• This web page describes an activity within the Department of Mathematics at Ohio University, but is not an official university web page.
• If you have difficulty accessing these materials due to visual impairment, please email me at mohlenka@ohio.edu; an alternative format may be available.

Mathematics Orientation, Fall 2014

Coordinator:

Martin J. Mohlenkamp, mohlenka@ohio.edu, (740)593-1259, 315B Morton Hall.

Web page:

http://www.ohiouniversityfaculty.com/mohlenka/20151/5120/orient.html.

Special Needs:

If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible so that your learning needs may be appropriately met.

If you have not been awarded a teaching assistantship but wish to be trained so that you can be a teaching assistant later, then

• Make sure I am aware you want to be trained. If your name is not listed in the Mock teaching then email me at mohlenka@ohio.edu.
• Do all the orientation as if you were a teaching assistant.

Details of the Mathematics department parts of orientation:

Welcome

• Chair's Welcome, by Todd Eisworth
• Graduate Chair's welcome and overview, by Martin Mohlenkamp
• Introduction of the office staff: Kelly Pero (Department Administrator), Chris Bailey-Brown (Graduate Secretary), and Tammy Matson (Office Secretary).

Office Procedures

• Read your @ohio.edu email. Starting now, that is where we will send official correspondence.
• You have a mailbox in Morton 325 for department correspondence. Do not have personal mail or packages delivered to Morton Hall. You can put outgoing campus mail and personal stamped mail in the mailbag in 321-A Morton (within the main office).
• Teaching assistants are issued keys to the (first floor) door of Morton Hall, your office, your office desk, the Lounge, and the Math Library. (Lost keys are charged at $20/per key.) You will also be assigned a numeric code for the 314 and 526 computer labs. Non-teaching assistants may request keys or codes as appropriate. Do not share your keys or door code with anyone!
• Class permission slips, special grade reports, department letterhead and envelopes and miscellaneous office supplies are located in the green filing cabinet in the office.
• Teaching-related copying jobs of more than 25 copies per page (syllabus, quizzes, tests, etc.) must use the Work Order System:
  • Submit at least 24 hours (not including weekends or holidays) before you need the copies.
  • Completely fill out a Work Order Request Form, found in the main office. Attach it to the items to be copied and put them in the box marked "Work Orders" located on top of the file cabinet.
  • Completed work orders are placed in the brown metal cabinet located in 321-E Morton, sorted alphabetically by last name. This cabinet is accessible only during business hours.
• Copying jobs of 25 copies per page or less can be done on the copiers in Morton 321 or 526. You will be assigned a code to be used on the copier. You are allotted 500 copies per semester and may be charged for exceeding this quota. Unused copies do not carry forward to the next semester.
• You can print to printers in Morton 526, 325, or 321. Printing is counted toward your copy quota. If you have trouble with connecting to the printers, there is also a manual web interface to the 321 printer and 526 printer.

Administrative Matters

• Make sure the department (Chris Bailey-Brown) has your current local home address and telephone number.
• If you decide to cease teaching or leave the program, please inform the graduate chair (Martin Mohlenkamp) as early as possible.
• Your office is shared with other teaching assistants. Keep it clean and be respectful of your officemates. Cooking, smoking, and sleeping are not allowed. If you are the last one to leave the office, make sure the office door is closed and locked.
• If there are physical problems with your office or elsewhere in the building, report them to the Graduate Secretary (Chris Bailey-Brown). If something needs immediate attention (like water dripping from the ceiling), report it to Facilities and Auxiliaries at 740-593-2911.
• In an emergency (fire, crime in progress) call the university police at 740-593-1911 (from a campus phone 3-1911).
• Teaching assistants receive their stipends in bi-monthly installments each semester. (The first fall payment is September 15.) Checks can be direct-deposited to your bank account by filling out a form; otherwise, checks will be mailed to your home.
• If you plan to travel to a conference or other math-related event, you may be able to get partial travel support from the department, through the Graduate Student Senate, or other campus resources. The farther in advance you request support, the more likely some can be located. Check with the Department Administrator (Kelly Pero) for details.

Tour of Morton highlights

• Morton 321 is the main office.
• Morton 320 is a conference room and can be used for meetings. Reserve it in the main office (Tammy Matson).
• Morton 325 is the department lounge and has comfortable furniture and a kitchenette. Do not use it for student conferences or giving tests.
• Morton 314 (computer classroom) and 526 (graduate student lab) are computer labs.
• Morton 415 is a library with math journals, a few books, and good study space.
• Teaching assistant offices are in Morton 146 (2 desks), Morton 150 (3 desks), Morton 203 (4 desks), Morton 423 (12 desks), Morton 532 (7 desks), Morton 564 (7 desks), and Morton 570 (7 desks).
• Some rooms have pictures in the Morton Photo Tour.

Your Academic Life

The two most important things to remember:

• We want you to succeed. If you need help, ask for it.
• Challenge yourself and get the most out of your education. Requirements are minimums.

Take (math) classes and do well

• "Conferral of a graduate degree requires at least a B (3.0) grade-point average (g.p.a.) both in the courses taken towards satisfying the degree requirements as well as in all courses taken at Ohio University. Students whose overall g.p.a. stays below 3.0 in two consecutive semesters will be dropped from the program."
• Minimum credits each semester (while getting financial support):
  • 12 for TAs
  • 15 for GRS supported

  ELIP classes count toward this minimum. If you are 1 or 2 credits short you can take Math 5960 Seminar and attend seminars and write reports on them. (If you take more than 18 credits you have to pay extra.)

• During a non-summer semester in which they receive financial support from the department, a Master's student who wishes to take a non-math course that does not appear in their study plan must first obtain approval from their advisor and the graduate chair; a Doctoral student who wishes to take more than one non-math course must first obtain approval from their advisor and the graduate chair. Students who violate this policy may lose their financial support.
• Registration instructions. You cannot register until 2 weeks before classes start and all holds on your account have been cleared. If you want to take a course but have not taken its prerequisite (here) then you need to get a class permission slip from the instructor in order to register.
• MATH 5xxx classes that are cross-listed with 3xxx classes (5000, 5070, 5100, 5100L, 5110, 5200, 5210, 5320, 5680) do not apply to the masters program; nor does 5120.

Don't take too long: Support limitations

Students in the M.S. program can receive financial support for up to 4 semesters, and students in the Ph.D. program for up to 12 semesters (10 semesters if they already have a graduate degree from elsewhere). (The 12/10 limitation is for all Ohio University degrees combined.)

Continued support is conditional on satisfactory performance of job duties and progress in the program. You must maintain cumulative GPA at least 3.0.

Choose you path: Masters Tracks

The General track, Doctoral Preparation track, Applied track, and Post-Secondary Teaching track share the same program code (MS3101) so you can switch freely between them. The Computational track has its own code (MS3111) so switching to or from it requires approval of the Graduate Chair.

Plan Ahead: Masters Study plans

• A plan of courses that fulfills the requirements for the degree in a timely fashion.
• Make one this semester.
• Often changes.
• Prevents misunderstandings that could lead to disasters.

Doctoral Comprehensive Exams

• Choose 2 out of 5 subjects.
• Pass one by the second winter (assuming you entered with a masters).
• Go faster if you can.

Prerequisites

• Graduate students who have studied a topic elsewhere may count that as fulfilling the prerequisite and start at the higher course; when in doubt, ask the instructor of the course you would like to take if your background is sufficient.
• If a required course is equivalent to one that you took elsewhere, you may substitute any course for which the required course is a (direct or indirect) prerequisite.
• Graph: pinch points at 5301, 5500, 5600 and to a lesser extent 5221 and 5400
• Planned Graduate Course Offerings

Decide on your Fall Courses

• Further Advice from the Graduate Chair.
• Current offerings; main choices are MWF

  8:35am	9:40am	10:45am	11:50am	12:55pm	2:00pm	3:05pm	4:10pm
  5400	5550, 6221	6420	6500	5221, 6301, 6530, (CS 5040)	5301, 5610, 6700	5600, 6320, (CS 5420)	5500

  (CS 5060 TuTh 1:30-2:50)

The First Day and Week

What is your teaching assignment?

• You will find out tomorrow. It depends on what times you are available, your preferences, and department needs. Turn in your teaching preferences form by the end of today.
• Most new teaching assistants will be primary instructor for a section of 30-40 students in MATH 1200 College Algebra. This course is highly coordinated and structured.
• Those with previous experience may instead teach MATH 1300 Pre-Calculus, MATH 1101 Elementary Topics in Math I, or similar.
• International students whose SPEAK test score is too low may grade papers, help proctor exams, or perform other duties without direct student contact.

Who are your students?

• The structure of education in the United States
• Initial Placement into Mathematics Courses
• Undergraduate Mathematics Courses
• Most of the students most of you will teach will not become mathematicians. Many of them would rather not take a mathematics class. Your goal is to help the students gain useful mathematical thinking skills and a positive disposition toward mathematical thinking so that they will use these skills in future classes and life.
• Many of your students will be in their first semester of college. A significant percentage will be the first in their families to attend college. We want them to successfully make the transition to college so they can eventually complete their degree.
• Many will have used calculators extensively in high school. Some will have gained useful abilities, but others will feel powerless without a calculator.

What to do the first day and week

• Before the first day, check out the classroom and get chalk and other supplies.
• Give out a syllabus. Coordinated classes provide a syllabus template. Turn in a copy to the main office in Morton 321.
• The Most Important Day: Starting Well
• MAA handbook's advice on Day One.
• Have an activitity that allows the students to meet their classmates.
• Cover some material or have students work in groups on review problems to activate their brains.
• Set a positive tone for the class.
• MAA handbook's advice on Lesson Planning: Survivalist Tactics.

Avoiding Problems

With some forethought and care, most problems are easily avoidable. It is much less work to avoid problems than deal with them once they arise.

• MAA handbook's advice on How to Get Fired

University Rules

• There are strong restrictions under FERPA on what information about students you can give out. In particular, do not post grades or send grade information to an email account other than the students official university account.
• There are equity-based restrictions on what you can do to/with your students. Do not harass, discriminate against, or date your students. Perception matters.
• You cannot charge for any tutoring related to a course you teach.
• If you think a student may be a danger to themselves or others, report them.
• Use of university computers and networks is governed by a use policy.

Department Rules/Procedures

• Changes in your teaching assignment (such as switching times with another TA) must be approved in advance by the department administrator (Kelly Pero) and chair (Todd Eisworth).
• Teach your classes as scheduled. If you must miss a class, arrange for another teaching assistant (or faculty) to cover the class in your absence and inform the main office (740-593-1254) and your course coordinator of the arrangements you have made. Have a backup plan arranged with other teaching assistants in case of sudden illness, etc.
• If a fire alarm sounds, leave the building until notified it is safe to return. If you are giving an exam at the time, collect the exams as students leave, note how much time is lost due to the alarm, and allow that much extra time (if possible) when the students return to the classroom.
• Do not mess with the final exam scheduling. Some classes have combined exams.
• At the end of the semester,
  • submit grades online
  • return your textbook and calculator (if you were issued one)
  • turn in the final exams, copies of your gradebook/spreadsheet, and any other student records or work. (Such records must be kept by the department for a year in case of appeals.)
  When you graduate and leave, also clean out your desk and turn in your keys.
• Have office hours and do not cancel them.
• Do not decide the material you are assigned to teach is too easy and add more difficult content.
• Do not give a student a blank (green) class permission slip, or send them to the office to get one.
• If a student has a grievance against you, direct them first to your course coordinator, then to the undergraduate chair.
• If a student asks you a policy question (can I take the exam early?) and you are not sure, do not guess at the answer. Instead, ask the course coordinator, undergraduate chair, or other knowledgeable person first.

Coordinated Courses

Your course coordinator sets policies for the course. Some courses, such as MATH 1200 College Algebra, are highly coordinated and structured. Others merely have a common text and content to cover. The coordinator:

• may require their approval for any make-up exams;
• may require their approval for any (green) class permission slips to add students to your class;
• is the first person to handle a complaint by a student against you;
• is your first source for answers for any policy questions (can I take the exam early?).

Thriving as a teacher

Now that you have avoided problems, you can set about thriving as a teacher. Yesterday you learned about teaching in general through the university orientation. Friday you will practice in the Mock Teaching. You will learn more in MATH 5120 College Mathematics Teaching for New Teaching Assistants. A few final notes:

• Your fellow Teaching Assistants are your best resource. Use them!
• You need not teach the way you were taught.
• Teaching math is fun.
• Becoming a teacher.
• MAA's A Handbook for Mathematics Teaching Assistants
• If you ask "Are there any questions?" then wait 8 seconds in silence for a response.

Mock teaching

• Supervisor instructions.
• Feedback form.

In Morton 115 supervised by Dan Showalter

• Section 1.1 by Shehzad Ahmed
• Section 1.2 by Xianlong Zeng
• Section 1.3 by Worawit Tepsan

In Morton 122 supervised by Kelly Bubp

• Section 1.1 by Laura Lee
• Section 1.2 by Enahoro Iboi
• Section 1.3 by Meiting Du

In Morton 126 supervised by Rida Benhaddou

• Section 1.1 by Samantha Hampton
• Section 1.2 by Jemilatu Razak

In Morton 127 supervised by Erik Boczko

• Section 1.1 by Lulwa Al-Essa
• Section 1.2 by Redeemer Adenyo
• Section 1.4 by Douceur Tengu

In Morton 326 supervised by Bob Klein

• Section 1.1 by Prabha Shrestha
• Section 1.2 by Chathuri Karunarathna
• Section 1.3 by Yang Li