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Course Policy |
Quizzes. There may be a 5-10 minute quiz once or twice a week.
Homework Assignments. They will be due every week (last class of the week, unless otherwise announced).
Mathematical Writing. I expect you to write in complete sentences. It should be written legibly with generous margins and room between lines. Assignments written in TeX will receive extra credit.
Exams. There will be two or three 50-minute exams.
Final Exam. It will be comprehensive and cumulative.
Grading Policy. Individual problems will be graded as follows: A - 10 or 9 points, B - 8 points, etc. I will give partial credit if you've made meaningful progress in the problem.
The scores for exams and homework will be combined according to the formula provided in the syllabus. The total score will then determine your letter grade according to the table below. I assign grades only for individual problems in homework, quizzes and exams; my spreadsheet does the rest. The scale A: 90-100, B: 80-89, C: 70-79, D: 60-69, F: <60 may be adjusted (very slightly) after all scores are in. There will be no curving.
Missed Assignments and Exams. There will be no late homework or make-up exams. However you can recover the points lost if you have a valid reason (illness, death in the family, approved institutional activity) and submit an explanation in the form of an e-mail (later you may be asked to provide a note from a relevant authority). The procedure is as follows. I will use the corresponding part of the next exam to come up with a score for a missed homework. I will use the corresponding part of the final exam to come up with a score for a missed exam. In other words your score will be deferred until the next, bigger test.
Attendance. You should make all efforts to be there. Expect a high degree of "continuity" from one period to the next, so that if you miss a class (for any reason) next time you may feel lost unless you work out the lesson at home.
In Class. During lectures, feel free to interrupt me at any time if you want to ask a question, or if you feel that I am moving too fast. In fact, I expect you to participate in class work by asking questions, answering questions, correcting mistakes, making suggestions, comments, possibly solving problems on the board, etc. Immediate feedback will be greatly appreciated! To ask a question, you don't have to raise your hand, just go ahead and ask (you can attract my attention by saying "Question!" or "Peter!"). Bring the book!
Getting Help. Come see me during my office hours. You can ask for help with homework problems that YOU HAVE TRIED (bring your work), explanations, hints, etc., but not for the actual solutions.
Academic integrity. Cheating will result in the zero grade for the assignment.