Dear student,
I'm Matthew Meerdink, Professor of Mathematics at Bakersfield College. I will be your instructor and your guide this term as we explore the methods used to collect, analyze, and report on the data that drives our world. I want you to feel prepared as our class begins, so I put together this site for you. Please take a look at the information below and be sure to bookmark this site so you can return here when I post updates in the future.
Looking forward to working with each of you,
-Matthew (or Professor, if you prefer)
This course will be active from August 21st to December 8th, 2023.
Be sure to log in to Canvas on our first day to look through the course for a few minutes and plan your first week.
I'll see you in person every Tuesday for a 50-minute class. On August 22nd, we will go over the details of the course together and get to know each other better.
Your school will provide you with a textbook and access to our online homework system, but make sure you bring paper, pencil or pen, and have access to a computer during class each day.
Log in to our Canvas course on Monday and do the "Getting Started" activities.
Make sure you can view all the content in the first week's module.
Bring questions you still have to class on Tuesday for your instructor.
In your browser, Bookmark or Favorite this page, our canvas course, and the online homework site so you can get to them with the click of a button any time during the term.
The best way to contact me outside of class is by email. I try to reply within 24 hours to all communications over email or on Canvas.
Email: matthew.meerdink@bakersfieldcollege.edu
You can also meet me on Zoom for office hours with hours posted soon.
As your instructor, I will be actively present in your learning experience.
You will receive feedback from me on a regular basis.
I will respond to your questions within 48 hours and will strive to answer most questions within 24 hours during the week.
I will provide individualized support in response to the needs you communicate.
I will create a positive and supportive environment where you will feel safe to learn and experiment.
I will recognize the privileges and blind spots I bring to our course and strive to grow while acknowledging that being human -- not perfect -- is the goal.
I understand that students are busy and may have many competing priorities. When needed, I will be flexible to support your successful completion of this course.
You will log into our course on each asynchronous school day to check the work and due dates in our current and upcoming modules.
You will invest the time necessary to view our lessons and complete all required assignments, even if that goes beyond the time available in your classroom.
You will attempt to submit all assignments on time. If you identify a concern with meeting a due date, you will contact me directly as early as possible to discuss and agree on an extension if needed.
You will be brave and challenge yourself to lean into discomfort. This is the space where learning and growth occurs.
You will challenge yourself to try new things, keep an open mind, and recognize that mistakes are a vital part of the learning process. We all make them, and we celebrate them together.
You will be thoughtful in your interactions with peers while taking extra care to respect diverse perspectives and support the academic growth of students with varying levels of math experience.
Our class is a learning community and each of you is a vital part of the whole. We will work together and support each other’s learning at every opportunity. Each of us has skills, knowledge, talents, and interests that can inform our understanding, even in a subject like math with a reputation for rigidity. Your unique life experience is valuable here and we will validate the history and feelings you bring to the course. Our goal is to always be learning and that requires me to meet each of you where you are. Everyone has the capacity to succeed in our class with the right support and it’s up to each of us to decide what success means for ourselves.
There are two main pieces of advice I would give to any student of math, but especially to my own students.
First, many people believe that if they aren't successful in mathematics, it means they can never improve. This is not true! Math is a skill that can be practiced and improved over time. You learn to play guitar by practicing chords and strengthening your fingers. You learn to speak French by practicing conjugating verbs and holding conversations with other speakers. You can learn math by practicing with homework exercises and studying examples. The key is to put in time nearly every day from now until the end of term.
Second, you are not alone and you should take advantage of that. Every student in this class will make mistakes during the term and that's completely ok. Working with others adds an extra check on your own work as well as allowing you to see other ways something can be done or other ways to think about processes. The only way to achieve fluency in a math topic is to understand it from every perspective. For any assignment other than the exams, seek out others who know different things than you do. Be each other's best resources.
Math B22 is a class designed to teach you how to be more mindful of data in the modern world and how we can gather and interpret it. Below are five specific objectives we will work to achieve by the end of the term.
Upon completion the student will be able to: Translate application problems by using inferential data analysis techniques. Analyze and interpret solutions.
Apply appropriate techniques of probability and probability distributions to solve problems.
Upon completion the student will be able to: Apply appropriate techniques of probability and probability distributions to solve problems.
Demonstrate statistical knowledge of descriptive statistics by clearly communicating concepts in written or verbal form.
Upon completion the student will be able to: Demonstrate statistical knowledge of descriptive statistics by clearly communicating concepts in written or verbal form.