This course introduces linear programming, probability, and financial mathematics. Items covered include systems of linear equations, matrices, systems of linear inequalities, the simplex method, set and counting techniques, probability, and probability models, and mathematics of finance.
Office Hours
Spring 2025-2026 office hours are Monday to Wednesday at 9:00--11:00 am. Please email or call me to ask for specific time:
jalzabut@psu.edu.sa
0114948547
Teaching mathematics is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Students enter the classroom with various learning styles, different backgrounds, assorted attitudes, and conceptions. I believe that professor has full responsibility to make class homogeneous and consistent. He must help students to feel comfortable, ask questions and seek help when needed. The professor must act as a parent, coach, disciplinarian, counselor, advisor and as a friend to his students in the classroom. Professor should be teaching more than just mathematics -- he should rather be teaching some social skills which include respect, honesty, commitment, and dedication which are all essential values that professor must spread out though class environment. I believe that a good professor must be the one who:
prepares teaching materials properly and regularly.
listens patiently to his students.
shows multiple ways to solve a problem.
applies different teaching styles based on students’ performance.
allows the students to work with others in the class.
integrates technology and hands-on activities in the curriculum.
believes that all students can learn mathematics.
Based on my experience, there are three big obstacles to learning amongst students’ beliefs’--mathematics is boring, math is impossible, or math is irrelevant. Therefore, my teaching philosophy is threefold:
Make math interesting: For a student to succeed in a subject, that subject must engage him or her. Mathematics is too often taught as a cold, distant science with an endless list of formulas and seemingly no connection between topics. I bring excitement and a storyline to my classes, using energy and enthusiasm to teach ideas while guiding students along a path where each new concept is a natural consequence of the previous and is a natural precursor to the following.
Make math possible: Even I must admit that math is not always easy. But when presented in the right way, math is not the Leviathan that it is often made out to be. By learning theorems well, solving examples that illustrate concepts and studying difficult cases that need special attention, students can tackle any problem. I remind my students that while a problem may be long, they have all the tools needed to solve it.
Make math relevant: On more than one occasion, I have had a student raise a hand in class to ask, “When will I ever need this?” not believing that what he or she is learning will be of any use beyond the course final. To respond, I stress that mathematics does have a profound impact on our daily lives. While everyone agrees math does have a practical purpose, students will often point to the more tedious calculations as proof of math’s irrelevance. And while it’s true that they may never need to row-reduce a matrix again, the ability to think rationally, to clearly organize ideas, and to accurately apply concepts are traits that will always have a practical application. While there is no practical application of the Mona Lisa, no one would detract from the worth of these masterpieces. In the same way, mathematics can be viewed as an art form, a majestic work worthy of admiration.
Teaching Certificates
1. Fellow-HEA: Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, The Higher Education Academy, 2015, United Kingdom.
2. Official Certificate: Learning Management System-Moodle.