemption and do NOT select it by the deadline, then you must
take the final. If you do not have a semester numerical average that starts
with an “8” by the deadline, then you MUST take the final.
Grading ID Number: You will use
your seven digit MyUH ID (PeopleSoft) number as your Grading ID number on all the
forms for grading: homework, popper, free response portion of any test and the
final, if the final is a paper exam). Please fill in both the number boxes and
the number bubbles. If you mis-bubble your ID on any Scantron, your work will
not be graded and you will receive a zero for your efforts.
Help for the course is
available at CASA – Tutoring Center (222 Garrison). A Cougar One ID card
is required to check in. Please check the department website for hours. Peer
tutors will respond to raised hands as promptly as possible. Tutoring is also
available at LSS (3rd floor of the Social Work building). Audiovisual
tapes of most of the courses can be checked out from the publications
department of the Library. Online help is available at http://online.math.uh.edu,
and through the discussion board on Courseware. Streaming lectures are
available for 1310, 1313, 1314, and 1330; see your teacher’s website for
details.
Homework: Assigned homework is due two minutes before lecture
starts. Homework must be submitted on time, in class in all classes except
Math 1313. Homework will not be accepted early or late. Homework turned in
late will be awarded a zero. Homework turned in early will not be graded.
Illegible or improperly bubbled homework will not be graded. Not all homework
problems submitted will be graded. Homework assignments are worth 10 points,
max. In Finite Math 1313, the homework must be recorded online at least 10
minutes prior to the deadline.
There are no make ups for
homework assignments in either the classroom turn-in or online formats. Your
four lowest homework scores will be dropped before calculating your average for
the semester to allow for illnesses or excused absences of any sort. See the
homework assignments and due dates on your teacher’s website.
Homework will be turned in
on ONE Homework Bubbling form PER assignment. Work the problems neatly in the order listed on your
teacher’s website. Box in or highlight your final answer on each problem.
Make sure ALL the identifying information filled/bubbled in on the front of the
form is correct. (“Assignment Number” refers to the three digit assignment
number on the list of homework assignments on your teacher’s website: 001, 002,
003…). Homework that does not conform with these standards will be penalized
or not graded.
Each homework assignment must
be submitted on one Homework Bubbling form. (Do not use two forms and staple
them together; get all the work for one assignment on one form.) If you have
two assignments due on one day, then you must use two forms; be sure to place
the form in the correct pile when you turn it in!
Homework will NOT be returned. Graded homework may be viewed from your
CourseWare gradebook page. The maximum score on a homework assignment is 10
points.
Homework Bubbling forms may be purchased the Copy Center. The Homework
and Popper Bubbling forms will be in a packet that has your Course and SECTION
number on it. Be sure to purchase the ones for YOUR course. If you change
sections after you buy the forms, then you must buy a NEW packet for your new
section.
Petitioning a homework grade:
If you believe a mistake was made in grading your homework, you should contact
your teacher by email or in person within 5 days after the homework grade is
posted to your gradebook. Bring a copy of the PDF with you to show your
teacher the problem.
Online Textbooks: The table below gives the location of your online
text:
Students in Math 1300 and 1310 may purchase a printed version of their
text from the University Copy Center. Students in Math 1311 and 1312 use
regular paper textbooks that are available in The Book Store.
Prerequisites: Students in
every class but Math 1300 must demonstrate mastery of the material needed for
academic success. Passing Test 1 with a score of 70% or higher is the easiest
way to do this. If a student scores below 70% on Test 1, then the student is
encouraged to drop the course in favor of taking the prerequisite course.
All students MUST take Test 1.
Bubbling Forms: You need to buy a section specific packet of
Bubbling forms from the Copy Center. Some courses have ONLY the Poppers; some
courses have both Popper and Homework forms. Each form has the course and
section already filled in at the top. You have to bubble in your student id on
each form. If you change sections, you must buy the forms for your new
section…you may NOT use the forms for your former section.
Section Number: The section number for your course is the five digit
number assigned to your course by the University. It may be called Course
Number on your fee bill. You need this number to buy the correct Bubbling
forms packet.
Weekly quizzes:
Soon after school starts there will be weekly online quizzes on your course
site on CourseWare. You may take each quiz up to 20 times; your highest score
for the period will be the grade recorded for the quiz. You must wait 10
minutes between attempts.
Please note the schedule for the quizzes. In the long
semesters, the quizzes are usually up for about 10 days. In summer school you
may have more than one quiz per week and the duration is less than a week. You
are responsible for knowing the expiration date on each quiz.
Do not wait until the last afternoon to begin working
on an online quiz! CourseWare has a finite number of “logins” that can be
accommodated per hour and being unable to log on is not an excuse for missing a
quiz, neither are viruses or hardware failures. There are no make-ups for
online quizzes.
You may print out the quizzes
and then get help on baffling questions in the CASA – Tutoring Center. Tutors are glad to help on these questions off printed copies, but are not allowed to
help you if you are actually taking a quiz in the CASA – Tutoring Center
You must score 100 on the Course
Policies Quiz before you can take any online quizzes. Any quizzes that you
miss while you haven’t finished the Course Policies Quiz will have a grade of
zero.
There may be an Amnesty Week
at the end of the semester on quizzes – a brief period when the quizzes are all
available again. Once a determination has been made (generally after
mid-semester) your teacher will make an announcement of the dates.
Quiz help with technical problems: Technical questions can be resolved by sending email
to technical support by using the link on the CourseWare homepage. Your
teacher does NOT have any authority to fix or change anything on the CourseWare
site; you must contact CourseWare tech support if there is a problem.
MATH 1300 LOCKOUT: In Math 1300 students with 4 or more scores below 70% out of
the first seven quizzes will be locked out of the course shortly after
mid-semester. This means you will not be allowed to continue taking the course
if you have a poor performance on your quizzes. Please ask your teacher about
the details of LOCKOUT; it’s for keeps.
Test Information
Testing time: Tests during
the semester are, in general, 50 minutes long. Please make sure to
attend to the time while you’re testing: do not spend too much time on any one
question. You are expected to finish the whole test in 50 minutes. Do not
spend time writing stuff down before you start your test – you must finish the
test within the testing period – you are expected to begin the test promptly on
the hour so you can leave promptly at the end of the 50 minute testing period
(there’s someone else scheduled to use that carrel next and you may NOT
overstay). Do NOT “submit” your test BEFORE you’ve worked on the free response
questions and are ready to leave the center; push the submit button when you
are DONE with the WHOLE test.
Accommodations for testing will be handled appropriately. Please talk with your
teacher privately and have the documentation for testing accommodations
available at the beginning of the semester. Retroactive testing accommodations
will not be made. In general, we allow extra time only. If the students in
your course are allowed a calculator on a test, then you will be allowed to
have one (1313 and 1314). However, if the students are NOT allowed
calculators, then you may NOT have one as an accommodation.
Reservations are required for most tests. The reservations site
is at Courseware: http://casa.uh.edu.
See your teacher’s website for a list of which tests are given online, which
are given in class, and which are given by reservation in the CASA Testing Center.
You will be able to make reservations
online about two weeks before each testing period begins. Please take
advantage of this to get a convenient time and day. You may reschedule a test
time subject to availability. There is NO STANDBY waiting at the Testing Center for an open slot. All reservations must be made through CourseWare. If
you miss a test, please see the information on Makeup Tests.
The Testing Center is also known as CASA. It is located in 221A
Garrison. You will be required to show a Cougar 1 card to check in and
take an exam in CASA (a drivers license will NOT be accepted). You need to
have your photograph and fingerprints on file at CASA; there will be time at
the beginning of the semester to get this done. You will not be permitted to
take personal belongings (including but not limited to purses, fanny packs, and
backpacks) to your testing cubicle; you will be required to check them. You
may not have a cell phone or a calculator with you in the testing cubicle.
Neither the Department of Mathematics nor the University of Houston is liable for misplaced, lost, or stolen personal belongings.
Students who are tardy will
NOT be seated. If you arrive more than 10 minutes after the test has begun (by
CASA’s clock, not your watch), then you will not be seated. You may reschedule
the test into another time if one is available. Tardiness is not an acceptable
reason to be given a make-up test.
Testing at CASA: Please read the FAQs on the CASA webpage for the
registration process and testing procedures. Your photo and fingerprints need
to be on file for you to check in. There will be a registration time at the
beginning of the semester for you to get this done. You will be required to
show your Cougar 1 ID card for admission to the Testing Center; no other form of ID is permissible. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please arrive at the Testing Center at least 10 minutes BEFORE the test is scheduled to begin. Students
arriving late at CASA for a reservation will NOT be seated (so be sure to leave
freeway foul-up time and time to find parking when you leave to go to your
appointment).
Rescheduling: It may be possible to reschedule a test
appointment during the testing period (depending on space availability) by
using the online scheduler. Do not assume that you will be able to reschedule
– check first! Makeup petitions citing an inability to reschedule will be
denied. If you schedule your test in the last time available during a testing
period, DO NOT miss the appointment time or be late.
Free Response questions: Most tests taken in CASA will have a free response
part that is individually graded with partial credit. A pdf of your Free
Response paper will be posted to your CourseWare gradebook about 10 days after
the end of the testing period. Test papers without names and/or keycodes will
not be graded and the recorded grade for the anonymous work will be a zero.
Also, note that the work included on your scratch paper WILL NOT be
graded. Please do not push the “submit” key BEFORE finishing this
portion of the test.
Petitioning a test grade (Free Response portion): If you believe a mistake was made in the grading of
your test paper, you should contact your teacher within five days after the
grade is posted to your gradebook.
Keycodes: Free response
questions on tests taken in CASA will be worked on a special answer sheet that
will be handed to you in CASA. DO NOT write in the keycode; a proctor will
handle getting your keycodes on your test sheet.
Final Exam: The final exam is compulsory and comprehensive. Math
1310 students will take their final exam by appointment in CASA. All other
students will take the final exam at the scheduled time in the classroom (see
the schedule on the University website for the date and time). You must
have a score of at least 60% on the final exam, including any extra credit
points earned on the practice test, to be ELIGIBLE to pass the course. No
exceptions will be made to this rule. If a student in any course (except
Math 1300 and 1330) passes the final with a score of 70% or higher – without
extra credit points – then that student will pass the class. Many of the
final exams have time periods LESS than the period given in the UH Exam
Schedule; check with your instructor to find out the actual length of your
final.
Identification on tests: You must carefully and accurately fill in the
identifying information at the top of
your free response form. Free response
test papers without names or which are mis-bubbled will not be graded. The
recorded grade will, necessarily, be a zero.
Make-ups: Make-up Tests are given by petition only! Contact
your teacher within 5 working days of the end of the testing period to discuss
a makeup; your teacher will handle all the details of permission and scheduling.
Deadlines for petition submission are firm and no exceptions will be made.
Makeup tests are NOT re-tests; retesting is not permitted.
Make-up Petitions are
considered on a case by case basis by a committee that does NOT include your
teacher. Good documentation is required for a makeup to be permitted (n.b. a
note from a parent is NOT good documentation). Make-up tests are a different
format than the original test – they are all free response questions, no
multiple choice questions at all. Make-up tests are not scheduled individually.
They are given on a chosen Friday afternoon to every student with a petition
that has been approved during the prior weeks. The make up tests are given
about every 5 weeks. Each student will be
allowed a maximum of one makeup test per course per semester, and any
approved makeup petition must satisfy all requirements listed above.
Retests: There will be no “re-tests”.
If you earn a score that is not satisfactory to you, that is unfortunate but is
no cause for you to be allowed to take the test again.