Syllabus for Mathematics 251 Fall 2003

Professor: Dr. Maria Fung	Phone: 503-838-8871
Office: AA 304	Email: fungm@wou.edu

CLASS MEETS

11-11:50 a.m. MWF Arnold Arms 101

10-11:50 a.m. T in 310 ITC

Dr. Fung’s OFFICE HOURS & SCHEDULE

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday*	Friday
9 – 10	Prep	Office Hour 9:20-9:50	Prep		Prep
10 – 11	Office Hour	Math 251	Office Hour		Office Hour
11 – 12	Math 251	Math 251	Math 251		Math 251
12 – 1	Lunch	Office Hour till 12:30	Math 396		Lunch
1 – 2	Math 396		Math 396		Math 396
2 – 3	Meetings		Prep		Office Hour
3 – 4	Office Hour	Meetings	Office Hour
4 – 5		Meetings
5-7:30			Math 596/Ed 407

* Typically not on campus on Thursdays.

Office hours are for you, so please do come to introduce yourself in more detail to me and feel free to drop by for help. At times other than my listed office hours you are welcome and encouraged to call or email me with questions about the course. If you have direct scheduling conflicts with my office hours and would like further help, please let me know.  

PREREQUISITES

Math 111 and Math 112 or appropriate placement

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:

Text: “Calculus Single Variable”, Second Edition, Hughes-Hallet, Gleason, et al

Calculator: A scientific calculator with at least the capabilities of a TI–83 is required for this course. Please see me if you are purchasing a new calculator. 

Materials: A large 3 ring binder

COURSE STRUCTURE

Classes and weekly labs will be a mix of an interactive lecture, activities and problem solving sessions.

COURSE CONTENT

This course is designed as a first course in Calculus and it focuses on differentiation theory for functions of one variable. The main topics covered will be a review of functions, the derivative, differentiation, and some applications of the derivative. The main goals of the course will be:

· Gaining an understanding of the differential calculus and its implications

· Developing an appreciation of the power of calculus to solve real-life problems

READING THE TEXT

You will be expected to carefully and completely read each (assigned) section in your textbook. It is a good idea to briefly read the assigned section before class and then to carefully read the section before you start your homework. You might find it very helpful to write out the examples in the text as well as to just read the examples. If you carefully write out the examples and work out all of the steps you will find that you have a deeper understanding of the material. You may ask questions about the text both in class and during office hours.  

COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Groups of three-four students will be assigned for each class. There will be one out-of-class big project, in-class activities and Maple labs that you will do with some of your group mates. At the end of the project each student is required to submit a detailed evaluation of all the members of his or her group. The evaluation will be used when deciding on how much credit each student will be given. It is a good idea to split responsibilities within your group and to work on the problems individually for a while before coming together as a group.

HOMEWORK

There will be a variety of homework assignments given in this course. There will be four main categories of homework assignments:

Text Homework

Writing/ Lab Assignments

Problems of the Week (POWs)

In-class Activities (completion of)

Project

 TEXT HOMEWORK:

• Homework (problems) from our textbook will not be assigned formally. You are encouraged to do as many problems as you would like for each section of the book, and turn in all your work to me weekly on Mondays. I will record the number of problems you have done and will grade 3 problems. There 3 problems are always determined by you.
• Completing your homework in a timely fashion will be integral to your success in this course. I suggest you set up a homework and reading schedule for yourself and follow it carefully. You will find that if you do not do all of your homework you will not succeed in learning the material covered in this course. In particular, many of the weekly quizzes will be based on the textbook homework.
• Homework will be graded on following scale: 0 (missing), 1(incomplete, ineffective), 2(needs rethinking), 3 (in development), 4(complete), 5(thoroughly developed)

JOURNAL and LAB ASSIGNMENTS:

• Each week there will be at least one writing or Maple lab assignment. These assignments will generally consist of either solving a series of problems using Maple VII and writing a detailed report about it, or writing a response to a calculus-generated problem with an emphasis of communicating mathematics clearly.

PROBLEMS OF THE WEEK

· Approximately each week you will be assigned special problems to help us focus on problem solving using calculus. More detailed information will be provided with the problem assignments.

PROJECT

· The term project will be a multi-step application calculus problem. You will work with your group on it outside of class. More details will be provided at the time it is assigned.

COURSE NOTEBOOK

All of your course materials, as described below, are required to be carefully filed in your course notebook. For your notebook please use a large 3 ring binder divided into the following, clearly marked, sections:

• Class Notes and Activities
• Text Homework
• Quizzes
• Writing/Lab Assignments
• Problems of the Week
• Exams

Be sure to place this syllabus in your notebook. During exams and at the end of the term your notebook will be collected and I will review the materials in your course notebook. At the end of the term you will be also given a self-assessment assignment which you will need to complete and place in your notebook.  

COURSE GRADING

• Attendance and in-class participation are required. Each day attendance will be taken and your participation in class will be noted.
• Documented (written) excuses for illness, etc. will be accepted for missed classes and/or late work. Notification must be prompt and in advance.
• All of your class, homework activities and exams will count as part of your grade with the following breakdown.

Exams (including final) and quizzes	50% of course grade
Course Notebook Materials, Journal/Lab Assignments, Attendance & Participation , Project	50% of course grade

EXAMS

There will be two hour exams and a final exam in this course. The hour exams will be cumulative but will emphasize the recently covered material. The final exam will be cumulative. You will have 50 – 55 minutes for each of the hour exams. You will have approximately 2 hours for the final exam. Makeup or early exams will only be given in the case of a documented emergency or a documented university sanctioned absence from class. Prior notification and my agreement are required.  There will be short individual weekly quizzes during our lab hour on Tuesdays. They will consist of problems from the text homework and the in-class activities.

APPROPRIATE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

You are ultimately responsible for your own attendance and performance. Disruptive classroom behavior of any kind, such as talking during lecture or consistently coming to class late etc., is not appropriate. Proscribed Conduct for all students is described in the University Catalog. In particular for this course any student found cheating on an exam or copying from another student's exam paper will receive a zero score on that exam.

LATE WORK POLICY

Your work is due by 3 p.m. on the due date. All due items may be turned in, unexcused, 1 class day late (by 12 noon) for 75% credit or 2 class days (by 12 noon) late for 50% credit. Any item turned in after 3 p.m. on a due date will be considered late. There are no exceptions!

DISABILITIES

If you have a documented disability, please talk to me during the first week of class, I will be more than happy to accommodate you in any way that I can. 

STANDARD GRADING SCALE FOR THIS COURSE

%	Grade	%	Grade	%	Grade	%	Grade	%	Grade
93 – 100	A	90 – 92	A-	87 – 89	B+	83 – 86	B	80 – 82	B-
%	Grade	%	Grade	%	Grade	%	Grade	%	Grade
77 – 79	C+	73 – 76	C	70 – 72	C-	60 – 69	D	Below 60	F