A description of course policies for 67-371. Spring 2006.
Instructor: Dr. Jayanthi Ganapathy.
Office: Swart 216.
Telephone: 424 7355 (my office). 424 1333 (the math dept. office). 235 2435 (home).
E-mail: ganapath<at>uwosh.edu (office); ganapath<at>northnet.net (home).
Office hours: MWF 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM. Appointments available at other times, if absolutely necessary.
Text (required): “Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems, 2nd edition by Polking, Boggess and Arnold, Pearson/ Prentice Hall.
Topics covered
Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.1, 6.2, 9.1, 9.2.
Supplements
- (required): “Notes to accompany….” by Dr. Jayanthi Ganapathy (the GREEN BOOK).
- (recommended): Calculator: TI - 83 Plus or TI- 85 or TI- 86.
- Other calculators: Calculators with symbolic manipulative capabilities such as for example TI – 92, TI-89 and others will not be allowed on tests and quizzes.
- (not required): Computer software: MAPLE. The general access labs (Swart and Halsey for example) have Maple version 9.5 available on their ‘priority machines’. You may buy license to download student edition of Maple for a fee. You can also purchase student edition of the software. More information is available on www.maplesoft.com
Tests, quizzes and grades
During the semester, there will be four tests each worth 50 points. Almost every week, there will be a 10- minute quiz worth 10 points. At the end of the semester, only the best five quizzes will count. The total point contribution of the quizzes to the point total for the course is 50 points. No test grade will be dropped.
At the end of the semester, each student who has not officially withdrawn from the course will be assigned a letter grade for the course based on his/her point total, using the following letter-grade scheme (in the following letter-grade scheme, PT represents your point total for the course):
A 230 (92 %) PT 250 (100 %)
AB 217.5 (87 %) PT < 230 (92 %)
B 200 (80 %) PT < 217.5 (87 %)
BC 192.5 (77 %) PT < 200 (80 %)
C 175 (70 %) PT < 192.5 (77 %)
CD 167.5 (67 %) PT < 175 (70 %)
D 150 (60 %) PT < 167.5 (67 %)
F 0 (0 %) PT < 150 (60 %).
Note: Nothing in my class will be graded on a curve. Please do not have any inaccurate assumptions regarding this.
Class attendance
Class attendance will be used in the following way: You must not miss more than FOUR one–hour class periods for the entire Spring ’06. For every class period over four that you miss, your grade for the course at the end of the semester will be reduced by one letter grade (for example, a B will drop to a BC for the fifth absence).
Only staying the whole period is counted as one full class attendance. However you will not be penalized for leaving a little early or coming in a little late for one class period. (The idea is to ‘forgive’ four and one half absences!). If you have a good reason to be late once in a while or to leave class early, you must discuss your reasons with me ahead of time whenever possible, or before leaving the class. I generally take attendance in the beginning of the period. If you happen to not be here until after I have taken attendance on any given day, it is your responsibility to stop at my desk before leaving class to make sure I have recorded your presence that day. According to the student handbook, attendance is required unless the individual instructor announces a policy that contradicts that. Thus the policy that I have stated above regarding the impact of and expectations related to attendance is perfectly within my rights as an instructor. Please make sure you understand this policy clearly, and stay in my class only if you are able to abide by it.
Class participation
The level of your class participation is likely to play a significant role in my decisions related to ‘borderline’ cases, when determining the letter grades at the end of the semester. While I prefer that students volunteer their participation, I will not hesitate to call on any of you. The intention is not to embarrass you but to give you the opportunity to participate in the instructional process and to demonstrate to me that you are capable of thinking, understanding and communicating mathematics. If you have a particular aversion to being called on, please take time to come and see me and explain that. Reacting disrespectfully to being called on will not be tolerated. Again please consider all these before deciding whether to continue to stay in my class.
What I expect from you and what I will offer:
A strong background in Algebra, Calculus I, Calculus II and partial differentiation from Calculus III will be assumed. In particular, you must have mastered algebra skills that will enable you to work with polynomial and rational expressions, factoring, addition, multiplication, division, solving equations and inequalities as well as manipulations involving exponents, and completing the square. From Calculus I, you must be knowledgeable about the various classes of functions discussed in chapter I as well as the definition of the derivative, and derivative rules and formulas (Chapter 3). From Calculus II you must be familiar with the techniques of integration, particularly the substitution technique, partial fractions and integration by parts (chapter 5). Also assumed will be the ability to work with functions, including graphs, formulas and numerical tables. Be sure to review all this material before too long into the semester. Be sure to look at and work on the review exercises I have posted on d2l. If you have not completed Calculus III please see me so I can help you get to speed on partial differentiation
The GREEN BOOK I have referred to on the opening page is a supplemental collection of notes I have written and have copies made available through the ‘University Books and More’. It contains detailed solutions to problems most of which are selected from the book and some from sources other than the book, including my own collection of original problems. The GREEN BOOK includes, where relevant, print-outs of all the graphs related to examples in the GREEN BOOK, generated using the Maple software. Electronic copies of these worksheets are on d2l. The GREEN BOOK also contains thought-provoking questions, additional exercises, and missing details in some of the solutions, which you are expected to fill in yourself. Make it a habit to read the textbook before and after any given topic is covered in class, and read the GREEN BOOK as well. You must do the assigned homework problems, although at this point I have no plans to collect and grade homework assignments. This is an important activity to help you acquire the skill needed for the successful completion of the course. Typically in class, I will cover the needed theory to illustrate new concepts, and go over some of the solutions found in the GREEN BOOK. You will be expected to read the rest of the solutions in the GREEN BOOK on your own. For those solutions that I do not go over in class, you are expected to initiate questions and discussions if you do not understand any part of what you read, or if you have any comments related to them that you wish to bring up in class. It is also likely that you will be asked to do problems in class either on your own or in groups. By engaging in the type of learning activities described above, it is expected that you will gain the knowledge and understanding that is needed to succeed in this course. You then apply the knowledge you have thus gained to solve the problems on the quizzes and the tests.
This is a course in which techniques will be emphasized to a large extent. The required TI calculators will be used where appropriate. You will be allowed to use TI – 83 Plus or any calculator that does not have symbolic manipulative capabilities, on the test.
When it comes to style of teaching, you might find that the percentage of class time I spend on lecturing is more (or may be less, for some of you) than what you are used to previously. However I do expect a considerable level of student involvement through asking and answering questions, and possibly through in-class group work if time allows. If you are some one who might have difficulty staying focused and listening, I am afraid my class is not a good fit for you. Please be aware of that, and be willing to make the necessary adjustments before it is too late.
What you should know about tests:
Due to the time crunch that I am likely to face, given the amount I have to cover, I am afraid in-class review for tests are somewhat unlikely. However if there is enough interest, I will be happy to hold out-of-class review session before each test. Another solution to this ‘problem’ is holding the tests out-of-class some evening when most students have no scheduling conflicts, with two or more hours available to complete the test - this pretty much eliminates time pressure on tests and also frees up class time to conduct in-class review for tests. This option will be considered if there is enough interest in doing so.
Though it may happen at times, I do not believe in testing whether you can re- solve the very same examples you might have seen before in class or homework with very little change. If you have such expectations I am afraid my class is not a good fit for you. Generally on the tests and the quizzes, you must not expect problems that only require you to simply mimic and regurgitate solutions you saw on the homework or in class. I expect you to understand the concept and then apply what you have learned to solve test and quiz problems.
Group projects
For those who want it, there will be an opportunity to earn ten extra - credit points. Here is how: Soon I will post on d2l several different group projects for groups-of -four. Most of these projects will involve applications such as the material in Chapter 3 for example. I will not cover chapter 3 in class. There will be projects from other portions of the text as well. It is up to you to pick your group members, and up to each group to pick a project from those posted. Each group’s members are expected to divide amongst themselves the various parts of the project to focus on. However I expect the entire group to be familiar with each other’s specific assignment within the group project, and to help each other out. The group as a whole should submit to me a written solution to the project exercises. The group will be given a chance to present the project in class. Again each member is encouraged to present his/her work. Each member can earn a maximum of six points for the written report and four points for the presentation. Each group will be given a total of 15 minutes to present the results of the group’s work on the project. At this time this is the plan. However changes to this part of the course policies are possible.
Anticipated pace of topic coverage and out-of-class help
There are twenty-seven sections to cover in fourteen weeks. Setting aside sufficient number of class periods for tests, quizzes and any group project presentations there might be, I will have to average about 0.8 section per period (about 2.4 sections per three-period week) to cover the material I am supposed to cover in this course. This means I will have to move at a pace that may be too fast for some (and possibly too slow for yet others!). You need to learn to deal with this situation, and not find it a source of irritation. I do have a lot to cover, and I only get access to four hours of your time each week. Thus I need to keep moving, to be able to complete the topic coverage that is expected of me. I do it out of necessity and not because I ‘care more about covering the material than whether students understand it or not’, as some students might believe. If I had my way, I would refrain from covering a new topic until I was sure everybody had adequate time in class to understand the topic. But I am afraid I do not have that luxury. I hope for your co-operation and understanding on this matter. Please also understand that due to the required pace of new topic coverage, I will have to limit the amount of class time I can afford to spend answering questions in class about your homework assignment. However, I am more than happy to offer you my help out of class. Mathematics is not a subject one can learn by merely listening to teacher for three or four hours a week. Most of your learning takes place out of class, and it is my hope that you do not underestimate the importance of getting out of class help. I am in a much better position to give you the kind of ‘customized’ instruction to you individually in my office than in the classroom during regular class period. This is not the way I want it given the time pressure you are under but unfortunately this is the reality and we all have to do our share to make it work to our advantage. Thus it is important that you come in for help when you have questions. Please make it a habit to read the textbook and the GREEN BOOK before and after any given topic is covered in class. It is very important to keep up with the material, and not fall behind. Come in to see me in my office during the scheduled office hours, if you have trouble understanding anything. I would also be willing to give out of class review sessions at your request whenever you feel you would like to have one, provided there is a fair number of students who want it. Please familiarize yourself with Maple (available on the Priority machines in all the general access computer labs) and learn to use Maple to do graphs, numerical solutions, and more. The Maple worksheets I have made available through d2l should help you learn the appropriate Maple commands to generate your own graphs. Please stop by my office if you need help with this.
About the material in the text
This course will cover techniques for solving various classes of ordinary differential equations (ODE), systems of ODEs, some applications of ODEs, numerical and qualitative methods for solving and analyzing ODEs, and also a brief study of Laplace and inverse Laplace Transforms and their applications. The focus will be on teaching you Mathematics, and not on applications. Applications will be interspersed throughout the course especially in exercise sections.
As mentioned earlier, the group projects will cover many applications. If you are interested in learning the applications that we will not have time to cover, please talk to me and I can help you outside regular class periods. If you are likely to get annoyed by the degree of emphasis on applications, please talk to me and think about whether you want to remain in my class if it is likely to be a sore point for you. Much of the stuff is likely to be very new to a lot of you. Those of you who are very good at Calculus might find the class too slow or not adequately challenging for you. I suggest that you get involved by helping others in the class or by answering questions in class, if you plan to stay on in my class. Sleeping or doing work other than what is being done in class or any such disrespectful behavior is unacceptable. If you would like more challenging exercises or special projects to be assigned to you, please feel free to talk to me.
More on out-of-class help
The math department office (Swart 115) usually maintains a list of private tutors for various courses offered by the mathematics department. If you would like to hire a tutor or would like to be a tutor who would like to add your name to the list, then you might find it worthwhile to pay a visit to the math department office. Though the Math tutor lab offers free service, I cannot be sure the tutors will be able to help you with this course. But give it a try if you need help when I am not available.
The University counseling center offers assistance and advice on various course-related issues such as test anxiety, math anxiety, time management, preparing for tests in general, and many other issues. The center is located in Dempsey 201 (phone: 2061). Please do not hesitate to visit the center and familiarize yourself with the various free services the center offers. I also have a copy of a self-help book to conquer test anxiety particularly in mathematics. Feel free to stop by my office and take a look.
If you would like to be added to a list of students who wish to find out-of-class study partners, and are also interested in knowing how to contact other such students in this class, please see me soon. I will have you add your name, schedule and contact information to a list (the out-of-class study partner list) a copy of which will then be made available to every student included in the list.
Classroom behaviour
Proper student behavior is expected in my classroom. This means that unnecessary and disruptive non-course related talking, laughing, sleeping, and doing anything other than reading and discussing the course material when the class is in progress will not be tolerated. Playing on your calculator/cell phone, passing ‘notes’ to each other in class, or reading material not related to our course during class time are not looked upon favourably. If you are in the habit of falling asleep in class, please expect to be called on! If you think you might fall asleep in class due to having had a particularly restless night before class, or due to some medical reason, you must talk to me before the period or before leaving class. I do not have much patience for students sleeping in class or playing with your calculators/cell phones or engaging in behaviour that are distracting to me or the rest of the class. I will not hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to control discipline problems of any sort.
There is likely to be a wide range of abilities and skill level among the students in this class. Those of you who are very good at Mathematics might find the class too slow or not adequately challenging for you. I suggest that you get involved by helping others in class or by answering questions in class, if you plan to stay in my class.
As harsh as all this sounds, I do encourage a relaxed, friendly and unintimidating classroom environment that will allow students to freely participate in the instructional process. Your attitude and demeanor towards your fellow students and me will to a large extent determine the kind of atmosphere we have in the class.
Determining your standing in the class any time of the semester:
To figure out at any time during the semester what your standing is in terms of grade in the class, simply calculate your point total at that point in time, divide by the maximum point total, and multiply by 100 to calculate the percentage. For example, at the stage when there have been two tests (maximum total 100 points) and say four quizzes (maximum total 40 points), if your point total is, say, 106, then your percentage is . This will put you in the C range, according to the letter-grade scheme that is on page 1 of this document. But please understand that only the best five quiz grades will count, and that I determine each student’s letter grade in the course solely based on where the point total at the end of the semester falls according to the letter-grade scheme.
Miscellaneous
Please bear in mind that the teacher is only partly responsible for how you do in the course. The larger portion of the responsibility for your success or failure lies in how well you handle individual problems and how willing you are to seek help, and work at your problems. I would like to see every one of you do well and learn well, and I am willing to do my very best to help you learn. The rest is up to you.
It is very important that you do not allow undone homework accumulate. Keeping up with the material is extremely important unless mathematics comes easy to you.
I am likely to be using e-mail and the d2l (www.uwosh.edu/d2l) site that has already been set-up for my Calculus III class to communicate with you, especially regarding review problems and a few other things of that nature. I have already made folders available on d2l that contain the Maple worksheets. Also posted are a list of homework problems (which I do not plan to collect and grade), review problems on pre-differential equations material that are important for this course, and two tables on Laplace and inverse Laplace Transforms, that I will expect you to fill out yourselves for use on tests and quizzes that cover chapter five material. The print-outs of the Maple worksheets are included in the GREEN BOOK. Throughout the semester I will post various course related material on d2l. Please make it a habit to check your e-mail and the d2l site for postings. If you need help navigating the d2l site please talk to me.
There will be no make-up tests or quizzes. If you have to miss a test or a quiz due to extra-ordinary circumstances, please inform me ahead of time if at all possible (make use of the extensive contact information found on page 1) so alternate arrangements could be made if absolutely necessary.
The policies stated in this document are subject to change. But I will try my best to stick with the policies as stated here.
I wish you a successful and enjoyable semester. Please feel free to come and talk to me if I can be of any help. But please do not wait until it is too late for me to help you.