The Mathematics Tutorial Laboratory is a place for students to get assistance studying for their math classes.
Its primary function is to provide students with the opportunity to receive one-on-one help from tutors ready and able to answer questions; the Math Tutorial Lab gets over 5,000 student visits each semester.
| Hours | |
|---|---|
| Mondays | 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Tuesdays | 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Wednesdays | 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Thursdays | 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Fridays | 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturdays | 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Sundays | Closed |
Location and contact
Location: 125 MacLean Hall
Phone: 319-335-0810
Additional tutoring resources
Frequently asked questions
Tutoring is only available to students in the following courses:
- MATH:0100–Basic Algebra I
- MATH:1005–College Algebra
- MATH:1010–Trigonometry
- MATH:1020–Elementary Functions
- MATH:1120–Logic of Arithmetic
- MATH:1140–Math Basis of Elementary Geometry
- MATH:1260–PokeMath: The Mathematics of Pokemon Go*
- MATH:1350–Quantitative Reasoning for Business
- MATH:1440–Mathematics for the Biological Sciences
- MATH:1460–Calculus for the Biological Sciences
- MATH:1550–Engineer Math I: Single Variable Calculus
- MATH:1560–Engineer Math II: Multivariable Calculus*
- MATH:1850–Calculus I
- MATH:1860–Calculus II
- MATH:2150–Foundations of Geometry*
- MATH:2550–Engineer Math III: Matrix Algebra*
- MATH:2560–Engineer Math IV: Differential Equations*
- MATH:2700–Introduction to Linear Algebra*
- MATH:2850–Calculus III*
- MATH:3550–Engineer Math V: Vector Calculus*
- MATH:3600–Intro to Ordinary Differential Equations*
- MATH:3720–Introduction to Abstract Algebra I*
- MATH:3770–Fundamental Properties of Spaces and Functions I*
- MATH:3800–Introduction to Numerical Methods*
*These are special courses that not every tutor is able to help with. To see what days and times there is a tutor available for that course, please look at the schedule linked following the course.
Tutors are mathematics graduate teaching assistants and undergraduate math majors.
The Math Tutorial Lab has 36 computers and an ITC printer for you to use to complete your assignments. There are also reference sheets and textbooks on a variety of topics covered in math courses.
Check out our new resource center on ICON for practice quizzes, mock exams, and worksheets.
The tutor schedule shows who is working in the Math Tutorial Lab.
- Sign in at the front desk when you enter the Mathematics Tutorial Laboratory.
- Raise your hand when you want help.
- Be courteous to those around you.
- Turn cell phones to silent. If you choose to take a call, hold your conversation outside the Math Lab.
- Remember that the tutors will not give answers to homework. They will help you learn the techniques that will enable you to do your homework.
- When the Math Lab is busy, try to ask only one or two questions at a time and be patient when waiting. The tutors on duty are not your personal tutors, and they need to help others as well.
- Attend class. Remember, the Mathematics Tutorial Lab serves as an adjunct to math courses and is not a replacement for the material presented by your instructors. It is important that you also attend lectures and discussions regularly!
- Come with specific questions or topics.
- Come in more than 48 hours before your test. The Math Lab gets very busy before tests, and you will have to wait much longer to get help.
- Come in on a regular basis. A tutor cannot teach you everything your professor covered in the previous 4 weeks of class in one hour.
- Give students with questions in the Math Lab priority over any other activity. You may bring your own course material to study, but keep an eye on the people around you, and stop working on it as soon as you see a student that needs help; students may feel very reluctant to interrupt you.
- Always look for students who need help. Walk around the lab and stop to ask if a person has a question.
- Respect the dignity of each person with whom you work.
- Do not just work a problem yourself and give students the answer–instead, guide the students as they work through the problem themselves. Ask questions whose answers lead to a method of solving the problem. If it is necessary for you to do the problem, explain your thought process and then give a similar problem to the student.
- Try to spread your time evenly among students who have questions. Be sure that you offer help to everyone who requests it.
- When a student asks for help, use the method presented in the text and/or the method presented by their instructor. If the students are having trouble understanding these methods, then you may want to suggest an alternate method. Be aware of the curriculum level. (i.e. there are no derivatives in precalculus classes).
- If students ask questions about testing or other procedures and you do not know the answer, refer them to their instructors in the course.
- When the lab is crowded, try to group students who are on the same topic and help them at the same time.
- Investigate the other texts, supplementary materials, computer-assisted lessons and other materials that we use in the Lab. Then you can recommend to your students those materials that you feel will benefit them. They won't know it's there if you don't tell or show them.
Special topic sessions
Beginning of semester review sessions
The following sessions are designed for students who want to brush up on some skills they will need to be successful in their current course.
Beginning of semester review sessions
This session will review techniques for factoring linear, quadratic and cubic polynomials. This session will review techniques for factoring polynomials of the form ax2+bx+c, differences of squares, sums/differences of cubes, and factoring by grouping. This session will review how to solve a quadratic equation by factoring and by using the quadratic formula.
This session will cover when and how to combine like terms. This session will also review laws of exponents, roots, exponentials and logarithms.
This session will review how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. It will also review how to add and multiply rational expressions (fractions where the numerators and denominators are polynomials).
This session will review the definition of a function, the vertical line test, the domain and range of a function, and function composition. Examples included in the session will focus on how to determine whether a relation is a function and how to find the domain and range of a given function.
This session will give an overview of the six basic trigonometric functions and how these trigonometric functions are defined in terms of a right triangle. The session will also discuss how to convert an angle from degrees to radians and how to use the unit circle to find sine, cosine and tangent of an angle. A brief introduction to graphs of trigonometric functions will also be covered.
This session will review common functions and their graphs, including linear, quadratic, square root and piecewise functions. In addition to practicing graphing functions, the examples in this session will include finding the equation of a line using the slope and points on the line.
Math Lab contacts
Amanda Marr
