Syllabus

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Math 141 - Calculus I
Fall 2014
MWF 12:00am - 1:10am, Science Building, room 215N
http://home.adelphi.edu/~bstone/teaching/math141/

Instructor

• Branden Stone
• Post Hall, room 203
• bstone@adelphi.edu
• 516-237-8584

Office Hours

• MWF 10:00am - 12:00pm, or by appointment

Catalog Description

• Master the techniques of differential calculus for single-variable functions: limits, continuity, derivatives, and antiderivatives. Refine the study of functions and trigonometry. Solve problems involving optimization and related rates. Investigate applications to science and economics.

Course Prerequisites

• Either a passing grade in a departmental placement Exam, or a grade of C- OR better in MTH 140. Three Years of High School Mathematics including Trigonometry are expected.

General Education Learning Goals & Distribution Requirements

• This course fulfills the Quantitative Learning Goal for General Education at Adelphi University. It also fulfills the Formal Science Distribution requirement.

• Although this course will fulfill these general education requirements for students not majoring in the sciences, please bear in mind that it was designed for students majoring in mathematics, computer science, physics and chemistry. There are other courses designed by the math and computer science department specifically for non-science majors, which would likely be more appropriate, especially Mathematical Modeling in The Sciences (Math 101 - Fall semester) and Mathematical Modeling in Human Affairs (Math 102 - Spring Semester).

Course Learning Goals

• These are my goals for you over the course of the semester. I would also be interested to hear any other goals you have for yourself.
• • • Students will successfully communicate mathematics through reading, writing and speaking.
• • • Students will value peer collaboration and group learning while continuing to maintain a sense of self-motivation and personal understanding.
• • • Students will work to solve difficult problems. Value the process of figuring them out yourself, rather than just searching for “the answer.”
• • • Students will be prepared to continue to Math 142 and use the tools of differential calculus as they apply to other disciplines:
• • • – Understand limits and continuity.
• • • – Realize the derivative as a limit and as a function.
• • • – Apply knowledge of the derivative to solve “word problems.”
• • • We will all have FUN learning calculus.

Students With Disabilities

• If you have a disability that may impact your ability to carry out assigned course work, and are not enrolled in the Learning Disabilities Program, it is important that you contact the staff in the Disability Support Services Office (DSS), University Center, Room 310, (516) 877-3145. DSS@adelphi.edu. DSS will review your concerns and determine, with you, appropriate and necessary accommodations. All information and documentation of disability is confidential.

Honor Code Statement

• Students enrolled in this course are expected to abide by the Adelphi University Honor Code. The purpose of the Honor Code is to protect the academic integrity of the University by encouraging consistent ethical behavior in assigned coursework by students. Following is excerpted from the Student Honor Code:

• The Code of Academic Honesty
• • The code of academic honesty prohibits behavior, which can broadly be described as lying, cheating, or stealing. Violations of the code of academic honesty will include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Fabricating data or citations 2. Collaborating in areas prohibited by the professor 3. Unauthorized multiple submission of work 4. Sabotage of others’ work, including library vandalism or manipulation 5. Plagiarism: presenting any work as one’s own that is not one’s own 6. The creation of unfair advantage 7. The facilitation of dishonesty 8. Tampering with or falsifying records 9. Cheating on examinations through the use of written materials or giving or receiving help in any form during the exam, including talking, signals, electronic devices, etc.

Student Course Evaluations

• During the last two weeks of the class, you will receive notification, via email and eCampus, that the course evaluation is available for your input electronically. Availability will end at the start of the final examination period. Your feedback is valuable and I encourage you to respond. Please be assured that your responses are anonymous and the results will not be available to the instructor until after the end of the semester and therefore after course grades have been submitted.

Materials

• Website. The website for the course is http://home.adelphi.edu/~bstone/teaching/math141/. All homework assignments will be posted on this site as well as solutions to quizzes, exams, and other resources and materials. We will not be using Moodle for this course.

• On-line Homework Utility (WebAssign). We will be using an on-line homework system to handle some of the routine and practice problems. Point your browser of choice to www.webassign.net and click on the “I have a class key” button. Enter the following class key adelphi 5366 8086. You are required to set up an account on WebAssign as part of this course. You should verify our class and then you’ll be asked to create an account or login to one you’ve already created. We have a free trial period that lasts for two weeks, so you do not need to enter an access code (if you bought that at the bookstore) or purchase access until then. WebAssign access is included with the textbook that is sold in the Adelphi bookstore, or it can be purchased separately at the WebAssign website.

• Text. Calculus: Concepts and Contexts, Hybrid, 4th ed., Stewart, published by Cengage Learning. The textbook can be purchased at the bookstore, bundled with an access card for the WebAssign site. Alternately, students can purchase access to the WebAssign site and get access to an electronic version of the textbook.

• Calculators. You will not need a graphing calculator in this course. However, you should have access to a scientific calculator; no particular model is required. The use of calculators is usually permitted on quizzes and exams. Most smartphones have calculator apps, but the use of smartphones and other network-enabled devices during quizzes and exams is prohibited.

Assessment

• Homework. Assignments will be assigned on a regular basis and are accepted to be turned in on time. No late homework will be accepted. Assignments will be given in the following ways.
  
  
  1. WebAssign. We will use the on-line system WebAssign to deal with the assigning and grading of introductory problems. Before each new topic, an assignment will be given via WebAssign along with helpful links to external videos and other materials. You will be responsible to learn the basics of this material before the discussion in class. WebAssign has many helpful tools to give you hints along the way. You retake these problems as many times as you want between the time they are assigned and the closing date. Each assignment will close the day of the following exam.
     
     
  2. In-Class Worksheets. Class discussions will be centered around worksheets. These worksheets will be posted on the course website prior to class and you will be responsible for bringing a copy of the worksheet to class; this can be in electronic form (i.e. on your phone). The problems on the worksheets will more difficult than the ones assigned on WebAssign. As we will be working together in groups, you will have the opportunity present the material to me and your classmates. The goal of this is to obtain a hands-on understanding of the material.
     
     These problems are to be turned in by class time on the following Monday. This can be done electronically (i.e. scan and email) or traditionally. Only problems meeting the following criteria will be accepted:
  • • solutions must be written on the worksheet itself;
  • • solutions must be legible;
  • • solutions must be comprehensible.
    
    
    1. Daily Problems. At the beginning of each class, you will have 5 minutes to solve one of the problems from the previous discussion period. You will not be able to use notes or your book for help. The questions will be taken from the previous discussions in-class worksheet.
       
       
    2. Monday Problems. Each week you will be assigned a thought provoking and writing intensive problem based on the material of the week. These will be due at the time of class on the following Monday.
       
       

• Quizzes. There will be three quizzes throughout the semester. Tentative dates can be found on the course schedule and are subject to change due to the nature of the course.

• Exams. There will be a total of three exams in the course. Only the final exam will be comprehensive. The exam dates and times can be found on the course schedule and are subject to change due to the nature of the course.

Grading Rational

The final grade will be determined by your performance on homework, quizzes, exams, and the final examination. The final grade is weighted as follows:

• • WebAssign	10%
    In-Class Worksheet	10%
    Daily Problems	5%
    Monday Problems	10%
    Quizzes	15%
    Exam 1	15%
    Exam 2	15%
    Final Exam	20%

Extra Credit

• Sometimes students ask me for an opportunity to improve their grade. Fairness dictates that each student in the class should have the same opportunities as everyone other student. Please do not ask me for special favors that will only benefit you.

Attendance Policy

• There is no component in the grading scheme of this course for attendance. However, because many classes will begin with the daily problem, you will need to come to class on time in order to get the best possible grade in this class. If you miss a class for a medical reason or other valid excuse, you will be given an opportunity to make up the missing daily problem, but if you cut class - or arrive after the daily problem has been completed - without a valid reason, your grade will suffer.

• Only students who are registered for courses, and whose name appears on the Official Class Roster may attend courses at the University. Adelphi students make a commitment to be active participants in their educational program; class attendance is an integral part of this commitment. Students are expected to be present promptly at the beginning of each class period, unless prevented by illness or by other compelling cause. In the event of such absence, students may request that faculty members be notified by the Office of Academic Services and Retention. Students are responsible for completing course work missed through absences. Students should wait a reasonable length of time for an instructor in the event that the instructor is delayed.

Classroom Conduct

• Conduct is important in the classroom as it is in the workplace. In Adelphi classes, people are expected to treat others with respect and dignity at all times. Any behavior, which is disruptive to the learning environment, is strictly prohibited. Disruptive behavior may result in action including reduction in the final grade and/or withdrawal from class.

Religious Holidays

• Any student in this course who plans to observe a religious holiday which conflicts in any way with the course schedule or requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss alternative accommodations.