Course Procedures

Mathematics 111---Calculus I

Instructor: Carol S. Schumacher

Text:  Calculus Early Transcendentals, by W. Briggs and L. Cochran plus access to online homework system MyMathLab

Grading: The grade will be calculated based on 5  components:
 

In addition, regular class attendance and class participation are expected. Due to the nature of the course, a failure to fulfill these expectations will result in a lower course grade.

Homework : Practice is a primary component of the mathematical learning process; thus homework problems will be due on a daily basis. Most assignments will have two parts: there will be a set of routine problems that you will complete in the online homework system MyMathLab and a few less routine problems that you will write up and turn in.

Online Homework: Your textbook has an accompanying online homework system called MyMathLab. Online homework will ordinarily be due at noon the day before your class. This will spread out your work load and give you the heads up if you are missing some of the basics you need to complete the written assignment. One of the nice things about MyMathLab is that it will give you immediate feedback as to whether you are doing the problems correctly. You can enter an answer, check it, and then rework the problem, if necessary. The system will generally allow you three possible attempts to get each problem right.

Written homework assignments: Beyond just providing practice on basic concepts, the written problems are meant to be extend and deepen the understanding you have gained from the reading, the class, and the online homework. The problems are not always easy, but the thought that goes into them always pays off in the long run. All of this means that much of the learning you do will be done outside of the classroom, but it doesn't mean that when class is dismissed you are on your own. I strongly recommend that you start on the homework as soon after class is over as possible. That way, if (when?) you get stuck on an assignment you can come to see me and get help before it is due.

Late homework policy:

• Online homework may be turned in up to one day late for a 50% penalty on problems that were not completed on time.
• No written assignments will be accepted late   The two lowest written homework grades will be dropped before the calculation of the final homework average. In addition, assignments that are not turned in due to illness or other unexpected absences will be dropped if the absence is excused. If you have advance notice that you will be absent, I expect you to make arrangements to turn in the assignment early or to have someone turn it in for you. (For example, sporting events, your sister's wedding, religious holidays, etc.)

Projects: Being able to express yourself in writing is important in mathematics, as it is in any other field of endeavor. During the semester you will be asked to write two short papers on topics relevant to the class. For each of these papers you will be working with one or two partners. Your group will turn in a single paper and, except in extraordinary circumstances, each member of the group will receive the same grade.

The process of writing a paper has two major components, each of which should constitute about half the work on the paper. The first is to work out the mathematical details of the topic that you have been assigned. The second is to make sense of those mathematical details and to organize them into a coherent narrative. The paper may very well include symbols, computations, and graphs; however, these will need to be accompanied by generous verbal explanations that explain the mathematical ideas.

Writing math papers:  Write as if your intended audience were a fellow student in the course who has not considered the question you have been asked to write on.  In other words, the instructor is not your intended reader; you are writing to a first-time student of calculus who knows only what you knew when you began to work out the details of the topic on which you are writing. The essay must not assume your reader has access to a statement that defines the problem.  You thus need to provide introductory material and diagrams that set up the problem as well as explaining the solution to it.  Turn in a single paper for your group.

Maple. In this course you will be using a powerful mathematical software package called Maple. It will be an integral part of the course, so you will be expected to become rapidly comfortable with its basic features.

Quizzes. You will be asked to take two quizzes during the semester.

Differentiation "Gateway" Exam. In a nutshell, the calculus is a coherent set of ideas that describe change using mathematics. Whereas symbolic manipulation is not the central idea of the course, it is the language in which we describe the mathematical ideas of the calculus and a powerful set of tools that help us use those ideas to answer questions that interest us. Essentially, they are the grammar rules that we add to English grammar to help us speak the language of calculus. It is imperative that you obtain sufficient facility with symbolic manipulation that the manipulations themselves do not form a barrier between you and the ideas that they represent. They have to become part of the background.

The gateway exam is a purely computational exam, designed to make sure that you are obtaining the analytical (grammatical) skills that you need to do calculus. On the exam you will be tested on your ability to differentiate a wide range of elementary functions using the various differentiation rules that will be discussed in the class (the sum and difference rules, the factoring-out-the-constant rule, the product rule, the quotient rule, and the chain rule---and possible combinations of these). You will also be asked to find the equation of the tangent line to a given function at a given point. The gateway exam will consist of seven problems. You will need to get all of them correct in order to pass.

The gateway exam will be given in class a few days after all the techniques of differentiation are covered.  If you pass the gateway exam the first time you take it, you will receive the entire 10% plus a 2% bonus for getting it right the first time. (That is, a total of 12% out of 10% possible!) If you do not pass the exam the first time, you will need to take the exam outside of class hours by arrangement with Prof. Schumacher. You will be allowed to take at most two retakes per week and at most one per day. You will not be allowed to take a gateway exam after 4 p.m. on Friday, December 13 (the last day of classes). If you pass the gateway within two weeks after it is first offered in class, you will receive the full 10% credit. If you pass it after this time you will receive 5% (half of the total possible). If you do not pass the exam, of course, you will receive no credit for this aspect of the course.

Tests: You will have two short quizzes and two major tests during the semester. Each of these will cover mostly the material which has been covered since the previous; however, you always will be responsible for any material in the course in as much as it relates to the topics being tested. 

Test and Quiz dates

These dates are approximate. Though I will try not to do this, I reserve the right to adjust the schedule slightly to accomodate the coverage of material in the course. If I do decide to change the dates, I promise to give you sufficient notice.

Quiz # 1	Monday, September 16, 2013	*
First Test	Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Gateway Exam	Monday, October 28, 2013	Given once in class when techniques of differentiation are in place; after that, in office hours or by appointment.
Quiz # 2	Friday, November 8, 2013
Second Test	Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Final Examination	Tuesday, December 17, 2013	From  6:30-9:30 p.m. (Note that this is the time designated by the registrar for Period 2 classes.)

If you cannot attend the final exam due to illness or another unforseen  emergency,  permission to take the final at another time must be granted by the dean's office.  See the student handbook for details.

The final examination will be a cumulative, three hour final.

Academic honesty: Though you are encouraged to work with other students on outside assignments, it is understood that every piece of written or computer-generated work that you submit must finally be your own. In any case, if you work with a fellow student or students, you should make a note of this on your paper. (There is no penalty for this! It is merely a matter of academic honesty.) If the assignment is a group assignment, the members of the group should contribute equally to writing the final product---in other words, don't put your name on a paper written by others. For further information, consult the student handbook or ask your instructor.
 
Resources for help: You will have two primary sources of help with the course. Prof. Schumacher is happy to help in class or out of class. If you wish to get help from her outside of class, please check her office hours or make an appointment at another time. Moreover your class has a lead tutor assigned through the Math and Science Learning Skills Center. His name is Alex New. The MSSC is open Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7-10.Alex's office hours will be announced in class.

Please don't consider my office hours or Alex's to be a resource of last resort. They are a part of the course like any other, and many of my very best students have been 'regulars' in office hours. There is much that can be done for you in a one-to-one situation that is simply not possible in a group setting. You should take advantage of the fact that we are easily available to help you outside of class.

Other students in your class can also be a source of help. Having a classmate with whom to work and talk regularly about classwork is a well-known factor in improving performance in calculus. You need not look for a student who "knows more" than you do. This arrangement works best for both partners if the students who are working together are well matched in ability and background.

Disabilities: If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your ability to carry out assigned course work, feel free to discuss your concerns in private with me, but you should also consult the Office of Disability Services at 5453. The Coordinator of Disability Services, Erin Salva (salvae@kenyon.edu), will review your concerns and determine, with you, what accommodations are appropriate. (All information and documentation of disability is confidential.) It is Ms. Salva that has the authority and the expertise to decide on the accommodations that are proper for your disability. Though I am happy to help you in any way I can, I cannot make any special accommodations without proper authorization from Ms. Salva.

1. The tests and the final will mostly emphasize the big ideas. Of course, when you write about anything, you need to be able to use good grammar. So in the course of the exams, you will certainly be expected to use the computational skills you acquire to talk about the ideas, but only incidentally.