Just Enough Algebra

Thanks, first, to the thousands of students who have taken this course. Their creative approaches to learning mathematics; their unedited criticism and challenge; their often surprising enthusiasm for the course; their patience tried by countless typos and outright mistakes; and their perpetually novel insights have humbled me and challenged everything I thought I knew about teaching and learning mathematics. They have inspired me time and time again. I am grateful that they have allowed me to make a difference in their lives.

Thanks, next, to my mathematics colleagues at Augsburg: Mathew Foss (now at North Hennepin Community College), who taught from the very first edition of the textbook back in 1997 and who collaborated in writing earlier versions; Matt Haines, Alyssa Hanson, Rich Flint, and the dozens of other professors who have taught the course over the years from various earlier editions of the textbook; John Zobitz and Jody Sorensen, who edited and created more exercises for this 2012 edition; and student helpers Ashley Gruhlke and Emma Winegar.

Thanks, also, to my colleagues across campus for allowing us to try something completely different and to my mathematics colleagues nationally for spurring me on. During the first few years I taught from Using algebra by Ethan Bolker. Much of my approach and probably more examples or exercises than I realize are derived from his vision and from the subsequent text by his colleagues Linda Kime and Judy Clark at University of Massachusetts, Boston.

A special thanks to Dean Barbara Farley, Augsburg’s Center for Teaching and Learning, and Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity program for supporting my work through sabbaticals, travel grants, and summer research grants for both me and students.