Welcome to the Interactive Learning System for Beginning Algebra. This course is designed to teach the most basic skills and understandings of Algebra. This is not a quick course with a few examples which are learned as rules or rote procedures. Rather, the instruction emphasizes the understanding of basic concepts as a necessary foundation for further study in Algebra.

Two types of students can greatly benefit from this course:

• Students who have never studied Algebra before will have a excellent introduction that forms the basis for further study.
• Students who have previously had a course in Algebra and found it to be a series of meaningless rules and procedures will have a drastically different experience here. Algebra is understandable and should be learned from the beginning in that way. Past experiences that sent the opposite message will be contradicted here.

The content of the course is similar to a first semester of high school Algebra:

• The course begins with the basic concepts of Algebra explained in terms of the whole numbers. This beginning assures that the concepts are clear without any distractions from problems of arithmetic.
• Signed numbers are introduced, taught, and completely explained in terms of their ability to extend the power of Algebra. Again, the presentation is kept to its simplest level by not including fractions or decimals.
• Fractions are introduced, taught, and explained as another extension of the basic skills of Algebra. Students with past weaknesses with fractions will find full instruction on all processes used with these numbers.

The instruction provided here is complete in every way:

• Explanations are complete.
• Practice problems walk you through every process.
• A mentor is available at all times to answer any questions.
• A self-testing program allows you to make accurate appraisals of your mastery of the material.

Students who are capable of quickly learning the material will find the format and presentation especially helpful. You can be very selective in deciding what portions of this complete instruction you need to cover.

• Chapter titles are descriptive and give you a first clue for finding the topics you need.
• The first screen for each chapter lists the units by titles. Those titles may be sufficient for you to select the unit where you need to begin.
• If chapter/unit titles are not enough to make a good decision, the second screen of each chapter is a Preview. You will find a list of sample problems from the chapter. Each problem is accompanied by a notation showing the unit in which it appears.
• A self-testing program allows you to make accurate appraisals of your mastery of the material.

One word of caution: Just because it is easy to locate the topics you need don't assume that this is not a serious task. Everything you need is here except for your own discipline. That you must provide. Make good decisions. Move as quickly as possible, but do your lessons carefully and completely. When you do the Algebra right from its beginning it is a logical, understandable sequence. Do it that way and you may find it enjoyable and interesting.

We guarantee the high quality of the instruction here. You must provide the high quality of studious behavior that will insure a successful learning experience. Even though this is cyberspace, you are not alone in working at this task. You have a Mentor who will give you help whenever you ask. Your Mentor is not here to make judgments about you, criticize, give grades, etc. The only interest of your Mentor is to give help when requested. There are two ways for you to contact your mentor:

1. E-mail. Your Mentor's cyberspace address is: MathMentor@HHPublishing.com. When sending an e-mail request for help, be certain to include:

• The title of the course you are taking.
• The chapter, unit and frame.
• If possible, describe the difficulty you are encountering. You are guaranteed an e-mail reply to your request within 24 hours.

2. FAX. Your Mentor's FAX number is: (727) 442-2195. You can also use the FAX to send a request for help. If so, include the same information as needed for e-mail.

Use the web site for your instruction or use the textbook. The material and quality of instruction are nearly identical. Some students prefer a book. Others like the web site. Some work back and forth between the two. Whatever works best is the rule to follow.

If you have no questions, you can begin the course immediately. Then you are guaranteed to be ready for your next course. Successful completion of an Elementary Algebra course is necessary before taking your CPT test.

Close Window