Professor: Jeff Blanchard, Noyce 2516, 269-3304, blanchaj (at) grinnell.edu
Text: Calculus, 6th Edition by James Stuart. It is important and expected that you read the text, especially the examples.
Learning Goals:
The course content is clearly a critical component of Calculus I. The course also has supplementary learning goals regarding problem solving skills, interacting with technical and quantitative material, and working with peers. The learning goals for this course are:
- acquire proficiency in computational aspects of the topics covered in Calculus I including limits, differentiation, integration, and application of these topics;
- understand the conceptual aspects of the topics covered in Calculus I;
- improve general problem solving skills;
- improve technical and quantitative reading ability;
- improve skills for acquiring technical and quantitative knowledge;
- improve technical and quantitative communication;
- improve skills required for working with a diverse group of individuals.
Homework:
There will be daily homework, due at the beginning of class each day other than Thursdays. Homework will be posted on Pioneerweb after each class. A subset of the problems will be graded. Late homework will not be accepted. The lowest three homework scores will be dropped. Please read the note on homework and quizzes.
Explorations:
There will be five Thursday classes where students work in partnerships of three or four students on an exploratory learning project. New material will be introduced in these sessions. The mutual goal of the partnership is to have all partners understand the new concepts and techniques. Thursday partnerships will change throughout the semester. A significant course goal for Thursday Explorations is developing the skills to work in a group toward a mutual comprehension of the material. Each partnership will submit a joint, formal write up of the exploration which will often need to be completed outside of class. Please read the note on partnerships.
Quizzes:
There will be five quizzes throughout the semester, all on Thursdays. Quizzes will be taken the first ten to fifteen minutes of class. There are no make-up quizzes. The highest four quiz scores are used to calculate your quiz grade. Please read the note on homework and quizzes.
Midterm Exams:
There will be four in-class, midterm exams, tentatively scheduled forThese midterm exams will test the material covered since the previous exam.
- Thursday, September 17;
- Thursday, October 1;
- Thursday, October 29;
- Thursday, November 19.
Final Exam:
The final exam is three hours and will be comprehensive. Do not make arrangements to leave campus prior to the final exam. Such situations will result in the loss of a letter grade on the final exam. The final exam is scheduled for:
- Section 02: Thursday, December 17, 9:00 am;
- Section 03: Tuesday, December 15, 9:00 am.
Academic Honesty:
Students may collaborate on homework assignments provided they submit their own work and identify their collaborators. Students must participate in the Exploration group assignments. All quizzes, midterm exams, and final exams are closed notes, closed book, and the student may not consult any other resource other than a calculator provided in class.
Attendance:
Absences permitted by the college (athletics, performance, religious observation, etc.) must be coordinated prior to the class period in order to make arrangements for the missed homework or exams. There are no make-up quizzes. This coordination must be done in person prior to the absence.
Accommodations:
If you have specific physical, psychiatric or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Dean for Student Success and Academic Advising, Joyce Stern, located on the third floor of the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center (x3702).
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