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M408N - Differential Calculus for Science: 54270-54275
Spring 2017 MWF 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM WRW 102
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Instructor: Laura Villafuerte Altúzar
Email: altuzar@math.utexas.edu
Office: RLM 13.148
Office Hours: MWF 12:30 PM-1:30 PM
Course website: https://sites.google.com/site/lauravillafuertealtuzar030680/home/teaching/408n
Textbook: Calculus, Early Transcendentals (Seventh Edition) by James Stewart.
Syllabus: You will find a tentative schedule of the course in our Syllabus.
Course description: The emphasis in this course is on problem solving, not in the presentation of theoretical considerations. M408N coverts a variety of topics such as algebraic, trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential functions, their limits, continuity, derivatives, maxima and minima as well as the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
Prerequisites: This course is restricted to students in the College of Natural Sciences. The prerequisite for this course is the appropriatate score UT Math Assessment.
Attendance: Attendance in class and discussion are required but will not be recorded for a grade.
Homework: Homework will be assigned from Quest (Learning Modules and Post-HW) and the text book.
1. Learning Module Homework (LM) will be assigned through the Web using Quest and the UT Homework service. This LM Homework will count 5 % of your grade.
2. Post-HW will be assigned via the Web using Quest. It consists of problems that can be addressed after attending lecture. This post-HW will count 5% of your grade.
3. Homework from the textbook. Assignments will be posted here. Homework will be assigned every Thursday and it will not be collected. For feedback on homework assignments students are encouraged to attend office hours, CalcLab and to work in study groups.
Please pay attention to due dates that will be stated on Quest for each assignment. No late homework will be accepted for any reason. However, the four lowest homework grades in each category will be dropped.
Introduction to Quest: Homework assignments for this course will be generated via Quest from a data bank of questions developed specifically for the course. These questions are based for most part on ones in the text. Each question in the bank is an algorithm that produces many different versions of the same question, so is ideally adapted to producing individualized homework assignments and exams.
At the heart of Quest is a computer program the takes the data bank and generates homework which you download from the web, work on, and then return your answers again using the web. Answers can be returned one at a time or several at a time. These answers are checked by the computer, and you are then notified immediately of the correctness or incorrectness of your answers. Multiple attempts at answering a given question are allowed, but there is a penalty for incorrect answers. The computer will take track of your scores on the assignments.
There are some numerical questions requiring a numerical answer. To be scored as correct, a numerical answer must be within 1% of the computer’s answer.
It is your responsibility to submit your Quest HW before the due date. Please try to submit the answer as you work the problems. Waiting until the last minute or hour may result in an inability to submit answers.
QUEST instructional charge: This course makes use of the web-based Quest content delivery and homework server system maintained by the College of Natural Sciences. This homework service will require a $30 charge per student for its use, which goes toward the maintenance and operation of the resource. Please go to http://quest.cns.utexas.edu to log in to the Quest system for this class. After the 12th day of class, when you log into Quest you will be asked to pay via credit card on a secure payment site. You have the option to wait up to 30 days to pay while still continuing to use Quest for your assignments. If you are taking more than one course using Quest, you will not be charged more than $60/semester. Quest provides mandatory instructional material for this course, just as does your textbook. For payment questions, email quest.fees@cns.utexas.edu.
QUEST website: https://quest.cnc.utexas.edu
Quizzes: You will have short quizzes every Thursday on the material of your text book homework and the problems given in your discussion section. There will be no makeup quizzes under any circumstances. However, we will drop three lowest quiz scores. The first quiz will be on January 26.
Exams: There will be two midterm exams, they will be given in class. The final exam will be comprehensive and the date, time, and locations is determined by the University.
If you have an inevitable conflict with attending the day of an exam, you must let me know at least two weeks in advance. Emergencies will be dealt with as special cases.
Books, tablets, phones, computers and calculators will not be permitted for exams. Please bring your student ID for all exams.
Grading: Your final grade for the semester will be computed as follows:
Homework: 10%
Quizzes: 10%
Midterm Exam I: 25%
Midterm Exam II: 25%
Final Exam: 30%
Grade scale: Your course grade with letters grades will be computed according to: A (100-93), A- (92-90), B+ (89-87), B (86-83), B- (82-80), C+ (79-77), C (76-73), C- (72-70), D+ (69-67), D (66-63), D- (62-60), F (59-0).
Email policy: All questions should first be directed to your TA. If your TA does not know the answer to your question she/he will ask me and get back to you. Short, direct questions that require short answers are best. If you have a longer question, please ask me after class or during office hours.
Calculator Policy: Calculators will not be allowed on the exams.
Sanger Center: Additional help is available at the Sanger Learning Center. Please check their website for free drop-in tutoring, free 408 K/L Exams reviews, and free refreshers in Calculus, Algebra, and Trigonometric: www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc
Students with disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact Services for Students with Disabilities. http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability/
Mental Health: To help with stress, study habits, crises, or any personal matters, please look for assistance at the Counseling and Mental Health Center on Campus www.cmhc.utexas.edu
Drop days: The last day to drop the class for academic reasons is April 3, 2017. After this day students may go to the Dean’s Office to request a drop for urgent non-academic reasons.
Quantitative reasoning: This course carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to prepare you with skills that are necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will regularly encounter in your professional life. So, this course may be used to fulfill the mathematics component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following three core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, and empirical and quantitative skills.