Course: Math 142 (Sections 01 and 02), Fall 2017.
Instructor: Prof. Chris (Christopher Hanusa) — Email: chanusa@qc.cuny.edu — Office: Kiely Tower, Room 606
Section 01: Meets Mondays and Wednesdays 1:40–2:55 in KY 258.
Section 02: Meets Mondays and Wednesdays 3:10–4:25 in KY 258.
Course Web Site: http://qc.edu/~chanusa/courses/142/17/
Required Textbook: Essential Calculus, Second Edition, by James Stewart. You can purchase the book online from the publisher. I suggest one of the first two options. The first option is for access to WebAssign and a copy of the e-book. The second option is for access to WebAssign along with a physical book, and it also includes access to the e-book. You MUST use WebAssign in this course. There may be a coupon available for a hard cover book, and I suggest scouring the web for other discounts.
Required Homework Software and Electronic Resources: WebAssign. The Class Key is qc 6174 1546. Log on to WebAssign and in the upper right corner it has a button that says "Enter Class Key"
This class covers: Most of Chapters 4, 5, and 7 of the textbook. [See daily topics for more specifics.]
Grading Resources: Gradesly. You will be able to track your course progress with this real-time grading resource. On the first day of class you will receive information about how to get access.
Course goals:
By the end of this course, students will become proficient in a given set of standards. In particular, students are expected to:
- Recall key techniques from integral calculus and be able to apply them to unfamiliar examples.
- Recall the statements, consequences, and applications of main definitions and theorems.
- Develop familiarity with theory and evaluation of sums, integrals, and applications of integrals.
- Develop the ability to work productively on mathematics with others.
- Develop techniques for succeeding in college classes, especially in mathematics.
Homework Policy:
DO IT! You can not expect to learn calculus without practice. I've chosen the homework assignments on WebAssign to help you practice calculation questions and also test your understanding of theoretical aspects of calculus. Your success in this class will depend on your facility with both of these aspects of calculus. Homework assignments will be posted on the course website the week beforehand. We will be spending some time in class discussing questions you have from the homework. If you have more questions, do visit the Math Help Room in Kiely 331 or come to my office hours in Kiely Tower Room 606!
Study Groups:
An important component of your learning in this class is through study groups. Study groups allow you to learn the intricacies of the material; discussion of problems often lead to better understanding and new and more efficient ways to solve the problems. One of the best ways to learn something is to explain it to someone else; misunderstandings that you never knew you had will appear under someone else's questioning! In addition, seeing that others also struggle with the material helps to put your own level of understanding in a better perspective and will hopefully reduce some of your anxiety. If you can not find a study group, e-mail me so that I can help you get involved.
Most importantly, I assume that you will be working in groups when I make up the homework assignments. At the beginning the problems will seem easy enough to plug and chug on your own, but as the quarter progresses the questions become quite complex indeed. When a group works on a problem, everyone can participate. However, I suggest that you take time to digest and write up solutions to the problems on your own.
Grading Scheme and Assessments:
This semester your final grade will be based on a grading system called "Standards Based Grading". In essence, your grade will depend on your proficiency with a set of course standards. The goal for this system is that your grade will be based on how well you know the material, and not on how well you do on a small number of high-stakes midterm exams. This makes you in charge of your grade and not "the exam".
As part of this grading system, you will have multiple opportunities to show your mastery of each standard. There will be six assessments throughout the semester, which will take 40 minutes and which will test approximately five standards that have been covered in class up to that point. Each standard may appear multiple times during the course of the semester. For each question you will be given a score of 0 to 4 that reflects your ability to address the standard, as follows:
| A completely correct solution including supporting justification. | |
| An almost-correct solution hat contains most of the main ideas needed to solve the problem completely. | |
| A solution that contains some of the main ideas but is not complete. | |
| A very partial solution or a good start. | |
| No work, a weak start, or an unsupported answer |
Every week you will have the option to reassess one standard of your choosing. On weeks when no assessment is scheduled, this personalized reassessment will take place in class during the last 10 minutes on Wednesday. On weeks with a scheduled assessment, you may make an appointment to take a ten-minute reassessment during one of the following time periods: Wed 9-9:45am, Wed 12:15-1:30pm (this may not be possible, depending on other events), Thu 9-4:30pm.
If you wish to reassess a standard, you must let me know by email on Monday evening at the latest. In this email, you must include:
- A subject line that says: Reassessment Request for (your name)
- Your name and your section (either MW 1:45 or MW 3:10)
- The name of the ONE standard for which you wish to improve your score.
- If there is an assessment scheduled for the week, the times when you are available to meet for your reassessment.
- A one-sentence explanation why you think you did poorly on the standard the previous time.
- A one-sentence explanation about how you will work to improve your score before the reassessment.
At the end of the semester, your final grade will be based on the scores you have acheived for each of the standards, based on the following rubric:
| A score of 3.5 or higher on 21 of the 24 standards (90%) (including all the core standards) and no score lower than a 3 on the remaining standards. | |
| A score of 3 or higher on 19 of the 24 standards (80%) (including all the core standards) and no score lower than a 2.5 on the remaining standards. | |
| A score of 2 or higher on 19 of the 24 standards (80%) (including all the core standards) and no score lower than a 1 on the remaining standards. | |
| If you do not score 2 or higher on 19 of the 24 standards. |
In every assessment and reassessment, you will be able to use your (TI-≤86) graphing calculator (A TI-Nspire is NOT allowed). There will be no make-up assessment except in the case of a documented emergency. In the event of an unavoidable conflict with the assessment (an athletic meet, wedding, funeral, etc...), you must notify me at least one week before its date so that we can arrange for you to take the assessment BEFORE the actual date.
In-Class Participation:
Succeeding in this class will require your attendance and participation. A great way to participate is to ask questions. A question as simple as "I don't really understand how/why you did X; can you explain it in a different way?" is a great question to ask and it shows that you are involved in the class. You should participate in the in-class activities, including worksheets, our group discussions, and other interactive features.
If you miss a class, you are responsible for the material you missed—get the notes from your classmates and study group and make sure that you understand the material that you missed.
Math Lab:
The Math department sponsors the Math Lab in Kiely 331, where you can find lecture videos, computers, and tutors to help you with your homework, starting the second week of class.
Office Hours:
I am happy to help you with your homework and other class-related questions during my office hours. I have official office hours as posted on my schedule. In addition, you are welcome to make an appointment or stop by my office in Kiely Tower 606 at any time. (You can call 718-997-5964 to see if I'm there.)
Cheating/Plagiarism:
DON'T DO IT! It makes me very mad and very frustrated when students cheat. Cheating is the quickest way to lose the respect that I have for each student at the beginning of the semester.
Both receiving and supplying the answers on an assessment is cheating.
Working together on homework is encouraged and is certainly not considered cheating. On the other hand, copying someone else's homework solutions IS cheating.
I take cheating very seriously. If you cheat, you will receive a zero for the assessment and I will report you to the academic integrity committee in the Office of Student Affairs to be placed on your permanent file. If you cheat twice, you will receive a zero for the class.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should register with and provide documentation to the Office of Special Services, Frese Hall, room 111. The Office of Special Services will provide a letter for you to bring to your instructor indicating the need for accommodation and the nature of it. This should be done during the first week of class. For more information about services available to Queens College students, contact the Office of Special Services (718-997-5870) or visit their website (http://sl.qc.cuny.edu/oss/). If you need special accommodation for an exam, you MUST contact me at least one week beforehand.
Course Evaluations
During the final four weeks of the semester, you will be asked to complete an evaluation for this course by filling out an online questionnaire. Please remember to participate in these course evaluations. I care about your comments, and these evaluations are an important service to fellow students and to the institution, since your responses will be pooled with those of other students and made available online, in the Queens College Course Information System (http://courses.qc.cuny.edu). Please also note that all responses are completely anonymous; no identifying information is retained once the evaluation has been submitted.
Technical Support
The Queens College Helpdesk (http://www.qc.cuny.edu/computing/, (718) 997-4444, helpdesk@qc.cuny.edu) is located in the I-Building, Room 151 and provides technical support for students who need help with Queens College email, CUNY portal, Blackboard, and CUNYfirst.
