Welcome to Physics 160, Spring 2006

Thank you for taking this class.  I appreciate the opportunity to teach and help you.   I love physics and hope some of my enthusiasm rubs off on you. I look forward to class and sometimes will be very emotionally involved.  My desire is that you learn basic physics well, enjoy the experience and get a good grade.  I hope you are successful in this course.

I like to climb mountains.  After I have climbed a difficult mountain, I sometimes lead others up the mountain so they can enjoy the rewards that come from the hard work in getting to the top.  During the climb, I often encourage the climbers because many are tired and discouraged.  They don’t know what is ahead and they have to trust me.  Not everyone is able to make the climb to the top and I must advise some to stop.  Before the trip starts I need to find out who is not prepared for the climb so I can advise them not to try.  Everyone needs to understand the difficulties that lie ahead in the climb.

Taking physics is similar to mountain climbing.  In a class this size there are some students who are in way over their head and should not be in the course in the first place.  Some students may need to drop early in the course.  Everyone else needs to be prepared for what lies ahead.

In addition to the 6 challenges discussed in the introduction to this syllabus which was handed out in class, here are a few other things to consider for success in the course.  (And more will be covered elsewhere in the syllabus and/or in class.)

Reliable Attendance.  My teaching and grading style assume that you are faithfully in class every day.  Hints for tests will be given in class. (I'll be glad to talk about physics over and over again and answer the same questions again and again but I won’t repeat test hints.)  Some key material that we cover in class is not in the text. I plan to use keypads for a class participation grade.  Missing class would be bad for your class participation grade.  And there are other reasons not to miss class:  Some homework problems I have developed and notes will be handed out and tests will be returned in class. There is too much material and there are too many students for me to bring such material to every class so if you miss class you will have to come to my office to pick up handouts you missed. You should find someone in class to use as a source for notes in case you have to miss a class. If your schedule makes it likely that you will miss more than 3 classes throughout the semester then do not take this course from me.

Wise, Hard Work (good study habits).   Carefully follow instructions and listen to my hints.  Work at least 10 or more hours outside of class per week on physics.  Spend most of your time on the main things.  What are these?  Listen in class to find out.  Stay ahead; do not get behind.  Ask lots of questions and work with other students.  Work the homework thoughtfully and carefully and think about all aspects of each question or problem. A thorough understanding of the homework it is necessary for success in the course.  This understanding can only come from many hours of effort, where you make and correct mistakes.  Last minute cramming will not work.  Work at mastering an effective physics learning strategy.  There are many possible textbooks to choose for this course.  The choice was easy for me.  Young & Freedman provides superior explanations compared to any other textbook.  Since it is so good at explaining difficult concepts I will not always "cover" each and every topic in class.  I will save our valuable class time for the more difficult material.  Therefore, you need to read the text carefully.  You should allow plenty of time to carefully read the text.

General Monitoring Skills.  Most student difficulties (assuming math and attendance and time spent on the course are satisfactory) come from a poor learning strategy.  It is difficult to master the many "individual pieces" of course material and then to assemble these pieces into an effective model (in one's mind) for problem solving.  Students must synthesize the material from the text, from the homework, from the lecture, from the overheads, from the class participation drills and from the demonstrations into such a model.  Then, the model can be applied to new situations.  Many students have a relatively easy time understanding the "individual pieces" but have a difficult and frustrating time with putting together the pieces into a big picture.  Because of this they do not perform up to their expectations on the tests.  They come to me perplexed and say something like, "I understand the material, I understand the homework and I spend many hours on the course but don't show it on your tests". These students are probably not thorough enough in their studying. They probably have never developed the skill of general monitoring.

Poor general monitoring skills means the students aren't aware of the level of their learning and cannot make a reasonable assessment of how prepared (or unprepared) they are for a test. They do not realize they don't thoroughly understand the material.  If a test question is based on a homework problem but with a slightly different twist they get stuck because they lack a thorough mastery of the material and they did not know before the test that they did not thoroughly understand the material.   Many times these students tell me that they helped a friend with some of the individual pieces and that they know the individual pieces better than the friend but the friend gets good grades on the tests while they don't.  The reason is probably that the friend carries the learning process to the next level and achieves a thorough mastery because they have well developed general monitoring skills.  The grade you earn depends on hard work but hard work alone is not enough.  You must achieve some degree of mastery of the material to succeed.

Quite a few students have difficulty figuring out how they can master the material.  I will try to further illustrate my point by discussing a different (and usually smaller) group of students…. those who have a very difficult time understanding some of the "individual pieces" (that most of the other students easily understand) but who have figured out how to master the material. These students have very well developed general monitoring skills.  The more conscientious of this group are constantly asking me about this or that and a casual observer would wonder how they will ever pass the course.  But they are so persistent and work so hard at synthesizing the material that they are successful on the tests.  They are able to fit the pieces (after much effort in learning them) into an effective map in their mind to enable them to solve problems.  They are not "smarter" than anyone else but they work very, very hard at putting the material together.  They make sure they understand every concept forward and backwards and every homework problem forwards and backwards.  They strive to see how the pieces all fit together.  During this process there is a synthesis taking place in their minds.  They are successful in the course.

Learning how to thoroughly master the material is a difficult skill; it takes experience and practice.  The homework gives you the opportunity to practice and to gain experience.  I don't know how to teach this skill directly (nobody does).  I'll try hard to help you but I know from experience there are limits to my ability to help you.  Much of it is up to you.  Students who are successful in physics grow in their confidence that they can handle difficult situations and future challenges in other courses and in life.

Most students have never been confronted with a situation where they have had to learn in this manner.  They have been rewarded throughout their academic career for memorization.  While some memorization may be useful in physics it is of limited value because there would be too many things to memorize.  In physics, general principles and methods are applied to many different situations and no one can memorize or even imagine all the possible situations.  Likewise, "plug and chug" (finding a formula in the book and putting in the numbers for calculation) is not a good strategy in physics.

In a class this size and in a difficult course like this there will be students who will run into trouble. If they get that far, the first test will seem impossibly long and seem to require much more than the 50 minute class period.  Each of these students should seriously consider dropping the course.  It may be more difficult (or impossible) to drop the course later in the semester.  Most students (although there are some exceptions) do not significantly improve their test performance if they start out low.  I advise anyone with a low first test (below 60) to drop the course.  A score in the 60's is in a gray area where dropping should be considered.  Think carefully about dropping; ask others (including me) for advice.  There is no shame in dropping.  In the 15 years I have taught I have seen many students get themselves into very stressful situations because they did not drop early in the course.  I am trying to help you in giving you this advice.

What is physics?  Physics is THE fundamental science.   It is a simple science based on experiment and observation that studies the fundamental properties of the universe.  It is the basis of more complex sciences such as chemistry and biology.  (Simple does not mean easy to learn; it means that mathematical equations can be used.  Contrast this with the very complex science called biology--we don’t know how to write a mathematical equation to predict the motion of a rabbit.)   If you keep asking deeper and deeper questions, eventually you get to physics. Our scope will be from the atomic scale to the cosmic scale and from everyday phenomena to abstract principles.  We will see the simplicity of nature and at the same time realize how little we really know.  Physics is elegant in its simplicity, yet is a challenge to learn; it is logical, yet is surprising and mysterious; it is rich in its history, yet is very much alive today.

My approach.  I care about you and try my best to be good teacher but will make mistakes just like you.  I try to be fair and wise in teaching, testing, grading and in managing the course.  Much thought goes into my course decisions.  I frequently talk to current and past students and other teachers about the introductory courses.  I keep up with the research on teaching methods.  I have tried to minimize the demands of the course as much as possible.  But it is still a lot of material that comes at you very fast.  I want you to learn the basics and to learn the basics well.  There are many different points of view and you will not agree with everything I do.  The class is a large diverse group of students by age, talent, maturity and attitude.  Compromises are necessary to reach the most students in a large class.  I will completely immerse myself in my job to do my best.  Rest assured, you will have the opportunity to learn basic physics well and can have confidence in your physics for future needs.

Physics 160 Spring 06.  Course Title: General Physics, Section 001, Call Number 19263, Cr 03, MWF 1100-1150 Regener 103, teacher is John Caffo, 277-3335, jcaffo@unm.edu , my office is in room 23 of the Physics and Astronomy (P&A) Building at the northeast corner of Lomas and Yale.

Text and other material.    Mandatory Text: University Physics by Young & Freedman, 11^th ed.  Various text supplements are available and may be helpful but are not required. However, purchase and use of a keypad and Mastering Physics (MP) (discussed in class and elsewhere in this syllabus) are required.  MP comes free with new texts purchased in the bookstore.  But if you bought a used text or obtained your text elsewhere you will have to purchase MP (details on the syllabus handout).  You will need a simple calculator with trig functions.  You will need to bring the calculator to class.  If you have a fancy calculator make sure you know how to use it.  I can't give you much help with a fancy calculator use since I have never taken the trouble to learn how to operate anything but a simple calculator.  We will also use keypads and MP as discussed in the syllabus handout.

Reserve books.   I have several alternative texts on 2 hour reserve in the Centennial Science and Engineering Library.  Maybe they can help clarify difficult points (these are kept under my name).

Class bulletin board.  The class bulletin board is in the basement hallway of Regener (by the labs).  I will post grades and other class information there so you need to take a look at it often.  Make sure I have the correct grades on my spreadsheet.  If a grade is incorrect, see me right away.  Do not wait until more than 1 week after the grade has been posted to see me for correction.  If you don't take the lab and have no idea what I am talking about, here are directions to the basement hallway:  Exit our classroom to the outside by the east door.  Walk south about 25 yards.  Enter the door and take the steps down to the basement hallway. 

Course grade.   There are three semester tests and a final.  Each of the first three tests is weighted 100 points each.  Part 1 of the final (a 4th test over the last material of the course) is weighted 100 points.  Part 2 of the final (comprehensive over the material covered by the first 3 tests) is weighted 100 points.  Homework is weighted 100 points. Your keypad grade is worth 100 points.  Since there are 700 total possible points your grade at any given time is based on test average weighted 500/700 (about 71.4%), your keypad average weighted 100/700 (about 14.3%) and your hw average weighted 100/700 (about 14.3%).  For example, after the first test, if a student has a 80 on test 1, a keypad average of 100 and a hw average of 100 then the student has an overall course average of approximately 0.714*80 + 0.143*100 + 0.143*100 or 85.7 (which is a "B").    

Mathematically it is possible to obtain a 70 average (or higher) in the course without ever receiving a score of 70 or higher on either test 1 or test 2 or test 3 or test 4 or comprehensive. (This can be done by having very high homework and keypad averages with test grades that average below 70.) However, to earn a C or better for the course a student must earn a score of 70 or higher on at least one test (this could be test 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or the comprehensive) and have an overall average of 70 or higher.
 
1.  Test 1 100 points
2.  Test 2 100 points
3.  Test 3 100 points
4.  Test 4 (part 1 of final) 100 points
5.  Comprehensive (part 2 of final) 100 points
(total test average counts 500/700 of your grade)
6.  Homework 100 points (homework average counts 100/700 of your grade)  .
7,  Keypad (class participation/quizzes) 100 points (keypad average counts 100/700 of your grade)  However you can earn up to approximately 111 points.

Total points is 700 points.  

Many, (maybe all) of the test questions will be multiple choice. (Multiple choice questions have no partial credit.) You should mark your answer on the answer sheet and on the original test. And you need to show your work in most cases on the original test (I'll discuss this in more detail in class). Make sure the answer you really want is on the answer sheet. If your answer sheet answer and your original test answer differ your answer sheet answer will be the one counted (assuming any necessary shown work is correct).

98-100  A+            
93-97.99   A      
90-92.99   A-    
87-89.99  B+
83-86.99  B
80-82.99  B-
77-79.99  C+
70-76.99  C  (this is not a mistake, a 70 is a C and is not a C-)
67-69.99  D+
63-66.99  D
60-62.99  D-
Below 60  F

However, to earn a C or better for the course a student must earn a score of 70 or higher on at least one test (this could be test 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or the comprehensive) and have an overall average of 70 or higher.

Tests may be curved, if necessary, to fit the above scale.  Depending on circumstances some of my tests are curved and some are not curved.  Do not miss class and do not miss a test!  If you miss one of the first 3 tests then your grade on the missed test will be the grade on your comprehensive final.  If you miss a test for ANY reason (no matter how "official" and no matter how "legitimate") the comprehensive final will count like a make up test. And it will also count on its own as the comprehensive to it will be weighted 200 points for you.  I have too many students to allow me to try to schedule individual make ups for each test. 

There are no make-up homeworks and there are no make-up keypad exercises.  If you miss class then you have a zero for that day's keypad no matter what the reason is that you missed class.  If you miss a homework deadline (no matter what the reason) then you can submit late homework up to 48 hours.  However your score is reduced by the Mastering Physics system gradually over the 48 hour period to zero. 

For each 10 keypad grades we have I will, in effect, drop the lowest score while allowing those who have high scores to earn extra credit.  I will do this by calculating your keypad average so that the highest average is 111 points.  To make up an example, suppose it turned out that there are 300 possible keypad points (30 keypad days with 10 points per day), and if you had 3 zeros your average will be 270/2.7 which is 100.  But if you earn the maximum 300 points, your average will be 300/2.7 which is roughly 111.11   .  (I actually expect there will be closer to 40 keypad grades.) 

According to the UNM Schedule of Classes, the final exam is scheduled for Wednesday May 10 in the regular classroom from 10:00am to noon.  There is no excuse for missing the final exam or for taking it at a different time except for a real emergency.  For example, leaving for the holidays early is not a real emergency.  

 If you drop the course then please let me know.  Sometimes I do not get this information and this can lead to grade difficulties at the end of the semester.

Class rules.   I am sorry that I have so many rules for the class.  But this is the only way I know to manage such a large class and to provide a structure for you to learn physics.  Just as a football game without rules would be nonsense; these rules will set you free to learn physics.  Here are two important rules, others can be found elsewhere in this syllabus and/or will be discussed in class.

Do not cheat.  Any form of cheating behavior will be dealt with severely.  I use the words cheating behavior because if you are looking in the direction of your neighbor's paper I can't read your mind and determine whether you are cheating.  But I can see what you are looking at.  Do not wear a baseball hat or any other type hat that covers your eyes during a test. All cell phones must be turned off and placed out of sight. If I even see a cell phone during a test the owner will receive a zero. I will not tolerate this or other cheating behavior, period.  Bringing another student's keypad into class to give them class participation credit when they are absent is also an example of cheating behavior. And there are many other examples.  Use common sense about this.

Do not talk in class.  This is the most difficult problem of a large class.  Some students think nothing of disrupting me and other students who have paid money to learn physics.   Most students can’t concentrate when others are talking. I may ask anyone who is talking or working physics homework or working homework for another class or reading non physics material such as the Daily Lobo to leave class.  Please leave the lecture hall if you must talk.  TURN CELL PHONES OFF and during tests place them out of sight. Put laptop computers away.  No talking, working on our homework, no studying for other courses, no newspaper reading…this is a serious course and we are here to concentrate on physics.

Homework.  Homework will be due 3 times a week most of the time.  That adds up to a lot of homework assignments.  In a class this size I can't handle late homework no matter what the excuse.  (See discussion of 48 hour late period above in the course grade section.) 

There are two types of homework that will be assigned.  The first type is the traditional homework that comes from the end of the chapter or a handed out problem or worksheet.  The traditional homework will not be handed in nor graded and will not be part of your homework grade.   The second type is the on online system called Mastering Physics (MP); most of the MP will be graded but not all MP will be graded..  Read more about MP on the syllabus handout.   

In MP make sure that you submit answers using 3 significant figures (except for the occasional MP problem that specifically asks for something else).  Otherwise you may be marked wrong even it you do everything else "correct".   I will give you unlimited tries to submit each answer.  However, there will be a modest penalty for each wrong submission (initially 3%).  Bonus points can be earned by not using problem hints (initially 2%).  Do not wait until the last minute to go online and work MP. Computers and Websites experience technical problems. You need to work well in advance of the deadlines so that last minute glitches do not cause your homework to be late. Computer problems and Website problems are not a valid excuse for late homework. My best students never have late homework although they do experience computer and Website problems. They work their homework early so they have time to overcome computer problems and to get help with the physics.  If you wait until the last minute to work the MP problems you will not have time to get help with the problems.

I will not tolerate students working homework (especially discussing homework together) during class.  Students who bother me (and other students) by talking during class or by working on homework during class will be asked to leave the class.  I don't like to do this but I have had to ask students to leave class.   
  
Each and every homework problem is important.  This course emphasizes problem solving; solving the problems will help you learn physics.  I encourage you to work in groups and to talk about the problems (with classmates, with CAPS tutors, with SI, with other tutors, with friends or with me).  But when all is said and done, you must know the concept behind each problem and how it is applied to solve the problem. 

I will put worked out solutions for the non MP homework either on the class bulletin board or on the library website    http://ereserves.unm.edu/courseindex.asp  after the due date.  If we use the library website I will give you the password for library website in class.  
 
If you wait until the last minute to attempt the problems or if you merely copy someone’s homework, you won’t succeed.   You need to have gone through the sometimes long and frustrating thought processes (correcting many mistakes) in working the problems to really learn the material so you can be successful in the course.

Class participation (Keypads):   The keypad system should help you learn physics.  Research shows that this system has significant payoff for student learning.  As a side benefit it gives you the opportunity for an easy class participation grade.  Here is the plan:  You will purchase a keypad at the bookstore and then register it online.  The keypad system will allow you to choose answers to questions during class. There may be one or several questions during a typical class.  If you participate (I won't grade your answer, I just want to know if you participate) for all the questions during a class then you will receive a 10 for that class.  If you respond to 1 of 2 questions in a class where there are two keypad questions, you will receive a lower score and your score for no participation for a class will be a zero. If I see that some students are not taking the keypad classwork seriously then I may give keypad quizzes where your score is based on getting the correct answer.  We may have something like 35 to 40 keypad days during the semester.  There will be a severe penalty for both parties if someone brings in an absent student's keypad and uses it to give a participation grade to the absent student.

Estimated Schedule:  Here are the estimated test dates.  I am not good at predicting the future so it is likely that one or more of these dates will change.  You must be in class to hear announcements about changes..
Test 1:  Class number 11 which is Friday February 10.

Test 2:  Class number 21 which is Monday March 6.
Test 3:  Class number 34 which is Wednesday April 12.  
Final:  This includes Test 4 and the Comprehensive Final, Wednesday of finals week, May 10 from 1000 to noon in the regular classroom.
 
Other Important Dates:  Please see the UNM Schedule of Classes for important dates including holidays and drop dates etc.

Office hours:  These office hours are tentative and might be revised as the semester progresses to better meet your needs.  Please note I am teaching 3 classes this semester with a total of about 750 students.  I am sorry but I simply do not have the time to see you outside these hours except for special circumstances.

Monday 1000am to 1050am Regener 114.  This is actually a problem session but you are welcome to come even if you are not enrolled.  If you have a private question I can find time to talk to you.
Wednesday 1:30pm to 2:20pm in the lobby of the Physics and Astronomy Building or my office room 23. 
Friday  0800am to 0850am in the lobby of the Physics and Astronomy Building or my office room 23. 

Email communication: I want you to be able to communicate with me about various things.  But email might not be the best way to go about this.  I don't have time to respond to questions about physics problems or conceptual questions by email. This is what office hours (including SI office hours) are for.  If each of my approximately 750 students this semester required as little as 2 minutes of my time per week for email communication (reading, thinking about a reply and then typing the reply), this would take about 25 hours.  For the same reason, I won't answer questions that are already answered in the syllabus or other handouts.  My reply may say, "See Syllabus".  For the same reason I won't have the time to reply to thoughtful questions that require long thoughtful answers; I will want to communicate with you but you will need to see me in person during office hours. If you have a non homework, non syllabus question or if you want to point out a mistake I made in class or if you want to make me aware of something that is bothering you or if you just need to tell me something then feel free to email me.  If the answer is too long and involved I'll write back and try to find a time we can meet; if the answer is short I'll try to quickly return your email. Serving students is important to me; you are important to me.  But the only way I know to accomplish this is to carefully structure the limited time I have to serve you.  Send email to jcaffo@unm.edu     Please include your name and "Physics 160" in the subject of emails .  I get lots of junk email and generally don't open email unless the subject connects the email with a course.     

Supplemental Instruction (SI):  The Physics and Astronomy Department is very concerned about student success in the introductory courses.  We requested additional funding to improve opportunities for student help.  We received funding and identified an undergraduate physics major (Sara Martin) to provide this help.  In general, the help will be in the form of several sessions per week to discuss and practice problems involving the most difficult and key topics.  Individual office hours with Sarah will also be possible.  Sarah's contact information is available on the homework section of the website for the course.  

Some Survival Tips.
1.  Pick a time to study physics when you are not rushed.  If you are rushed you will be impatient and frustrated.  You need to have the feeling that you have plenty of time.  It always takes longer to study physics and to work the homework problems than you have planned.

2.  You must have a copy of the text and you must read it.  I plan to spend the most lecture time on the most difficult topics.  So I may not cover some of the topics in the text that you are responsible for.  I assume that you are reading the text as we go along. You should "read" a physics text with pencil and paper.  In physics, "read" means to read word by word and to work through all the equations and examples with pencil and paper.  The author did not intend for you to "do it in your head."  Many students who complain about a test or get a low grade do not "read" the physics way.

3.  Read the text before the material is to be covered in lecture.  You should not be hearing the material for the first time in lecture.  Due to time constraints I must move along at a good pace.  If you have studied the material before class, you will be more efficient in note taking and will be ready with questions for me.  It will be very difficult to come into a lecture "cold" and understand most of the material.  Re-read the text after the lecture.  It will seem easier to understand the second time you read it.

4.  Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions.  Many brilliant people working hard over many years have developed the concepts we are studying.  No one can be expected to understand all this material on their own.  I want you to ask me questions!  Nobody understands everything (including me), so there is no reason to be shy in asking questions.  Ask in class, during the problem session or during office hours.  You are cheating yourself if you don't ask.  My best students generally ask the most questions.  If you are too shy to ask me then ask other students or get help at SI.   

5.  Work all of the suggested homework problems thoroughly and early.  I carefully choose the problems to help you practice for the tests.  A thorough understanding of the homework is necessary for success in the course.  This understanding can only come from many hours of effort, of making and correcting mistakes.  Last minute cramming will not work.  You will likely need help for some of the homework problems and I encourage you to get help on the problems.  Form study groups.  But when all is said and done, make sure that YOU understand the problems.

6.  Before a test, review all the homework problems and questions thoroughly and think about the concepts behind the problems and questions.  Know the concepts and how they are applied in the problems very thoroughly to achieve complete mastery.  Also review the concepts discussed in the text and in class.  (Tests may cover material from class that is not in the text.)  If you have time make a sample test and take it.  You must work quickly when taking a test.  We cover a lot of material and a fair test is one that covers a good portion of the material.  Unfortunately, the class period is only 50 minutes long. The better you know the material the quicker you can take the test and you will score higher.  Everyone makes careless mistakes; I make careless mistakes.  But the better you know the material the fewer your careless mistakes.  The more you practice, the better you will do on the test.

7.  Follow directions carefully.   Read the questions and problems carefully.  Sometimes on the homework or on a test students work a problem of their own invention. Many students lose test points by not fully following directions.

8.  Get off to a good start (the first four weeks are especially difficult).  Don't get behind.  It is hard enough to stay up to date.  It is nearly impossible to catch up when you are behind.

9.  Spend at least 10 hours a week on this course outside of class; many of you will need more time than 10 hours.

I think you can see that if you follow all these recommendations this course will take a lot of your time.  This is not a course where you can be halfway involved.  It requires total and complete involvement.

More about the course.    My bias towards you is positive.  I want the semester to work out ok for you.  But, of course, you must do your part.  I must be fair to you, other students, me and UNM.  I will try to be "user friendly" and easy to deal with if you are sincere and trying hard.  I will try to be predictable and to establish a comfortable course routine and to avoid nasty surprises.  To my knowledge, no one has found a way to teach physics in a way that eliminates frustration, stress, hard work, and tension.  No matter how elegant the lecture, you still have to do the work.  I will do my part to the best of my ability.  I want to make as much of this adventure within your control as possible.  You are paying my salary and I am here to serve you in a fair and responsible manner.  I want you to succeed.  I don't want this course to ruin your life this semester.  I want this course to be a gateway to your future plans, not a barrier.  I want you to look forward to this course and enjoy it.  I'm rooting for you!

Teaching is my second career.  I have a masters degree in physics and I worked for about 20 years in research, technology planning and management.  I am still excited about teaching and the challenge to find ways to explain things in a simple way.  I make plenty of mistakes but I'll keep on trying.  My joy and goal are to teach physics, not give out grades, but unfortunately grades are a fact of life.

Misunderstandings may occur in a fast-paced, diverse class.  Complex subjects, activities or contexts may raise concerns or questions.  If you feel hurt, offended or concerned about any words or actions of mine or other students, please see me so we can clarify what occurred.  Discussing concerns in a positive manner is a valuable skill in life.

I have seen students needlessly spend many agonizing hours petitioning a poor grade caused by issues that could have been easily settled when they came up during the course.  Sometimes we are overwhelmed by circumstances and don't know where to turn for help. We may even have a hard time putting our thoughts and emotions into words.  I am not a professional counselor, but please feel free to ask for my help or advice.  If I can't help you, maybe I can think of someone who can help.