Great Opportunity

Just when I thought my Spring schedule was set, I got an interesting email from the course coordinator of the MIS department. Dr. Neuman explained that, since my work in MIS 111 placed me in the top 10% of the class, I have been offered an opportunity to be a preceptor for the same class this spring. What's a preceptor? Here's how the email explained it:

"The term preceptor dates back into the 1400's and means tutor or instructor. As a preceptor, you'll help develop exams for the course, assist in the grading of course materials, and work with the teaching faculty on other projects throughout the semester, such as FlexLabs and proctoring exams."

The payoff for me is twofold: an extra 3 credits that will count for general business lower division elective requirements, and also something useful to put on my academic resume when I apply for Eller College admission at the end of my sophomore year. As I understand it, they're looking for more than just GPA and I think this would be a good fit.

Every time I turned in an assignment in my MIS class - there were five projects times 1500 students! - I wondered how the heck they managed to grade them all. Now it appears I'll find out!

A Sophomore?

Well, the grades are in and... I'm a sophomore! I guess since several credits transferred from Pima Community College - classes I took in the early 1990s - they now say I have enough credits to be a sophomore. Not sure what that means, exactly, or what advantage it might give me... I'll have to figure that out as I go along. Kinda cool, though.

Anyway, as I said, the grades are in and I got all As! Even in math! I don't feel I deserved an A in the math class since I struggled immensely and still only understand or retain about half of what we covered. I did very poorly on tests and in-class quizzes, but fortunately the grade points are evenly distributed between homework assignments, an essay paper, in-class projects, and some other smaller assignments. I guess I made up enough of the difference to hit 90%. Yippee!

The important thing is I passed remedial math so now I can enroll in my first "college" math course which is a prerequisite for the "real" math courses that my major requires! I will have to take one during summer session in 2008 to get back on track so I don't have a bunch of math courses piling up towards the end. Maybe the sophomore designation even accelerates that urgency a bit more.

Of course I expect every accounting or economics course to have an element of math in it, but the true math courses I have to look forward to are:

- Spring 2008: Math 109 - College algebra course that emphasizes data analysis. Topics include functions, rates of change, linear functions, exponential & logarithmic functions, and systems of equations. Graphing calculators and spreadsheets will be used.

- Summer 2008: Math 115A, Business Mathematics I - Probability, conditional probability, Bayes' Theorem, random variables, random sampling, compound interest, expected value, computer simulation, and spreadsheet functions. The course is based on an electronic text, with extensive use of spreadsheets, downloaded data, and team reports on major business projects.

- Fall 2008: Math 115B, Business Mathematics II - Variance, normal distributions, distribution of the sample mean, integration, differentiation, advanced spreadsheet functions, and computer simulation. The course is based on an electronic text, with extensive use of spreadsheets, downloaded data, and team reports on major business projects.

And that's it for my "Foundation Mathematics" courses. They all sound interesting and I feel like if I can make it through them still standing, I'll be a lot smarter than I am right now! I love that feeling.

I also achieved the expected A in both English and MIS. I don't know how long I can keep up the good grades, but I'll certainly do my best to. I'm looking forward to getting started on my second semester!

Nearly Done!

Almost done! But a lot still to do. December 6th is officially "dead day" or, as they call it now, "reading day" (what the heck is that?!), and all the Final Exams come after. I only have one class period left in my two UA classes and two class periods left in Pima Math. The end sure has come fast!

Since Pima is on a different schedule, I'll actually take my math final on Dec 5th (please pray!). It will be cumulative over all the stuff we've learned since mid-Oct. Got a LOT of reviewing to do!

My English final is just a major rewrite of a paper we already turned in. They want to see how we do when analyzing and revising our own work. Piece of cake.

My MIS final is optional! It is used to replace a bad grade we may have gotten on a previous exam or project during the semester. I'm pretty sure I've done well enough on the other stuff I won't need to take the final. They haven't posted our grade from Project 4 and Project 5 is due tomorrow, but I'm confident those grades will be better than anything I could get on a final exam.

I anticipate getting an A in both MIS and English and probably a C in Math. The math grade won't count at the UA - since it's remedial, it transfers as pass/fail. I only need a C or better and right now I'm getting a B (yay!).

So, my To-Do list between now and dead day is as follows:

English -
1) Finish Essay 3 - Cultural Analysis
2) Revise Essay 2 for final - due Dec 7th

MIS -
3) Design simple web page for imaginary Bicycle Delivery business

Math -
4) Homework 11 consisting of 64 problems
5) Homework 12 consisting of 31 problems (logarithms!)
6) Two Reflective Journals
7) Study for final exam on Dec 5th

So I'd better stop wasting time and get busy!

Spring has sprung

Well, not really, but I'm mostly all set for the Spring 2008 semester. My first experience with online WebReg was a little nerve-wracking. One-fourth of the Freshman class were hitting the system at the exact same moment and for a while there I thought we must have broken it! But it just slowed way down and actually helped me find a technique I'll use in the future. My strategy was to identify the ONE course I HAD to get into and try for it first. For me it was English 102 and I knew there were only 3 spaces left in the class taught by my current English prof, Dr. Minnix. When the clock struck 7 a.m., I was logging in and bringing up the course. When I clicked ADD, the whole thing froze in place. What the heck...? Did my wireless network go down at the worst possible moment? So I grabbed my husband's laptop and by the time I logged in - probably less than a minute, at most - my English class was full! So I started looking up my alternates and had one ready to add when the system popped in and said I'd successfully added Dr. Minnix's class! Guess my laptop wasn't frozen after all.

Having two computers going is a technique that worked so well I'll certainly use it again. It allowed me to search in different sections on each one and I was able to add the courses I needed without much trouble. (The system never did speed up any.) I can't add my Math class until I pass the one I'm currently taking but I left a few gaps in my schedule to fit it in. Right now only the 8am class has space! Oh, well, I'm a morning person anyway. An alternative is to take the equivalent class at Pima Community College and transfer the credits, but I'll use that as a last resort.

So here are my classes - I think they sound interesting:

Justice and Virtue (TRAD 104)- This course will introduce you to some of the central and historically important questions and ideas in moral and political thought and philosophy through the works of some of the most important thinkers in the western tradition. Textbook: Classics of Political & Moral Philosophy

Modern Latin America (INDV 103)- An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American societies from the 1820s to the present that gives special emphasis to diversity within Latin America and to dynamic and, hence, historical processes of social, political, cultural, and economic change over time. (No textbook details yet.)

English 102 and Math 110 will round out my 13 units. I think that's all I can handle, based on my experience this semester. If necessary I'll take summer and winter session classes to stay up with the program requirements as the semesters progress. I'm finding the homework is the "easy" part and keeping up is just a matter of scheduling and discipline - two of my strengths. But tests, quizzes and in-class participation are stretching me a bit. That's good, I guess. I used to be so good at tests but so far I'm only average. It's frustrating, but I can usually make up the points by being thorough with my assignments.

This is such fun!

Midway checkup

So, here I am about halfway through my first semester and have found a few things that may be useful to other students:

[] A lanyard is a great way to solve the where-the-heck-did-I-put-my-keys dilemma. No digging through all the pockets of my jeans & backpack, wondering if they fell out in the classroom, shuttle, or somewhere on campus. They're hanging around my neck! I also clip my jump drive on it so I'm ready to plop down at any computer and finish a paper or review a syllabus. I connected two of those eyeglass holder things together so it's a little more jewelry-like.

[] Speaking of backpacks, I haven't needed one for over a month. Maybe it's due to my current classes, but I've done just fine with an ordinary 1" 3-ring binder that contains only TODAY's stuff. Flylady (www.flylady.net) sells what she calls her Office-In-A-Bag (OIB) that works perfectly. Basically it's a zippered lightweight canvas binder cover with a couple pockets and a handle. I'm going to add some length and shoulder padding to the handle. And one of those nerdy zipper pocket thingy clips inside the binder and holds my wallet, PDA, clicker, and extra pens & pencils so I don't need a purse, either.

[] Haven't needed my laptop computer in class since I preprint the pdf MIS lectures before leaving home and scribble notes directly on them during class. Never used it in English and certainly won't need it for Math. Besides, there are hundreds of computers available all over campus with the latest software that I can use between classes. Finding an open one is occasionally difficult, but I'm discovering the less-frequented computer labs (got a map in my binder!).

[] I carry single-use packets of antibacterial wipes for computer mice/keyboards so I hopefully won't pick up any colds or viruses. (One of many good suggestions by my husband!)

[] Inside the front cover of my binder is a School-Day Checklist to avoid any "senior moments" (forgotten items). I make myself review it each time I leave the house, even if I think I remembered everything (I usually haven't!).

[] Typed or handwritten homework assignments get three-hole punched and go straight into the binder so when I unzip the OIB, nothing falls out!

[] I carry extra H&R Block business cards for the rare occasion that someone needs my name and phone number. Why not take the opportunity to advertise? First day of Math class the prof had us exchange numbers with two classmates (so we could call each other -- not her -- if we miss a class and need info!) so I was glad I had them handy.

[] I'm already walking a LOT more than I did before college, but also take the opportunity to climb any staircases between my car and classroom, at least until the weather changes.

[] And the best hint of all of them: Do all the extra credit available because you never know when it will make a difference between an A and a B. I've overheard a few classmates calculating how little work they can get away with doing and still pass the class. They're not the norm, of course, but what a waste! Makes me want to call their mothers!