Courses
The Department of Learning Foundations offers three courses which are designed to develop math skills and how to be a successful university student. The developmental Math course carries "institutional" credit which means the credits count towards financial aid, athletic or residential requirements but not towards graduation. The FRS 180 and FRS 197 count towards degree credit.
FRS 180 Academic Self Management
: 3 credits for graduation
This learning strategy course explores the six major control components
that usually contribute to high academic achievement: motivation, methods of
learning, use of time, performance factors, and relationships to both physical
and social environment. Presentations and readings involving learning research
and theory are interconnected to student participation, assessment, and
self-monitoring activities. Students will engage in the self-management and
prescriptive process to determine what specific academic behaviors will best
assist individual academic performance. Students must be registered in at least
one other college course in order to provide an application-practice
field.
Contact Elaine Wright at 207-780-4691 or ewright@usm.maine.edu for more course information.
FRS 197 Information Power Unleashed: 1 credit
for graduation
This 1 credit course helps students to
recognize when information is needed and how to locate, evaluate, and
effectively use the needed information. Topics include basic computing skills,
web evaluation, locating and using books, articles and other media, critical
thinking, plagiarism, citation style, primary and secondary sources,
Boolean serching, and basic considerations of
the writing process.
Contact instructor Bill Grubb at 207-780-4672 or at BGrubb@usm.maine.edu for
more course information.
MAT 009 Developmental Mathematics : 3 "institutional" credits
A review of fundamental topics of arithmetic
needed for a study of algebra. This course will cover the following topics:
Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions; use of
decimals and percent; estimation; addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division of real numbers; exponents; order of arithmetic operations;
distributive property; combining like terms; substitution to evaluate
expressions and formulas; grouping symbols; addition and multiplication
principle; equations with fractions; formulas; sets; writing and graphing
inequalities; solving inequalities and problem solving. Successful completion
of an exit exam at a C level or higher is required. Credit earned
in MAT 009 does not apply or accumulate toward any degree program at the
University of Southern Maine.
Note: MAT 101B belongs to the Department of
Mathematics. However, the Learning Foundations Math Coordinator does manage
this course.
Note: FRS 004 and FRS 006 are not part of the
Department of Learning Foundations.