To do many examples and demonstrate mechanics
and individual steps of new techniques. To introduce new techniques and give broader context for how and why the technique
should be used. To assess your problem solving skills, originality, and creativity in overcoming challenges. To assess your
mechanical skills and computational skills. To assess your ability to synthesize (new and old) techniques to solve a given problem.
This is the grading rubric for the course, including the assignments, how many points things are worth, and how many points are needed for each letter grade.
Grading Scheme
The syllabus in Canvas will have a breakdown of specific point values for all assignments, and how many points are required for each letter grade.
Online Coursework
In this course we will utilize an in-house interactive online homework system developed by the math department at UF. This
platform, called Xronos, is free of charge and will be explained during class. There is a single Xronos ‘assignment’ in Canvas which
is an interactive set of course notes that follows our course. It has numerous interactive features as well as examples and problems
scattered throughout. The entire assignment is due the day after the final exam, but I will be posting regular updates about where
you should be, and what sections you should cover, in preparation for each exam. I recommend you do not try
to complete the entire assignment at the end. First, there is simply too much to do all at once, and second it is
intended as a supplemental source of learning for the exams and content. Be diligent and do them while you learn the
material.
There are some notes to keep in mind about how Xronos works:
- You MUST access Xronos via Canvas every single time you do your homework. Do not bookmark the page, do not save the page, do not access Xronos directly via a link – you MUST go through Canvas EVERY TIME. If you do not – you will not receive credit for the problems you solve. This cannot be stressed enough.
- Throughout the text there are problems embedded in the text to monitor learning and give examples. These are counted as part of the grade, and you are required to complete these to get credit for the assignment. These are static problems, ie each student will have the same problems with no randomization. You are free to work together on these problems, but keep in mind they are intended as practice, and as such you are responsible for knowing the material covered in the homework.
- Also throughout the text there will be ‘practice’ tiles. These problems will not count for any credit and is entirely optional, but will give access to unlimited practice problems for the previous content. In each review page there will be a ”Try Another” button at the top; whenever you wish to have a new set of problems, simply click this button to regenerate fresh problems. Something to keep in mind: randomly generated problems, no matter how well written, are susceptible to the occasional (unfortunate) confluence of randomization that make problems unreasonable to solve. If this seems to be the case, rather than slamming your head against the wall trying to solve it, hit the “Try Another” button to get a different problem to solve. If this seems to happen several times in a row for the same problem, you should see your TA to see if you are misunderstanding the problem/solution method, or perhaps the problem is broken (this is unlikely but it is in beta after all). Either way, your TA will be able to help you, either by showing you how to correctly solve the problem, or by determining that the problem is broken and referring it to me to be fixed.
An Important Note About Exam Design
Another remark about the exams is necessary. Typically, for most math courses, the class mean average exam score is in the % range. This often comes as a (rather unpleasant) shock to students, especially those that are newer to UF and are use to getting consistently excellent grades. The instructor and TAs will provide all the help they can, and there is unlimited practice offered as well (see ‘On-line homework’ above), but ultimately you are on your own for exams, and they are exceptionally challenging. The exams are not written with the intention that the problems are ones that you have already seen with different numbers. The purpose of this course is to teach you how to use mathematical tools to solve mathematical problems, which requires knowledge, understanding, and creativity to figure out which tool to use, when to use it, and how to use it correctly. We aren’t trying to teach you to (only) follow a preset list of instructions. We are trying to teach you to be a problem solver; one who can utilize their knowledge and skills to unravel a completely new problem when they are confronted with one.
Final
There will be a final exam (See the official syllabus on Canvas for specifics on date/time). Your final will be cumulative, thus any content covered this semester is “fair game” for the final (including any content covered after the third exam). The exact format of the final will be announced as we get closer to the date. Since the final is cumulative, I will replace your lowest exam score with half the grade of the final (only if it helps. Notice that the final is worth twice the amount of a standard exam, thus half the final grade will be equivalent to a single exam). This will be done automatically, You do not need to request this.
Makeup Policies
- Xronos: There are no make-ups for Xronos.
- Class Participation: There are no make-ups for class participation.
- Quizzes: There are no makeups for quizzes; see syllabus for details.
- Exams: In order to get a makeup exam you must have a documented (and valid) reason to miss the exam. Otherwise you must rely on the half-final-grade option mentioned above. Only one makeup will be offered, and it will be held at the end of the semester. Thus if you missed Exam 1 and have a valid (and documented) reason that warrants a makeup, it will still not be held until the end of the semester. Since there is only one makeup time, only one makeup exam will be offered. Even if you miss more than one exam, you may only make up at most one exam.
1 : The primary purpose of each exam is which of the following?