Classes:
The course is taught in a weekly lecture, supplemented by a weekly recitation class. Each lecture divides into a number of recitation sections. Your CRN for this course is the CRN of your recitation section.  The recitation section is taught by an instructor, who in addition holds office and Math Emporium hours. You must consult the Schedule of Classes to find the time and the location of your recitation class, which will not be the same as the location of the lecture.  If you encounter a mathematics problem, feel free to discuss it with any of the lecturers or instructors associated with any section of the course. If you have an administrative problem, please discuss it with your course lecturer. 

Text:
A text for the course, divided into 10 Modules corresponding to 10 weekly lectures and quizzes, is posted on the Internet. It may be accessed at my web site www,mathphys.vt.edu/greenberg by clicking on the link labeled "1224 Lectures" or it may be accessed at the course homepage www.emporium.vt.edu/math1224/  by clicking on the link labeled   "Modules."  The Modules are .pdf files which should be downloaded by the student. The textbooks Calculus, 5th edition, by Stewart, publisher Brooks/Cole, and University Calculus, by Hass, Weir and Thomas, first edition, publisher Pearson/Addison Wesley, are suggested as reference books, and Modules refer to the corresponding sections of these textbooks when possible. However, the correspondence between Modules and texts is not exact, and the Modules are intended to be sufficiently complete without reference texts.

Course Information:
Check the course homepage www.emporium.vt.edu/math1224/  for detailed course information. Check especially the following menu items on the left side of that page:  "Schedule", "Quizzes & Tests" and "Getting Help."

Practice Quizzes and Quiz-for-credit:
In lieu of homework, there are weekly Quizzes which may be practiced and taken over the Internet.  Quizzes can only be accessed through the Quizzes & Tests link on the left side of the Math 1224 course homepage  www.emporium.vt.edu/math1224/. You can practice the Quizzes before taking them for credit from any Internet site, for example, your dorm room. Obviously, the Practice Quizzes can also be taken at the Math Emporium. When you are confident of your proficiency with the material, you can take the Quiz-for-credit only one time. The Quiz-for-credit does not have to be taken at the Emporium; it also can be taken from any Internet site, and you may work as long as you wish on each Quiz-for-credit. (But take care not to be idle for more than 30 minutes -- see Warnings below)  However, although you can refer during the Practice Quizzes and during the Quiz-for-credit to lecture notes and to any other notes you wish, you are bound by the Honor Code to take the Quiz-for-credit without the assistance of any other person. You can take each Quiz-for-credit any time of the day or night, although you must take it before its deadline. The deadlines are indicated on the Schedules page for your lecture section and in the paragraph below labeled "Deadlines." The Practice Quizzes will go online at least one week before the Quiz-for-credit deadline and will stay online until the end of the semester. That will enable you to practice the in preparation for the three Exams and the Final. Each quiz has between 6 and 10 problems.

Be aware that all mathematical computations on Exams must be made on the Emporium computers using a scientific calculator program called Sliderule, since you can not bring your own calculator (or anything except your Virginia Tech ID and writing instruments) into the proctored section of the Emporium. Go to the Emporium well before the Exams and make certain you know how to work with the Sliderule program. There is a link to SlideRule Calculator Instructions on the course homepage.  During the Exam, Emporium proctors are not permitted to assist you, even if your only problem is difficulty in calculating with Sliderule. This software is not available for installation on your own computers.

Be careful that you do not mistake the Quiz and Exam deadlines for this course with the Quiz and Exam deadlines posted by the Emporium. You are responsible for meeting the deadlines of this course, not the general Emporium deadlines (except as far as when the proctoring ends).  Consult the "Schedule" link for your section on the Math 1224 Emporium website if you are uncertain of any deadlines.

Final Exam:
Despite what the University timetable may indicate, the Final Exam will be available to be taken in the proctored section of the Emporium for one week, beginning this semester on April 28 at noon and ending May 5, with the latest start time at 5:00 pm. on the last day. The exact hours each day during which the Final Exam can be taken will be posted on the course website toward the end of April. The Final Exam consists of 22 problems, and the material on the Final Exam will be the same as that on the ten quizzes. In order to practice this material, the Practice Quizzes will stay on-line until after the deadline for the Final Exam.

Warnings: 
If you do any of the things in the following list while you are logged into the testing system, your quiz or exam is likely to be immediately graded before you are ready. This can happen before you have answered a single question, in which case you will be assigned a grade of zero for that test. Whether you are taking a test at the Math Emporium or on your own computer, it is YOUR responsibility to avoid these errors.
WHILE YOU ARE LOGGED INTO THE TESTING SYSTEM.......
1. NEVER use any navigation buttons on your Internet browser (Back or Forward, for example). Also, before taking any Quiz-for-credit, it is essential that all other windows on your computer be closed (except Sliderule, if you are at the Emporium). Always begin the Quiz-for-credit with a clean screen, and maintain that environment. In addition, you must make sure that any program running in the background which can interrupt a session is disabled. (Beware: Instant Messaging is a frequent villain.) 
2. NEVER spend more than 30 minutes viewing one problem. After 30 minutes of inactivity, you will time-out and your quiz or test will be graded automatically. To avoid this, watch your time and click on a new problem button every 20 minutes. You can always return to the one you were working on by clicking on its number button. It is not good enough to simply move the computer mouse. You must be active within the testing system to avoid timing-out.
3. NEVER allow yourself to be logged into the testing system more than once at the same time. This includes your own computer in your dorm room. For example, this could happen if you are taking practice quizzes to study and forget to logoff before you start a graded quiz or exam. To avoid this, always logoff the testing system EVERY TIME you are ready to take a Quiz-for-credit or Exam. You may take as many practice quizzes as you wish in one session, but as soon as you are ready to access anything that is graded, make sure that you logoff first. Then you can log back in to take the graded quiz or exam.
4. NEVER allow your Virginia Tech PID and Password to be used anywhere else while you are in the testing system. At various times while you are in the testing system, the verification process will check that no one else is using your PID/Password . This includes your own computer in your dorm room. For example, if you have your computer set to save your Password and someone logs in with your PID at your dorm computer while you are taking a test, it will be detected by the verification process. This can also happen if you have set your computer to automatically check your e-mail while you are away. It is your responsibility to be sure that only you are using your Virginia Tech PID/Password.

Deadlines:
The deadline for each Quiz-for-credit and each Exam (but not the Final Exam) is as follows (The Thanksgiving break period is not counted in figuring the deadline):

    Monday lecture sections:           8:00 pm Sunday
    Tuesday lecture sections:          8:00 pm Monday
    Wednesday lecture sections:    8:00 pm Tuesday
    Thursday lecture sections:         8:00 pm Wednesday

These deadlines will be clearly posted in the Schedules link at the course website www.emporium.vt.edu/math1224/ as well. You must begin the Quiz-for-credit or Exam by the deadline. For the Final Exam deadline, see the appropriate paragraph above. Note that you must abide by the deadlines for this course, which in general are earlier than the general deadlines posted by the Emporium. Do not accept information as to deadlines from any source other than this contract and the course website. Please read the Responsibility section below.

If an Exam is not begun by its deadline, regretfully a grade of zero for the Exam will be included in the course average. Unfortunately, every semester there are students who fail to take an Exam before its deadline, sometimes because of confusion or forgetfulness about the deadline, often because of an unexpected delay in arriving at the Emporium for students who have left the Exam for the last hours of the last possible day. This has dire consequences on the semester grade, considering the importance of each Exam in the course average. The best protection against such a lapse is not to leave the Exam for the last possible day. Please plan to take the Exam on a day prior to its deadline day, or, at the very least, during the early hours of the deadline day. Do not gamble on arriving at the Emporium just before the deadline.  From the experiences we have witnessed in previous semesters, we can not emphasize this more strongly.

Recitations:
The weekly 50 minute recitation will cover important mathematics supplementing the Modules and the lectures. Students will work in groups on worksheets provided by the recitation instructor. The final recitation grade will be based both on recitation attendance and on recitation performance (see the paragraph following).

Attendance:
The lectures will explain the mathematics, outline the Quiz problems and discuss applications. Attendance at the lectures will in general be taken, and your attendance and participation is a requirement of the course.   Failure to attend and participate in 4 or 5 lectures will result in a 4% deduction in your final grade. Failure to attend and participate in 6 or more lectures will result in a 8% deduction in your final grade. Lecture absences will be excused only by a letter from the Student Life Office or your Academic Dean documenting your absence from coursework (not, for example, a letter from the Health Center). It is, in fact, to allow for incidental absences due to short illnesses, academic or athletic trips, etc., that three absences are permitted. Therefore, you need to avoid using absences before the end of the semester -- and preferably not then either.

Attendance and participation at all recitations is also required. Excused absences will be approved only by the recitation instructor, in line with the strict guidelines above. In particular, each unexcused recitation absence will result in a 2% reduction (of the 15% allotted to recitation grade). Students should consult with their recitation instructors to discuss making up work missed for excused absences. The recitation instructor may refuse to admit any student who is late for class.

Emergency Closings:
In the case of snow emergencies or other unexpected University closings, missed lecture classes will be made up in a subsequent evening class as quickly as large lecture rooms can be secured. All students will be informed by email about any make-up lectures. If there is an unplanned school closing, please keep checking your email for the location and time of the replacement lecture.

Recitation classes missed during such University closings will not be held at a later time.  Instead, your instructor will email you the missed recitation worksheet as well as additional material to help you understand the content of the worksheet.

Grading:
There will be weekly quizzes, accessible from any Internet site, as well as three exams and a final, given only in the proctored section of the Mathematics Emporium. The final grade will be determined by the sum of the grades achieved on the quizzes, exams and final and the recitation participation, as follows (with attendance deduction as described above):

Quizzes-for-credit:       15% of final grade
Exams (3):                    16% of final grade each
Final:                             22% of final grade
Recitation:                    15% of final grade

The grading scale is: (Within each grade, pluses and minuses may be given; these cutoffs will not be decided until after the final exam)

Responsibility:
The acceptance of responsibilities (studying text before lecture, attending lectures and recitations, practicing quizzes, meeting numerous deadlines) is perhaps one of the most important lessons of the course. The management of time in order to meet course attendance requirements and test deadlines is, for some students, a more difficult problem than learning the mathematics. Time-management skills are, however, essential to success in and beyond the university. We consider your academic and professional development to be an essential element of this course, and for this reason we will strictly enforce attendance and deadline policies.
 
Your course grade (as with most University courses) is determined by your performance in the course, as outlined by this Course Contract. If you miss one of the ten Quiz deadlines, obviously your grade will be adversely impacted by 1.5%, which will have that limited effect on your course grade. However, if you miss an Exam deadline, you will have a 0 for that Exam, which will reduce your grade by 16%, ie., a drop of as much as two letter grades. Taking the Quizzes and Exams before the deadline is entirely your responsibility. Therefore, considering the dire consequences of missing an Exam deadline (and the lesser effect of missing a Quiz deadline), do not be so foolish as to wait until the very last day of the Exam or Quiz interval. Take these tests early. Every semester we have a number of students who have had unexpected complications on the last day, or just plain forget the deadline, and there is nothing we can do to assist them.  Take the tests early or risk the consequences. The same, of course, goes for the Final Exam deadline.

This seemingly Draconian policy does not apply if your failure to take a Quiz or Exam, or miss a recitation, is beyond your control, for example, illness which can be documented by the University, or power loss in your dormitory or the Emporium (which will automatically cancel a test and not let you retake it). Departing Blacksburg for the weekend and not being able to return before the deadline is not an acceptable excuse, since you could have (and should have) taken the test before departing the area, precisely to avoid this eventuality. If you have an acceptable problem, you must contact your lecturer to have your ticket for the test renewed.

NOTE: All emails to staff should contain 1224 in the subject line; otherwise they are likely to be lost in the current flood of junk mail.

Honor System:
The Virginia Tech Honor System will be strictly enforced. The web site www.honorsystem.vt.edu gives comprehensive information on the Honor System.


 

Comments to: greenberg@vt.edu Aug 15, 2007