Text: Multivariable Calculus 3rd ed., by William McCallum, Deborah Hughes-Hallett, Andrew M. Gleason, et. al., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.
Grading: The grade will be calculated based on 6 components:
| Daily homework assignments | 10% of the final grade |
| Projects/Papers | 15% of the final grade |
| Reading Responses | 5% of the final grade |
| Maple Quiz | 5% of the final grade |
| Three tests | Each is 15 % of the final grade |
| Final examination | 20% of the final grade |
Homework Assignments: Practice is a primary component of the mathematical learning process; thus homework problems will be assigned on a daily basis. I will assign a collection of problems; you will turn in a designated subset of these problems, but learning the material requires more practice than is afforded by doing a small number of problems. Thus, I expect that you will regularly be working both "suggested" and "required" problems. Beyond just providing practice, the problems I assign are meant to be extend and deepen the understanding you have gained from the reading and the class period. The problems are not always be easy, but the thought that they require pays off in the long run---on tests and in terms of your ability to follow deeper material that comes later in the semester.
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.
Reading Responses: As we progress in the text you will be given regular reading assignments to help you prepare for the next class period. With each reading assignment you will be asked to answer three questions on the reading. For the most part, these questions will be short and easy to answer providing you have thoughtfully read the assignment. Your grade on the assignment will be a 0, 1, or 2.
0 didn't turn it in or that what you turned in did not
in any way indicate that you had read the assignment.
1 turned something that showed some understanding of the reading,
but that in my opinion indicated that you did not read the assignment carefully enough.
2 means you obviously read the material and answered the questions.
You will send your responses to me by e-mail. They will be due by 2 p.m. on the day before the next class meeting. (Every e-mail message automatically comes with a time and date on it, so I will have an accurate record of when you sent the message.) In other words, if I give a reading assignment on Monday, your e-mail responses will be due by 2 p.m. on Tuesday. For assignments given on Wednesday, your responses will be due by 2 p.m. on Thursday. The Friday reading assignments will require you to respond by 2 p.m. on Sunday. I will use your responses/comments to help me target the next lecture to your needs. (I do not return the reading responses, but you are free to check on your progress or otherwise consult with me at any time.)
Projects/Papers: You will be assigned several projects during the semester. Ordinarily, you will be working in pairs on these projects. For all but one project, you will turn in a paper in which you describe the project, the work you did, the results you obtained, and the conclusions that you were able to draw. (The "deliverable" for the other project is a maple file that shows the work you did on the project.) Your group will turn in a single project and, except in extraordinary circumstances, each member of the group will receive the same grade. This means that each member of the group is equally responsible for every aspect of the project. When you turn in a paper with your name on it, you are, in effect, attesting to the fact that you contributed your share of the work to each portion of the project and that you vouch for the correctness of the entire project.
The projects will have 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 mathematical work on the projects will require more extended and open-ended reasoning that most other assignments in the course. 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: Being able to express yourself in writing is important in mathematics, as it is in any other field of endeavor. Write as if your intended audience was 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 C who knows only what you knew when you began to work on the project. The paper should not assume your reader has access to a statement that defines the problem. You need to provide introductory material and diagrams that set up the problem as well as explaining the solution to it.
Maple and the Maple quiz. 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. You will be asked to work through an introduction to the package as part of your first homework assignment. There will be a short 15 minute quiz on its use about a week later.
Tests: You will have three major tests during the semester. The second will cover mostly the material which has been covered since the first test; likewise, the third will cover mostly what has been covered since the second. However, you will be responsible for all the material covered in the course in as much as it relates to the topics being tested.
| Maple Quiz | Wednesday, January 25, 2006 | Only about 20 minutes long |
| First Test | Monday, February 13, 2006 | |
| Second Test | Monday, March 27, 2006 | |
| Third Test | Monday, April 24, 2006 | |
| Final Examination | Friday, May 12, 2006 | From 8:30-11:30 a.m. |
If you cannot attend the final exam due to illness or another unforseen emergency, permission to take the final at a time other than the scheduled time must be granted by the dean's office. See the student handbook for details.
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: Prof. Schumacher is the primary source for help with the course. Do not hesitate to ask questions in or out of class.
And please don't consider office hours to be a resource of last resort. I consider them to be 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 I can do for you in a one-to-one situation that I simply cannot do in a group setting. You should take advantage of the fact that I am 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. In addition, upper-class student
assistants will conduct evening help sessions for calculus students. Details about these problem sessions will
be announced as soon as I know them.
Disabilities: If you have a physical, psychological, 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.