How to succeed in this course

• Do the homework assignments carefully
  This is the only graded portion of the course where you have a full week to think about your answers. The only way to truly learn to do math is by practicing doing math — just like the only way to learn to play tennis is by spending time on the practice court.

• Keep up with the daily coursework
  Trying to learn everything the night or the week before an exam is like trying to learn to hit serves and backhands in one long day of practice with a big match the next day.

• Work with your classmates
  In addition to being a great way to get to know people, you'll find you may learn as much from your classmates as you do from your professors. I'm of the firm opinion that the advantage of being at a prestigious institution such as Georgia Tech is as much the quality of your peers as the quality of instruction.

• Read the textbook before the lecture
  The purpose of lecture time is to fill the gaps in your understanding, not to communicate all of the content of the course. You don't need a Georgia Tech professor to teach you the easy stuff, so we will concentrate on the tricky points.

• Come to class and to recitation, and pay attention
  We prepare lectures carefully, and the online lecture notes will not mean much to you unless you were there to hear them explained. If you're not in class, then you won't hear us say the word "span" four hundred times in one week, and therefore you might be surprised to see it on the midterm. Besides, attendance is part of your grade.

• Take advantage of the resources provided
  We know that learning linear algebra can be hard. There are lots of ways to get help. Come to office hours! Read the textbook! Go to Math Lab! Ask questions on Piazza! We want you to succeed, but you can lead a horse to water...

• Don't look for answers on the Internet
  This is not because it's considered dishonest; rather, it is hard to find quality information on the Internet, and even harder to judge the reliability of any information you do find. You have an extremely carefully prepared and curated set of resources right here on this page (for which you have already paid a great deal of money). At the very least, only use the Internet as a last resort, after you've already been stuck for a while.

Resources

• Instructor office hours
  These are set periods of time where we sit in our office staring at the door and hoping our students will show up to ask questions. Seriously, your instructors chose to be college professors in part because we honestly enjoy interacting with students, and we derive a lot of satisfaction when they end up learning some math. That said, do come prepared with questions that you've already thought about a bit. Don't expect your instructor simply to tell you how to do the problems; this is not a good way to learn.

• The TAs' office hours
  Your teaching assistants are also knowledgeable about linear algebra, and have scheduled time to answer your questions. Whereas you must attend your assigned section, you are free to visit the office hours of any of your TAs.

• Math Lab
  This is essentially a free walk-in one-on-many tutoring service provided by the School of Mathematics, and is staffed by graduate teaching assistants. Its hours are very flexible. Here you will find people who are willing to spend lots of time helping you and answering your questions. Note that it's not necessary to find a time when you can meet with a graduate instructor who is currently teaching 1553: any math grad student is very comfortable with basic linear algebra.

• The textbook and course materials.
  If you get stuck, Go back and actually read through the textbook carefully. Your instructor will post new material throughout the semester on their website or on T-Square.

• The exercises in the textbook
  There are many good exercises at the end of every section and every chapter of Lay. These are ideal for use as practice problems.

• Piazza
  This is an online space for this class where you can post questions and help other people by answering their questions. We will also check Piazza . It can be accessed through the course site on T-Square. See the discussion on the organization page. Please login to it at least once, since you will not receive class announcements posted through Piazza otherwise.

• One-on-one tutoring
  If you decide you need extra, personalized help beyond what is freely available, you can consider hiring a tutor.