WARNING: ALWAYS SCROLL THE ENTIRE PAGE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT MISS ANYTHING EVERY TIME YOU ARRIVE ON THIS PAGE.
YOUR FAILURE TO VISIT THIS PAGE REGULARLY MAY CAUSE YOU MUCH GRIEF!

ANNOUNCEMENTS
are in reverse chronological order--You should go through all announcements since your last visit, as simple common sense would suggest! NOTE: excuses such as "I did not know this was available via the class homepage," or "I did not have time to go to the class home page," and so on, will not be acceptable.


ANNOUNCEMENT 7

Posted 11/24/2023

About the term paper project, etc.

Dear All:

Please note carefully:

(1) To assist some of you who claim to be facing a lot of work in your other classes, I have decided to make the term paper project optional for everyone. You don't have to do it, if you don't want to.

(2) If you decide not to do the project then your Test 5 score will be used in its place.

(3) If you wish to retake Test 5 to improve your score you must contact me. However the usual rules for retaking a test will apply: not all questions will be the same, and there must be ten points (or more improvement). In other words you must go back and redo the homework for Test 5, this time with diligence.

(4) If you decide to do the project, then as per course syllabus, the score for Test 5 will be averaged with the score for the Term paper project. (In other words, the term paper by itself is worth 10% of your final grade). The instructions for the term paper project, which you must follow diligently, are here.

Sincerely,
Instructor.
Update to Announcement 7 (11/26)
As per email sent to you on 11/26,
It appears that quite a few people want to retake test 5. So, please note:

First, you do NOT have to have a reason to retake Test 5 (besides improving your existing test score, obviously).

Second, to accommodate everyone who wish to retake Test 5, I am scheduling it for Friday December 1, at 8:00 pm.

Third, clarification about the final exam: although it is optional, I am strongly recommending that you do it because depending upon your (a) course grade, and (b) the score for the exam, your entire course grade will improve by one or more levels (as specified in the test/exam schedule on the class home page). What will the exam cover? See the test/exam schedule.

ANNOUNCEMENT 6

Posted 11/4/2023

AAS 253--Test 4 scores, etc.

Dear All:

(a) Your Test 4 scores have now been updated with bonus points. Please go through them carefully to check for any errors. (Note: the school will not allow me to change your course grades once they are posted at the end of the semester.)

(b) We have a test coming up; and some of you have not even started doing the homework yet!

(c) Yes, the final exam will serve as extra credit. How much this extra-credit will be worth is indicated on the test schedule on the class home page (bit.ly/chpage).

(d) Questions on the images on the class home page should be easy to answer, since the test is open book. Are you aware that the images can also be pulled up as a PDF document?

Sincerely,
Instructor.

ANNOUNCEMENT 5

Posted 10/20/2023

The Meaning of Your Midterm Grade, etc.

Dear All:

Please note carefully:

1) Your midterm grade has been posted on the HUB portal (not on the class home page).
2) If you received an "MS" grade then it means one of two things: (a) either you are doing well, or there is room for improvement--if it is the latter, then go through the document on how to prepare for tests in this course available via a link on the class home page in the test/exam schedule  section. (Yes, I know who has looked at that document and who has not.)
3) If you received an "MU" grade then it means you are on your way to an F in this course; in which case you have one of two options: you can either (a) contact me right away to see how we can turn things around, because it is not too late to do so; or (b) please resign from the course to avoid getting an F on your transcript.
4) The upcoming test (see schedule on the class home page) is really important because it is worth 20% of your course grade.
5) Your test scores have been updated via the link on the class home page.

Sincerely,
Instructor
PS> Reminder: the learning outcomes for this course are available via the link on the class home page (in Section F).


ANNOUNCEMENT 4

Posted 10/17/2023

Dear All:

Please note carefully:
  1. I have to submit my midterm grades for you by the end of this week.
  2. Grades will be available to you via your myub hub portal and NOT via this site.
  3. If you would like to retake Test No. 3 (to improve your test score) then you can do so this Thursday (10/19) at 8:00 pm, or Friday (10/20) at 12:00 pm. <-- please note the times.
  4. To do well on the retake, you must re-do the homework, this time with care and diligence. To encourage you to do that, there are two important qualifications about retaking Test No. 3:
(a) There must be 8 points or more improvement in your new score, compared to your existing score (not counting bonus points)--otherwise this second attempt score will be discarded, and the original score kept. If your score improves by 8 points or more then that is the test score that will be kept, and the original score discarded.

(b) Not all questions may be repeats.
Sincerely,
Instructor
PS> The tests in this course are open book. So, for example, why would you not take advantage of that when dealing with the questions on the slide images on the preceding class home page (which you have been asked to study since the beginning of the semester)?
Question: how many instructors would give you opportunities to retake a test to improve your score? Yes. This is more work for me, so please show your appreciation by doing well on the test this time around.

ANNOUNCEMENT 3

Posted 10/04/2023

Dear All:

Please note carefully:
  1. Your updated test scores with bonus points for Test 2 are available via the link under Section (D): Tests Scores (on the preceding page). Please go through them to make sure there are no errors.
  2. The date/time for Test 3 next week has had to be changed because of the school break. See the Test/Exam Schedule (Section C).
  3. For Test 3 next week, a few questions will also come from the first seven slide images that appear on the class home page (Section F) 
  4. There was NO question on the test that everyone got wrong. In other words, if you got a question wrong then that does NOT mean everyone else got it wrong. Nevertheless, I still ended up giving you guys some bonus points that pushed your grade about two levels up. Did I hear you say thank you? You are welcome.
  5. To those who still need some guidance on test preparation, see the document available via a link in the same Section (C). Reminder: almost all questions fall into either one of two main categories: factual questions and conceptual questions. See the document for an explanation.
  6. Some of you either did not do the homework at all, or tried to do it during the test, or tried to do it at the last  minute! How do I know this? Because the computer keeps a record, plus your test scores prove it. (Suggestion: since compared to your other courses, this course is not that intellectually demanding, you should use this course to boost your GPA, not to lower it!)
  7. Some of you did not sit for the test at all. If you have a legitimate reason, I will allow you to make it up, if you still want to take the test. Get in touch with me right away.
  8. Do not send me emails that are not in the proper format, otherwise you may not get a response. See the subsection on emails in section (A): Basic Course Requirements.
Sincerely,
Instructor.

ANNOUNCEMENT 2

Posted 9/22/2023

Dear All:

Please note carefully:
  1. Your updated test scores with bonus points for Test 1 are available via the link under Section (D): Tests Scores (on the preceding page). Please go through them to make sure there are no errors.
  2. There was NO question that everyone got wrong. In other words, if you got a question wrong then that does NOT mean everyone else got it wrong. Nevertheless, I still ended up giving you guys some bonus points that pushed your grade about two levels up. Did I hear you say thank you? You are welcome.
  3. Some of you never bothered to study the sample test questions I had posted under Section (C): Tests/Exam Schedule. Be that as it may, for those who still need some guidance on test preparation, see the document available via a link in the same Section (C).
  4. Some of you either did not do the homework at all, or tried to do it during the test, or tried to do it at the last  minute! How do I know this? Because the computer keeps a record, plus your test scores prove it. (Suggestion: since compared to your other courses, this course is not that intellectually demanding, you should use this course to boost your GPA, not to lower it!)
  5. Some of you did not sit for the test at all. Since this was the first test, I will allow you to make it up, if you still want to take the test.
  6. Do not send me emails that are not in the proper format, otherwise you may not get a response. See the subsection on emails in section (A): Basic Course Requirements.
Sincerely,
Instructor.


ANNOUNCEMENT 1

  Posted 8/27/2023

See preceding page.