General Policies and Procedures
Matthias K. Gobbert
Study Suggestion
While I realize that you have only a limited amount of time available
for this class, the following strategy has proven very successful in
studying for math classes, and I strongly advise its use:
Prepare for the lecture by reading the
scheduled section(s) in the textbook; even if you do not understand
everything, you will have an overview of what to expect in class.
At this point, you should review any section, that might be needed
as background for the new material. Then attend the lecture and take
your own notes. Afterwards, you should review the textbook and your notes
as much as necessary to understand the material; test yourself by
working out the examples in the text! At this point, you are
ready to do the homework problems for this section as a final test
of your understanding.
You should realize that this approach actually saves time over the
whole semester, since it is easier to do homework problems
right after studying the material, and thus reinforcing the lecture.
Also, by starting all homework problems as early as possible, you have
the opportunity to get additional help before the due date.
You should expect to spend at least three hours of your own time for
every hour of lecture per week.
Homework
The purpose of homework is to reinforce concepts introduced in class.
Mathematics can only be learned by applying these concepts yourself.
Only as a secondary purpose is the homework designed to help your
self-evaluation and to prepare you for the tests.
Please note that the homework is due in class, at the beginning of the
lecture to be precise. No guarantee can be given for homework turned in
at any other time and/or place. I will accept late homework only in
exceptional situations, provided approval for late homework has been
obtained by the due date. Do not leave
homework at my office, if I am not present, as it may get destroyed
by the cleaning crew.
Also note that the department does not have sufficient resources to
accept homework, so do not try to turn in homework to the department
secretary, please.
Documentation of Computer Problems
The presentation of computer problems should be a complete and
self-contained report such that the reader, who is unfamiliar with the
problem, can understand the problem to be solved, your solution to it
including your computer code, the manner in which the results were obtained,
and your interpretation of the results. Correct and complete results
for a computer problem are never worth more than half of the points for
the problem. The explanation of your solution method and the interpretation
of the results is required in all cases. You are always required to submit
a complete printout of all computer code used.
Here are some ideas on what to include in your presentation:
- State the problem in your own words, introducing notation and
formulas as needed. Then derive your solution as mathematically
required.
- Prepare this solution for programming. Explain the structure of the
code you implement such that the enclosed program listing can be
understood. State in which manner the results were obtained.
- Present all enclosed results. These must be accompanied by a
critical discussion; for instance, you may want to contrast them
to your expectations, your experience with other solution methods,
or mathematical theorems, as appropriate.
To facilitate grading, please follow the structure of the problem
(parts (a), (b), (c), etc.).
Grading
The number and type of exams is given in the syllabus.
The final exam is comprehensive and will cover all material covered in
the course. Additional quizzes might be given, if deemed necessary.
While the grading scale will be adjusted later to some degree to reflect
the level of difficulty of the exams, the following may
serve as a guideline based on prior experience:
Score above
| 90%
| 80%
| 65%
| 50%
| otherwise
|
Letter grade
| A
| B
| C
| D
| F
|
Both the weight distribution and the grading scale are subject to
change by announcement in class.
Policy on Academic Misconduct
You are encouraged to work in groups, since it is vital that
you learn to communicate mathematical ideas, but everyone should write
out their own final solution independently. Copying homework or any
other material is considered cheating and a serious violation of the
student honor code as defined in the catalog. You are encouraged to review
the codes and policies there. If a violation is observed, you can expect
me to pursue the matter to the full extent of the policy, including but
not necessarily limited to issuing a failing grade for academic misconduct.
The right is reserved to check a picture identification at any time.
When in doubt about something or if you have any questions on this matter,
contact me.
Copyright © 1999-2000 by Matthias K. Gobbert. All Rights Reserved.
This page version 2.1, January 2000.