Tutoring (on-campus and online):

The Mathematics Department and the Center for Academic Support and Advising (CASA) provide tutors from whom you can receive additional help. Tutoring in the Mathematics Department is available most mornings and afternoons in HH 302. CASA provides mathematics tutoring on a walk-in basis, fifty-four hours per week, as well as Academic Success Peer Tutors (ASPT) who work one-on-one with students throughout the semester. If you would like to meet with an ASPT, please contact LaDonna Bridges, Dircetor of Academic Support and Disability Services by phone, 508-626-4906, or by email, lbridges@framingham.edu, for more information.

Online eTutoring is available to all Framingham State University Students through a collaborative relationship with the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium.  Directions for accessing this online tutoring service can be accessed on the ETutoring page of the Resources section of the ONLINE LEARNING web site.

Technology Help/Resources:

If you need technology information but you would prefer access to online video/tutorial resources, Framingham State University provides 24/7 access to a variety of training resources through myFramingham. 

• Log into myFramingham (Firefox is the preferred browser)

  • Faculty or Staff: Left-click the FSU Work tab and find the Training Channel.

  • Students: Left-click the Accounts tab and find the Technology Channel.

• Left-click Atomic Learning hyperlink.

Once you have entered the Atomic Learning site, you can access resources for iPads, iPod Touch/iPhone, Mac, and PC. Videos/tutorials are available for, among other things, using Blackboard, using your Mac, PC, and/or handheld device, and for learning to use a wide variety of software.  Simply use the pull-down menus and tabs to select the resources that you would like to access.  Getting started, help information, and contact support are available as well.

Blackboard Help:

If you are having difficulty using or accessing Blackboard, you may get Blackboard help anytime (24/7) via online chat or by calling 1-866-361-8970 toll free. TTY (Teletypewriter) access is available by dialing 703-464-0515. You may also send an email to eto@framingham.edu  or call 508-626.4927.

Meeting with me (your instructor):

I would be glad to meet with you to discuss course concepts, topics, and methods as well as to speak with you about college, in general.  I am available for online, phone, and on-campus prearranged appointments.

My regular office hours are Mondays 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM and 1:30 PM – 3 PM, Wednesdays 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM and 1:30 PM – 3 PM, Thursdays 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM and 1:30 PM – 3 PM, Fridays 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM, and by appointment.

You may arrange an appointment during office hours or you may just come by during office hours.  Those who have arranged an appointment during office hours will have priority, of course, during the appointment but others may join as well. Those who use office hours as well as those who have demonstrated an interest in learning the course material may schedule group or individual appointments at times other than the regular office hours.  An appointment may be in person, by phone, or online (using the Blackboard Virtual Classroom or Virtual Chat or  Blackboard Collaborate); when you schedule and appointment, please let me know if you would like to arrange an on-campus (in-person) appointment,  a phone appointment, or an online appointment.  I conduct face-to-face appointments in my office in Hemenway Hall, HH304B.  I am available for extra help, to discuss Mathematics, and to discuss college, in general. I enjoy speaking with my students, and I enjoy questions. Please remember that questions are important and that there are NO stupid questions.

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Communication:

• Please do not leave notes under/on the my office door:  unfortunately, a note slipped under the door could be lost and a note attached to the door could fall off.  Since I would like to be able to receive your communications, it would be safest to send me an email or to call me at my office, 508-626-4785.

• If I am not in my office at the time that you call, please leave a voicemail.  In your voicemail, please leave your full name, telephone number, course number and course name, and the reason for your call.  Please speak slowly and clearly (especially for your name and telephone number) so that I will be able to understand your message and and return your call.

• For an email, please make sure that you sign your email with your full name so that I will know who sent the email; set up your email so that your name is displayed as the sender.  Please remember that there are lots of , for example, Mary's and Joe's and, since it is impossible for me to memorize all of your email addresses, I will not know who spiderman123@aol.com or sweetiepie28@hotmail.com are.  I will not reply to emails that are not signed and those for which the full name of the sender is not displayed; such emails will be deleted without being read.

• Since I receive lots of email every day, using a course-coded subject line will help me to be able to find your emails quickly.  To that end, would you please use a subject line that is course-coded as indicated below? 

  • "MATH 117 Intro Statistics:" for MATH 117 Introduction to Statistics (Day Division)

  • "MATH 221 Calculus III:" for MATH 221 Calculus III

  • "MATH 11 7 ONLINE Statistics:" for MATH 117 Introduction to Statistics - ONLINE (DGCE)

  Please begin the subject line for your email with the course number and name (as indicated above) followed by a colon and the reason/purpose for the email communication.  So, for example, if you are taking the online section for MATH 117 Introduction to Statistics, and you want to set up an appointment during which to meet with me, you should send a signed email with the subject line MATH117 ONLINE Statistics:  Appointment.  Please note that the quotes used above are not part of the subject line.  Of course, you may simply used the hyperlinks that I have set up below -- all you have to do is add the purpose for the communication.

  •  Send an email for

    • MATH 117 Introduction to Statistics (Day Division

    • MATH 221 Calculus III

    • MATH 117 ONLINE Statistics  (DGCE)

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I have found that by using a particular format for the subject line for my classes that I can sort my email and access the emails from my students very quickly and, thus, I can reply to my most important emails, the emails from my students,  first.  So, please help me to be able to access your emails rapidly by using the requested subject line.

• I usually check my email at the beginning of and by the end of the day -- some days are much busier than others.  Of course, I will check my email frequently during office hours.

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Appointments and Office Hours:

• If you would like to arrange an on-campus/in-person appointment, a phone appointment, or an online appointment, please make arrangements for the appointment (especially for the type - on-campus/in-person, by phone, or online) in advance. 

  • For phone appointments, we must coordinate who will call whom and at what phone number; this will help us to avoid a round or more of telephone-tag.

  • For online appointments, we must determine the venue that we will use for communication - Blackboard's Virtual Chat or Virtual Classroom, Blackboard Collaborate, or email.

• If you would like to discuss the course material during office hours or during a prearranged appointment, please have your course textbook, notebook, calculator or laptop, if appropriate, writing instruments, and questions ready. 

  • If you would like to discuss the course, in general, the course material, the courses that you are considering taking in the future, possible career choices, mathematics, in general, or college, in general, please let me know.

• For appointments, please be on time.  Please be prepared for your appointment whether on campus, by phone, or online:  have your course textbook, notebook, calculator, if needed, writing instruments, and questions ready.

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Please remember that office hours and prescheduled appointments, both on-campus and online, are for you and that I want to help you to be able to learn and to understand Mathematics. I want to help you to be able to do the best that you can in you courses, and I want to help you to know that you can "do" mathematics.  If you have had difficulty in mathematics classes in the past and if you are concerned about how you are going to do in your mathematics course, please contact me so that we can discuss your concerns in person, on the phone, or online; I prefer to meet with you in person -- you must admit that it is nicer to discuss things in person.

Getting extra help will allow you to ask your questions and work on addition problems -- I would like to help you to discover that you CAN do mathematics.  If you think about it, the "worst" thing that can happen when you get extra help is that you might just find out how much fun mathematics can be.  (Hey, it could happen!!)

Again, there is no such thing as a stupid question!  All questions are important. 

This site was created and is maintained by Sarah L. Mabrouk, Mathematics Department, Framingham State University.  If you notice any broken hyperlinks, please feel free to send email.