M130 Class Policies and other information

Spring 2007

 

 

CLASS FORMAT:  This section will rely heavily on instructor-guided small groups.  Each class period will begin with a small presentation of the new content/material and is then followed by activities that you will work on together in a small group.  The goal is to work together! Depending on your learning style, you may want to spend some moments in individual reflection on the activities but then you are required to work together with others.  I will be circulating around the classroom, asking or answering questions that will help facilitate your understanding of the material. 

 

PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE/DAILY WORK:  Attendance is important to you and your table partners.  When you miss class there is one less person to help in the class work.  Your participation in class is important to your grade and your group members.  A large portion of your class time will be spent working with others.  Hence a portion of your final grade will be determined by the work you accomplish in these groups. Each day there will be class work to be done at your table with your other table partners.  Some of this class work will be collected with your homework assignment.  This will be clearly announced on the homework page of your class website.    Participation points are earned by attending class and by participating in class discussions.  You are allowed to miss two classes (for sickness or for whatever) and after that you will lose points off your participation grade. See schedule here.

 

HOMEWORK:  You are allowed and encouraged to work with others to complete homework, unless otherwise noted.  Homework will be assigned on your homework page every week.   A subset of problems collected at the beginning of class approximately every other week.  The due date will be specified next to the assignment on your homework page.  Solutions for the previous day’s assignment will be available upon request; however, you are expected to use your peers before turning to this resource. Homework points are earned as follows: attempting and working on every problem and providing evidence of work, accuracy and nature of solution attempts, turning work in on time.  Homework is not accepted late.  A zero will be earned for assignments that are not turned in or are woefully incomplete.

 

Quizzes:  There will be quizzes approximately every other week.  These will occur on weeks on which there is no collected homework.   These will cover homework material and class discussion.  No make-up quizzes will be given. 

 

Exams: There will be periodic in class exams (2 or 3) and 1 take home exam. The exam dates and material covered by them will be announced in class. It is the student's responsibility to find out what announcements he/she missed by coming late, leaving early, or missing class. A make-up exam will be allowed, provided that "official" documentation explaining your absence is supplied and notification of your absence is given prior to the exam by e-mail or phone message.  Your take-home exam will be your last exam for the course (before the final) and is usually due the week before finals.

 

 SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS:  These may include written assignments, exercise from you daily homework list and other activities to be completed inside or outside of class.  Assigned at the instructor’s discretion, they may vary from 1-20 pts and be assigned as group or individual work.  Special assignments may be graded either on a point system or using a rubric which will be turned back with student work.  These grades will go into the Homework portion.

 

Final Project: There will be a special project that will incorporate most of the material covered in this course. You will be required to use the computer lab and type up portions of your final report.   It will be a project that you could incorporate into your teaching portfolio. More information will be provided when the project is assigned.

 

Final exam: This is a mandatory exam.  To earn an A in the class a student must obtain at least a C on the final.  An F on the final will drop the student at least one letter grade (e.g. if you have an 89% before the final you will be dropped to a C).

 

 

TECHNOLOGY and MATERIALS: 

 

 

Grading Policy: Course grades will be assigned as follows: A= 90% or higher, B= 80-89%, C= 70-79%, D= 60-69%.  Your performance will be weighted as follows:

 

         Homework, projects, and participation              28%

         Quizzes                                                          10%

         Hour exams                                                     30%

         Final project                                                   12%

         Comprehensive final exam                                 20%

                                                                               100%

In preparing your written work explain your thought process and provide justification for your conclusions. Neatness, correctness, and style will be considered in the evaluation of your papers. Although you are encouraged to work in small groups on your assignments, all work submitted under your name should represent your current understanding of the problems involved and should not be the copied work of another person.