Lower division mathematics courses (e.g. pre-calculus and
calculus) are required for many of the majors at UC Merced
because mathematics is the foundation for many different
areas of study. At UC Merced, we teach our lower division
mathematics courses to emphasize learning fundamental
mathematics as well as its application to other fields of
study such as biology, economics and physics. To that end,
we emphasize learning mathematics conceptually and
concretely by exploring topics analytically, graphically,
computationally and verbally.
At some point in college, most students discover that their
study habits from high school do not work well
anymore. Hence, many students find our lower division
courses to be difficult - even students who have taken these
courses in high school are likely to be surprised by the
amount of work we require. This discovery should not be
discouraging. Rather, it is an encouraging sign that
students are growing intellectually.
To help our students to learn mathematics as best as they
can, our math instructors provide students a variety of
experiences to learn mathematics through lectures,
discussion sections, homework and various workshops. In
addition, there is free tutoring available on campus
in the
Student Advising
and Learning Center. We do all that we can to help
students learn mathematics well. However, we emphasize also
that students must take control, ownership and
responsibility for their academic career.
Below is some additional specific information about our
lower division mathematics courses at UC Merced.