Syllabus / Winter 2012

Day-by-day Schedule: The day-by-day class material and information is available on the day-by-day syllabus.

Assignments:

• Written homework sets: They are to be written up neatly, and will be evaluated for both mathematical correctness and clarity of explanation. Be aware that because of time constraints, it is possible that only a random subset of the assigned problems will be graded. Please note: the written (and web) homework sets are a small fraction of the work that you should do to learn the material in the course and be prepared for the exams. To ensure your preparation you should work some or all of the practice problems as well.
• Web homework: There are also web-based homework sets that offer instant feedback on your work. You are allowed six attempts (five wrong answers) on each problem, and partial credit is given on most questions with multiple parts. These sets follow a roughly weekly schedule, and each is due at a precise date and time—see the day-by-day syllabus. After the due date, correct answers to the problems may be viewed.
• Pre-lab assignments: In order to be prepared for a computer lab session with your recitation instructor (see below), you must complete a prelab assignment. These assignments are provided in the corresponding lab manuals.
• Lab writeups: Each lab manual has a list of problems that must be completed as part of your writeup. Each lab assignment is to be written up neatly.

The written homework, the pre-lab assignments, and the lab write-ups are to be handed in to your recitation instructor. See the day-by-day syllabus for the due dates. Please note: while it is permitted, and may be to your advantage, to work with other members of the class on these assignments to ensure that you understand the material, all work you hand in for evaluation must be entirely your own.

Exam Information

Calculators, cell phones, and other aids will not be allowed during exams. (Numerical calculations will be simple and minimal.)

Recitation and lab sessions

• Recitation sessions. These meet in the room designated for your subsection in the course listing. The purpose of these sessions is for you to be able to discuss coursework and go over recent lecture topics with your recitation instructor.
• Lab sessions. These meet in the computer labs in the basement of East Hall. The purpose of these sessions is to meet with your recitation instructor to carry out projects in which you will learn about several different tools for using computers and modern software to study differential equations and their solutions. There are five lab sessions throughout the semester, and each has a corresponding lab manual that you can download from the menu on the left. You should read this manual before coming to your lab session. In particular, the lab manual may contain a prelab assignment that is due at the beginning of the lab session.

See the day-by-day syllabus to find out whether you will have a recitation session or a lab session on any given Tuesday or Thursday.

Grading Policy

In determining your course letter grade your performance will be compared to that of other students in your lecture section only. In recent years, the median grade in Math 216 has been, approximately, a B.

You can monitor all of your recorded homework, labwork, and exam scores during the semester by logging in to the Instructional Tech web server. Follow the My Scores link from the menu on the left side-bar.