Welcome Summer II '06 Students

You have found the course weblog. It is probably a good idea to bookmark this page. You can scroll down and see some of the communications I've had during other terms. This page is a few years old. Rather than delete stuff I just plan to keep it as a public record.

I will try to keep this updated regularly. You should be able to find information related to assignments and the course at this spot. I will attempt to post all daily homework assignments here as well. That will most likely be a page/problem number from the text book. This would be good in the event you miss class or have to leave class before the homework problem is announced. I don't plan to have the problems decided until the end of class and I see how much material we've covered, but this way you can at least attempt to prepare for the next class in the event you miss the prior.

Just keep in mind: Although I have no attendance policy per se, the university does. You are expected to be in class. If you miss class it is your responsibility to know what was covered in class that day. You should make a friend and get notes from that person. There is also a high positive correlation between class attendance and course grade. Those that attend regularly tend to do better than those who skip regularly.

Want to know what I think? Here's what I think...

I think that since you're paying for the course you can decide whether to show up or not. However, keep in mind that your education is subsidized by the state. The taxpayers (likely including your professor and parents and neighbors) would probably appreciate it if you went to class. Anyone helping foot the bill has an interest in your well being.

If you feel guilty for missing a class it is probably a good reaction for doing something like that.

If you have legit reasons for skipping class, you should not feel guilty. You can always chat with me about your circumstances if it is relevant.

If you miss more than one class a week you are probably not a good student.

If you miss class with some regularity, you should not expect any special treatment or favors. In addition you should probably not hit me up for a reference or letter of recommendation. (Ah, another reason to go to class and maintain good relationships with your instructors.)

If you come to class regularly I will think highly of you. Brownie points are valuable too.

One more thing about this page: refresh regularly. I've found that both explorer and firefox will automatically reload the cached page of this. When you come here and check for stuff it is probably a good idea to refresh the page for the most current update.

Good luck this term. I like what I do and I hope some of that enthusiasm rubs off on you.

JJ