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J. Araas
Mathematics Instructor
Phi Theta Kappa Advisor
Sheridan College
jaraas@sheridan.edu
 For
those of you who do not know me, my name is Jay Araas. You can
call me Jay (or J for short).
I just completed my fifth year
teaching math/statistics at Sheridan College, and I
am currently the coordinator for the math
department. I am also the advisor for Phi Theta
Kappa (the college’s honor society) at Sheridan
College. So far it has been a great experience! I
love the people I work with, but most of all I enjoy
interacting with the students I have had the
privilege of teaching in all my classes. I have
teaching experience at both the high school and
university level, but I think that the community
college is the perfect fit for me. I hope that you
have a rewarding learning experience with this
course, as well as your other courses at NWCCD.
I was born in Laramie, WY, but raised in Sheridan
for most of my life. I graduated from Sheridan High
School in 1996. I have a Bachelor's degree in
mathematics from Creighton University and a Master's
degree in statistics from Colorado State University.
My wife of 7+ years, Melanie, is a talented
photographer/graphic designer. She is also from
Sheridan, so it is nice to be living in our hometown
near all our family and close friends. We have two
little boys – Ethan is 3½ years old and Blake is 7
months old. They both keep us on our toes!
In my "free" time, I enjoy the outdoors, sports,
and spending time with family and friends.
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Getting Started
The course will be available the first day of
regular class for the present semester. The course is offered
through Course Compass, a web-based course management system
used by the mathematics department at Sheridan College. You will
need to first access
Blackboard
to obtain the course identification number that is necessary to
complete your Course Compass registration. See below for details
in accessing Course Compass.
Textbook and Software Requirements
You are not required to purchase a textbook for this course.
An online version of the required text (e-book) used in the
course will be available as a free resource within Course
Compass. You can gain access to Course Compass by purchasing a
student access kit through the
Sheridan College online bookstore or by visiting the Course
Compass website
www.coursecompass.com.
If you prefer to have a
textbook, you can purchase the following at the Sheridan College
bookstore:
- Elementary Statistics, 11
th
Edition, Triola, Pearson
Addison-Wesley, 2010.
Since this is an online course, you will need
to have access to the internet, Microsoft Office programs (Word,
Excel and PowerPoint), and a pdf viewer (such as Adobe Reader).
Basic Online Format
In this online environment, you are expected to work within
the timeframe set out by the instructor. The course syllabus
lists tentative due dates for all the homework assignments,
exams, and projects (any changes to these dates will be
announced on the Course Compass homepage or via email/discussion
messages). Submissions must be made by 11:59 PM (Mountain Time)
on the due date to be considered on-time. Late submissions will
receive no credit. More information regarding each of the main
components of the course is given below. For detailed
information on the grading breakdown, see the course syllabus or
the document titled "Course Requirements and Grading." See the
handout titled "Methods of Assessment Outline" for an itemized
list of all graded assignments for the course, with
corresponding due dates. Many students like to print this
document and use it as a checklist while working through the
course.
Homework: You will
be required to complete weekly homework assignments throughout
the semester. These assignments will consist of exercises done
in MyStatLab that are related to each chapter in the online
text. Homework assignments must be completed by 11:59 PM
(Mountain Time) on Sunday evenings.
Quizzes/Exams: There will be quizzes and exams given
throughout the semester that will test your knowledge of the
material in the required readings and the assigned homework.
Exams must be completed by 11:59 PM (Mountain Time) on the due
date and will not be available after that date unless prior
arrangements have been made.
Projects: You are required to complete two short projects
during this course. The projects must be typed in Microsoft Word
or Excel and submitted electronically through Course Compass.
Details for the projects will be provided in the first couple
weeks of the class. Your completed projects must be submitted by
11:59 PM (Mountain Time) on the due date to receive any credit.
Discussion:
We will use discussion forums to answer
questions, discuss problem situations, and delve deeper into
topics. At a minimum, each chapter/project you are expected to
post two times. I will review your postings each week and give
you credit for the two "best" posts.
Feedback
- Instructor feedback will be provided by emails,
discussion comments or personal phone calls.
- Emails will be returned within 24-48 hours (possibly
longer on weekends and holidays).
- Phone calls will be returned the following weekday (e.g.
call back on Monday if voicemail is left on a Friday or a
weekend).
- Assignment grading and related feedback will be
completed and made official within 2-3 days following the
specified due date.
Frequency of Blackboard Access
Students must access Blackboard at the beginning of the
semester to access the course identification number needed to
register for Course Compass. Once officially registered for
Course Compass, you will not need to access Blackboard for the
remainder of the semester. Although a link to Course Compass
will be provided to you on Blackboard, you can access Course
Compass directly via the website
www.coursecompass.com. In order to be
successful in the course, you are expected to log on to Course
Compass at least three times every week to do your required work
and access important information. It will be vital to your
success to pay close attention to course announcements and
emails, important discussion messages, and assignment due dates.
All required readings, discussion postings, homework assignments
and exams will be done via Course Compass. Projects must be
submitted through Course Compass. Extra resources (videos,
handouts, animations, etc.) are also provided within Course
Compass.
Computer Skills Required
It is expected that each student complete
the Orientation to Online Learning prior to beginning this
class. Students will need to meet the
minimum computer literacy expectations in addition to the
minimum technology requirements. Go to the Distance Learning
website for more information (www.sheridan.edu/distance/).
Meets the following graduation requirements:
This course is a first course in
statistics and is designed to satisfy the requirements of a
broad range of majors which require statistics. This course
satisfies the Math Reasoning requirement for an Associate of
Art/Associate of Science/Associate of Fine Arts degree at NWCCD.
It is frequently used as a Natural Science elective by students
in programs that do not specifically require a statistics course
as a pre-requisite. Consult the Sheridan College catalog and
the catalog of the school to which you plan to transfer for
specific details.
Offered in the following semesters:
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Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
Other |
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X |
X |
X |
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This online course is
offered online during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. |
