Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

I'm so glad you're considering my on-campus MTH 111 (or MTH 111Z) class!

(Note: MTH 111 is might also referred to as MTH 111Z.  MTH 111 and MTH 111Z are the same course.)

As a math teacher, I'm confident that everyone can learn to understand the math and algebra we will cover in our class. You're here as part of your academic journey and I hope that we can work together to deepen and expand your mathematical understanding this term.

Contrary to popular belief, no person is bad at math. I do know that plenty of people have had bad experiences with math and the good news is that everyone can have new and better experiences learning math. I'll do the best I can to help you do so, and I expect you to spend as much time and effort as needed for you to have a good learning experience this quarter.

Please know that I am here to support you and I appreciate you reaching out anytime you have any questions, be it a question related to our class, to you being a student at PCC, or anything else I can help and support you with.

A sample syllabus and course calendar from a prior term are available and contain further details about this course:

• Sample Syllabus
• Sample Calendar

There will be some significant differences between the sample syllabus and the one for our course.  Please only use this as a general reference.

This is an in-person class and we will meet on campus at the times listed in the PCC Schedule of Classes. 

While we will not have a fully flipped class, you will need to watch videos and complete an assignment in advance of each class meeting to lay the foundations for what we will cover in class and in your groups.

Class time will be split between a cooperative lecture (with an "I do one, now you try one" style) and in small groups to work on exercises with your fellow classmates.  About half of every class meeting will be spent in group work, also referred to as "lab time."

Attendance is expected, so you can ask questions, get immediate feedback, and work cooperatively with your group.  

I look forward to getting to know everyone and please email if you have any questions.

Notes:  For additional course support see: http://www.pcc.edu/mathalc

To participate in our class, you'll need:

• dependable internet access, 
• a device with web browser, 
• ability to watch YouTube videos before all class meetings,
• a scanner or scanning app to scan your homework, and
• a way to upload documents to our class website

We will be using ALEKS, an online homework and learning system.  This is the one item you will need to purchase for our class and this can be purchased through the bookstore or from ALEKS directly.

A graphing calculator is not required for the course.  Instead, we will use one of two free apps, Desmos or GeoGebra, for graphing when a graphing utility is appropriate.

If you have any questions, let me know!