Course Policies Math 101 Calculus I, Fall 2024

Overview

Very few things in this world are constant -- Most things change: public opinion; your annual income; the speed of a car; your eating habits. Calculus is the language of change. It allows us to describe and predict the behavior of changing quantities.

One of the recurring themes throughout the semester will be the process of approximation: Although you may not be able to find a solution exactly, in most cases a good approximation serves just as well. One of the beautiful aspects of calculus is that by taking better and better approximations we can quite often find a precise solution. Whether you are a math major, a science major, an economics major, or just taking the course for fun, this semester will prepare you for further studies that depend upon the material in Calculus I. The Tentative Daily Syllabus on the course webpage contains a detailed listing of the topics we will cover during the semester.

There are a lot of super cool ideas that we'll discuss in Calc I. You're going to learn a whole lot of math and a whole lot about yourself this semester!

Goals for a 100-level Mathematics Course

By the end of this semester you should:

• Be able to process technical information presented in written or visual form
• Be able to communicate mathematical ideas with other students, both verbally and in writing
• Appreciate the necessity of rigorous mathematical arguments
• See a connection between mathematics and other disciplines
• See the applicability of the mathematical thought process to other disciplines and in your daily life
• Be willing to approach a problem even if you do not know whether or not your approach will be successful. If it doesn't work out, try something else!

Goals Specific to Calculus I

By the end of this semester you should:

• Understand the definition of the derivative as the limit of the difference quotient
• Develop an intuition for the graphical relationship between a function, its derivative, and its second derivative
• Gain proficiency at symbolic differentiation, including using the Product, Quotient, and Chain Rules
• Interpret the derivative as both the slope of the tangent line and as an instantaneous rate of change
• Be able to find the extreme value of a function using the derivative
• Appreciate the importance of the Mean Value Theorem
• Understand the definite integral as a process of accumulation
• Understand the relationship between definite integrals and antiderivatives as explained by the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
• Be able to evaluate definite integrals by u-substitution
• Use the derivative and the integral in applications such as optimization, Taylor polynomials, and computing average values

Expectations

Mathematics is a very active discipline that is best learned by doing rather than by observing. One of the features that makes your Wheaton education so special is that we have time in small classes to explore material together. The class meetings are not intended to be a complete encapsulation of the course material, but instead will focus on the major concepts from the Pre-Class Assignments and clarifying the more subtle ideas in the course. See the course webpage for more details of the structure of the class meetings.

You should expect to put in approximately 2 hours outside of class for each scheduled hour of class. In other words, expect to spend about 8 hours per week on calculus outside of the scheduled class meetings. There will be some weeks where you spend more time (e.g. working on exams), and there may be some weeks where you do not spend the full 8 hours.

The Honor Code

We operate under the Wheaton Honor Code for all of your academic work at Wheaton. This carries certain freedoms and responsibilities for both you as a student and me as a professor. I take this quite seriously.

Most likely, no Honor Code issues will arise this semester. If you are uncertain about whether a particular situation falls under the Honor Code, then please consult with me. However, if an Honor Code issue does come up, I will assume that you are prepared for the full consequences. Remember that you should write out, and sign, the following statement on all course work:

"I have abided by the Wheaton College Honor Code in this work."

Working with Other Students

I strongly encourage you to work with other students outside of class because I believe mathematics is best learned through collaboration. However, you should not turn in identical work to your partner(s); the answers that you give to the Problem Sets and Pre-Class Assignments should represent your own thinking about solutions.

You should cite anytime that you work with another student on a Problem Set or Pre-Class Assignment. If you fail to do this, I will view it as a violation of the Honor Code.

Evaluation

Your final grade will be determined by

Pre-Class Assignments	5%
Class Engagement/Participation	10%
Edfinity Assignments	15%
Problem Sets & Final Assignment	25%
Three Exams	45%

Pre-Class Assignments

The purpose of reading the text (and optionally watching the linked videos) before class is that if you are familiar with the basic concepts and definitions, then the class meetings can be devoted to the major ideas and subtleties of the material. Mathematical understanding is built in stages, and you will absorb the material more quickly if the class meetings are your second exposure to the fundamental ideas.

The Pre-Class Assignments are posted on the course webpage and include three or so questions that you should be able to answer after you have completed the reading. You will submit your responses through Canvas. I will grade the Pre-Class Assignments using a binary scale: If you make a serious attempt, you will get full credit, even if your answers are not completely correct. The purpose of these questions is to encourage you to engage with the material before class. If you've read the text and thought about a question but don't understand how to answer it, it is perfectly fine to say "I did the prep work but don't see how to approach this question." You'll definitely understand by the end of the class meeting!

Notice that the Pre-Class Assignments are (usually) due at 11:59 pm on Sunday! This will give me enough time to review your responses before our class the next morning. You will be allowed to drop two Pre-Class assignments at the end of the semester.

As the term goes on, you should find that reading the text before class becomes easier and allows you to be more efficient with the total time you spend on the course.

Here are a few guidelines for the Pre-Class assignments:

• Expect to spend 45 to 60 minutes before class for each reading assignment.
  You may not completely understand everything in the section, but the class meetings will be much more meaningful and the homework will be much easier for you if you have spent time with the concepts before class.
• Expect to re-read.
  A mathematics text is not light reading, so you should expect that it may take several passes through a section before you absorb the material. After we have discussed a section in class, go back and re-read the section. Many points will be much clearer.
• Be sure you understand the keywords.
  If you are unsure on some of the terminology, use the index to find where a term is defined.
• Read with a pencil and paper in hand.
  You learn mathematics by doing. If the text asks you to check the calculations, then do it!
• Reflect on what you have read.
  Every so often, stop and think about what you have read, how it fits in with past material, and where you think it is going.
• Keep this list handy.
  Save this list out to keep in your copy of the text, or bookmark this page, and re-read it every few weeks.
• If you feel the assignments are taking you too long, please come see me.
  The point of the reading is to help you learn the course material. If you feel that they have become an obstacle, then we can talk about strategies to help the assignments serve their intended purpose.

Class Engagement/Participation

A significant part of the class meetings will be devoted to working in small groups on problems that delve more deeply into the content introduced in the Pre-Class Assignments and discussed at the beginning of class. A substantial amount of your learning will happen during these collaborative sessions by bouncing ideas off of other students and seeing how other groups approach the problems.

I will also determine your Engagement/Participation grade for each class meeting using a binary scale: You were present and engaged with your peers or you weren't. However, I also know that there may be times when you have a valid reason for missing class. I'll be really flexible, so if you need to miss class, please let me know. Let's just keep the lines of communication open.

Edfinity Assignments

Edfinity is an online homework system that gives you immediate feedback on whether or not you have answered the problem correctly. For most problems, there is no limit on the number of attempts. You will have an Edfinity assignment due most weeks of the semester, usually on Monday at 11:59 pm. Check the Tentative Daily Syllabus for the specific due dates.

While I am a strong proponent of systems like Edfinity, I also know that any online grading can occasionally be frustrating because it is not very forgiving with small typos or minor mistakes in notation. Therefore, you can earn full credit for an Edfinity assignment by scoring at least 85%. In addition, you will be allowed to drop one Edfinity assignment at the end of the semester.

Since you are submitting your answers online, there may be less motivation to keep track of your thought process and keep your work organized. However, this doesn't serve you well later in the semester when you need to review the problems for another assignment or exam. I strongly encourage you to keep a notebook with your work for each Edfinity problem that you can use a reference in reviewing for exams. These solutions do not need to be as thoroughly written as the Problem Set solutions since they are intended for your own reference, but you should clearly label each problem and keep them organized.

The Edfinity assignments are linked from our Canvas site.

Problem Sets & Final Assignment

You will have a Problem Set due most Fridays at 12:30 pm that consists of approximately four problems from the textbook or other sources that are usually more conceptual and require more explanation. These problems should be well-written and well-justified and will be graded fairly leniently by an advanced math student. You will be allowed to drop one Problem Set assignment at the end of the semester.

There will be a Final Assignment due during Finals Week that will consist of a few problems based on content not covered on the exams as well as a cumulative component. This assignment will count for the equivalent of three Problem Sets. You cannot drop this assignment.

I have high expectations for the presentation of the Problem Sets. If you do not follow these guidelines, I reserve the right to return your Problem Set ungraded. I am not being unnecessarily annoying about this. Learning to carefully organize your thoughts and clearly communicate them is one of the most important skills you will learn in college.

• Do not turn in your first attempt at each problem. You should expect to re-write and organize your solutions.
• You must put your name and date on the first page of each assignment, clearly label each problem, and answer each problem in order.
• Your writing must be clear and legible.
• Your solutions must be well-written, using complete sentences to justify your results where necessary.
• A list of answers without explanation is not acceptable and will be graded accordingly.
• Here is a good rule of thumb to follow when writing up your problem sets:

  Write your solutions so that you could hand them to a student who took Calc I last semester and they could understand your explanation.

• If you write in pen, there should be no scratch-outs.
• You will also submit your Problem Sets to Canvas as pdf files.
• Remember, if you do work with someone else on the assignment, you should indicate that in a note on the top of your paper.

Exams

The purpose of the exams is for you to demonstrate your understanding of the course material and, just as importantly, to give you feedback on where your understanding is strong and where you may need more work. See the Tentative Daily Syllabus for dates of the exams. The exams will all follow a similar format:

• There will be an in-class portion that emphasizes more straight-forward computations and fundamental concepts that you will be able to complete within the time limit. This portion will count for 50-75% of each exam.
• The remainder of the exam will be takehome and consist of longer problems that would be more difficult to complete during the limited time of the in-class portion. You will have several days to work on these problems.

I will provide more details about the structure of the exams as the time gets closer.

I know that exams can be stressful, especially with the other academic, extracurricular, and family commitments that you may have. To try to reduce some of this stress concerning your grade, I will weight your exam scores by differing amounts: Your lowest exam score will count 20% of your exam grade, the second lowest will count 30%, and the highest will count 50% of your exam grade. For example, if your four exam scores are 71, 82, and 93, then your overall exam average will be 85.3.

Getting Help with Calculus

Please come see me during my drop-in office hours! No appointment necessary! If you have a conflict and cannot make my office hours, please email me, and we can set up an appointment for another time. You should also take advantage of the no-additional-cost Peer Tutoring that is staffed by advanced math students.

Remember that the goal of the course is to help you learn Calculus and develop your mathematical thinking! If there's any point where you feel that the structure of the class isn't working for you, please come by and we can figure out some possible strategies.

Accessibility Services

Wheaton College is committed to providing equitable access and supportive services for all students to fully access and thrive in the academic, residential and social aspects of student life at Wheaton College. Affirmatively, Wheaton provides appropriate accommodations for eligible students with documented disabilities to afford equal access to educational programs and services. Individuals with disabilities and other access concerns requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should reach out to Accessibility Services at the Filene Center, either via email at accessibility@wheatoncollege.edu or via phone at (508) 286-3794.

Wheaton Student Support & Wellness Resources

The Counseling Center is the confidential and FREE mental health resource on campus for all students. To learn about services, check out the website, or give the office a call at 508-286-3905. Additionally, the Mental Health Support Line is available anytime the CC is not, by calling the front desk 508-286-3905 and following voicemail prompts to be connected to a clinician (24/7, available in languages other than English, and accessible from anywhere you are in the world).

The Filene Center strives to support your learning pathway by fostering successful academic, career, and personal development. The academic advising staff will work collaboratively with you, faculty and campus resources to ensure that you have the access and guidance to become a confident and reflective learner at Wheaton and beyond. Contact us at advising@wheatoncollege.edu.

Many other offices on campus can also help support the holistic wellness of students. For students who identify as low-income, first-gen, LGBTQ+, or have a faith or spiritual practice they adhere to, the Center for Social Justice and Community Impact and Center for Religious and Spiritual Life (the Base) are good places for support and engagement. The Marshall Center for Intercultural Learning supports BIPOC students and those working towards breaking down barriers across differences, and the Center for Global Education supports international students, and students seeking educational opportunities abroad. The Title IX Office supports students through sexual and gender based misconduct, and the Bias Incident Response Team supports individuals through a wide variety of bias events. We encourage you to reach out to any and all of these offices for support.

Health Services through Norton Medical Center is available to support students with a variety of physical health needs including specialty support for GYN and STI care. Contact the office at 508-285-9500 to make an appointment for care. There is no copay for visits and most services are free, with select procedures and labs billed to insurance.