Table of Contents

Text Book

Brief Calculus, An Applied Approach, 7th Edition, R. Larson and B. Edwards, Houghton-Mifflin, Boston New York, 2006.

WeBWorK

The URL for WeBWorK for this semester is http://webwork.aa.psu.edu/victor/spring07/math110/.

Class Format

The course is about problem solving, so that means the format is as follows:

1. You must read the appropriate section of the text before the class when it is to be covered.
2. You must write up your own notes on the section of material and bring them to class - these are to be a resource for you during the course.
3. You should start the WeBWorK assignment for the section before the class and bring your WeBWorKassignment to class (along with your work).
4. The class will begin with a brief lecture by of the most important points on the material (approximately 15 20 minutes), after which the class will break up into groups. The groups will work together on WeBWorK problems for the remainder of the period. I will be available for help during that time and I'll try to spend some time with each group.
5. The last 5 10 minutes might consist of a summary by me of points that have come up repeatedly during period.
6. The lecture notes are to be handed in at the end of the class.

1. Why Lecture Notes?
   Reading the text and making your own notes is one of the best ways to learn any subject. Everyone has their own way of learning mathematics so writing notes means that you will be utilizing your strengths in your learning. Once you've got the notes, they also provide a reference for the midterm exams, for the final exam and for attempting the WeBWorK problems. Writing the notes also will help you to focus on the parts of the material that are important for the different types of questions on the material. Reading the section is necessary, but in order to internalize the material, nothing beats writing it out in your own words.
2. What Will They Be Graded On?
   The lecture notes will generally be graded on the following criteria:
   • Neatness, if hand-written (which I expect most to be) then they should be legible and well spaced.
   • Completeness, don't miss any of the parts of the section.
   • Worked examples - for example, do all the "try it's"in the section, do a few numerical examples of a technique or perhaps use one of the questions from the end of the section.
   • Correctness. The definitions and examples should be mathematically correct. This part actually shouldn't be too hard to achieve.
   You might need to spend more time on some sections than others, so you should be starting each section well ahead of the day that its due.
3. What to Do If I Don't Understand Something
   Don't panic.
   • Re-read the part that confuses you. If it still isn't making any sense after a couple of re-reads, try transcribing the part that you find confusing verbatim. (This wouldn't go in your notes).
   • If that doesn't help, try working through the example in the text for that concept.
   • If that doesn't help, try one of the "try it's".
   • If you're still confused, ask for help (either from a friend in the class, from me or from a tutor if you have one.)
   Once you've understood the concept entirely, then write your lecture notes on that part of it.

Assessment

Schedule