PBIS 187 Sports
Mathematics
Fall 2006
Section 001 8:00
to 9:00 M W F
Instructor:
Dr. Chris Edwards
Phone: 424-1358 or
948-3969
Office: Swart 123
Classroom: Swart 240
Required
Calculator: TI-83, TI-83 Plus (or
TI-84 Plus), by Texas Instruments.
Other TI graphics calculators (like the TI-86) do not have the same
statistics routines we will be using and may
cause you troubles.
Catalog
Description: In this course students will develop their problem
solving, critical thinking, communications and quantitative skills by exploring
a mathematical topic in a problem solving setting. The topic will vary depending on instructor. Students are expected to participate
actively in their own learning through class discussions, presentations and
group activities and will identify attitudes and beliefs that are conducive to
success in problem solving and critical thinking. Students should consult their advisor or the Mathematics
Department to determine the topics of individual sections. Successful completion of this course
will fulfill the Problem-Based Inquiry Seminar requirement. Prerequisites: Math 100 with a C or better or
Placement.
Course
Objectives: (Click
here for full document.) This course focuses
on critical thinking and active learning.
Students will engage in problem solving and will come to understand that
a ìproblemî is a situation that is unfamiliar and one for which a solution is
not immediately evident. Being
stuck is natural and is an essential part of the problem solving process.
PBIS courses offer
the opportunity to develop the ability to distinguish problem solving and
critical thinking from exercises and routine thinking and to identify attitudes
and beliefs that are conducive to success in challenging situations (and those
which are not). The intent is to
provide a strong intellectual experience that will enhance the university
experience and form a solid base for life-long learning.
Specifically
students will
ï collect data,
observe patterns, make and verify conjectures
ï improve their
ability to reason logically
ï develop effective
written and oral communication skills
ï improve skills
related to critical thinking, problem solving and
creativity
ï use and
understand symbol systems and quantitative methods
ï understand
principles of mathematics and the sciences.
Grading: Final grades are based
on 300 points:
|
|
Topic |
Points |
Tentative Date |
|
Quiz 1 |
Basic
Statistics and Displays |
25 pts. |
September 22 |
|
Quiz 2 |
Simulation |
25 pts. |
October 6 |
|
Quiz 3 |
Scheduling
and Tournaments |
25 pts. |
October 27 |
|
Quiz 4 |
Statistical Inference |
25 pts. |
November 10 |
|
Quiz 5 |
Regression
and Modeling |
25 pts. |
December 1 |
|
Quiz 6 |
Sports Physics |
25 pts. |
December 15 |
|
Group Presentations |
25 Points Each |
75 pts. |
Approx. Monthly |
|
Projects |
25 Points Each |
75 pts. |
Approx. Monthly |
Attendance is a very
important component of success in my class because many of the skills and
lessons we will learn will be a direct result of classroom activities that
cannot be reproduced easily. Thus, final grades are based on attendance as well
as total points earned. Minimum scores for each grade and attendance level are
as follows:
|
Absences => Grade: |
0 to
3 |
4 to
6 |
7 to
9 |
10
to 12 |
13
or more |
|
A |
270
(90 %) |
285
(95 %) |
|
|
|
|
AB |
255
(85 %) |
270
(90 %) |
285
(95 %) |
|
|
|
B |
240
(80 %) |
255
(85 %) |
270
(90 %) |
285
(95 %) |
|
|
BC |
225
(75 %) |
240
(80 %) |
255
(85 %) |
270
(90 %) |
285
(95 %) |
|
C |
210
(70 %) |
225
(75 %) |
240
(80 %) |
255 (85
%) |
270
(90 %) |
|
D |
180
(60 %) |
195
(65 %) |
210
(70 %) |
225
(75 %) |
240
(80 %) |
Office
Hours: Office hours are times when I will be in my office to
help you. There are many other
times when I am in my office. If I
am in and not busy, I will be happy to help. My office hours for Fall 2006 semester are 1:50 to 2:50
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, or by
appointment.
Presentations: There
will be three presentations, each worth 25 points. The descriptions of the presentations are on the Days187
file. I will assign you to your
groups for these presentations randomly, but I want to avoid you having the
same members each time. I expect
each person in a group to contribute to the work; you can allocate the work in
any way you like. If a group
member is not contributing, see me as soon as possible so I can make a decision
about what to do. The topics are: 1-Displays (September 20). 2-Scheduling/tournament? (October
25). 3-Optimal angle for a HR
(December 13).
Projects:
There
will be three projects, each worth 25 points. The descriptions of the presentations are on the Days187
file. Unlike presentations, you
will each work on your own projects.
Of course I cannot stop you from consulting each other, but I want you
each to have your own write-up and specific examples. However, the rigor and length should be similar in nature to
the presentations. I will be
grading on both the mathematical content and the English/grammar. After all, how effective can you be if
you are unable to communicate your ideas.
The topics are: 1 - Analyze
a game that uses probability (due October 13). 2 - Schedule a mock league (due November 3). 3 - Develop an alternate triathlon
scoring (due December 8).
Philosophy: I
strongly believe that you, the student, are the only person who can make
yourself learn. Therefore,
whenever it is appropriate, I expect you to "discover" the mathematics we will be
exploring. I do not feel that
"lecturing" to you will teach you how to do mathematics. I hope to be your "guide"
while we learn some mathematics, but you will need to do the learning.
My idea of teaching
/ learning is not "Teaching is telling and learning is
listening". I believe that
you must be active in the learning process to learn well. My job as a teacher, therefore, is not
to "tell" you the answers to the problems we will encounter; rather
it is to point you in a direction that will allow you to see the solutions
yourselves. To accomplish that
goal, I will work to find different interactive activities for us to work
on. Your job is to use me, to use
books, to use your friends, and any other resources. Keep in mind that the goal is to learn mathematics, not to
pass the quizzes. (Incidentally,
if you have truly learned the material, the quiz results will take care of
themselves.)
|
Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
|
September 4 |
September 6 Day 1 |
September 8 Day 2 |
|
September 11 Day 3 |
September 13 Day 4 |
September 15 Day 5 |
|
September 18 Day 6 |
September 20 Day 7 |
September 22 Day 8 |
|
September 25 Day 9 |
September 27 Day 10 |
September 29 Day 11 |
|
October 2 Day 12 |
October 4 Day 13 |
October 6 Day 14
|
|
October 9 Day 15 |
October 11 Day 16 |
October 13 Day 17 |
|
October 16 Day 18 |
October 18 Day 19 |
October 20 Day 20 |
|
October 23 Day 21 |
October 25 Day 22 |
October 27 Day 23 |
|
October 30 Day 24 |
November 1 Day 25 |
November 3 Day 26 |
|
November 6 Day 27 |
November 8 Day 28 |
November 10 Day 29 |
|
November 13 Day
30 |
November 15 Day 31 |
November 17 Day 32 |
|
November 20 Day 33 |
November 22 |
November
24 |
|
November 27 Day 34 |
November 29 Day 35 |
December 1 Day 36 |
|
December 4 Day 37 |
December 6 Day 38 |
December 8 Day 39 |
|
December 11 Day 40 |
December 13 Day 41 |
December 15 Day 42 |
Managed by: Chris
Edwards
edwards at uwosh dot edu
Last updated August 15, 2006