[mat2500] welcome message from your instructor

Dear MAT2500-01, MAT2500-04 sections of Calculus III for Science and Engineering
(as of this date),

Hi. This is a welcome message from your MAT2500 instructor, bob jantzen.
I look forward to working with you during the coming semester here at Villanova.

If you get bored reading this long email the key points are:
0) Register starting Midnight Sunday, January 13 (2 week grace period to pay for access) for our class at the WebAssign online e-book and homework website with the class key provided immediately below these numbered instruction lines.
1) Bring your laptop to class Monday.
2) Download and install Maple 2018 if you get a chance.
The activation key is shown during the download process after you log in with your standard VU username and password.
[see link on Class Log and Homework page below, under first day activities]
3) Reply to this email before Friday, January 18, 2018 to tell me about your mathematical background as described in detail on the same webpage.
4) Enjoy your last day before class [nope, this is not a key point mentioned below]
===============================================

You will be expected to record your responses to homework exercises from the textbook using the online homework system WebAssign,which will count for 10 percent of your grade.

Please read about WebAssign [click here] and consult these instructions [click here], from which you can enter WebAssign class key.

You have a two week grace period to complete your registration with the Purchase Code from the paper unbound textbook you will buy in the VIllanova Book Shop, bought/buy online, or perhaps already have from a previous semester.
The webpage http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/mathematics/academic-programs/undergrad/coursesyllabi/StewartCalculus.html
explains our multimedia online textbook, which is the best deal you can find for this textbook anywhere but includes a wealth of online tutorials and video help and practice problems, as well as a homework management system.

Part of the first day's assignment is to do the easy and quick intro assignment WebAssign101 you will find under Assignments, which you can already do on the weekend if you like. It just shows you how to respond to the various types of answer inputs. By default you get 5 attempts to enter a correct answer, and you can request more time and 5 more attempts through the system. Each entry is one point in the total homework grade, normalized to 100 for all entries correct.
================================================================================================

Studying mathematics at college is a lot different from high school. Here we expect you to actually understand why you are doing things, not just to be able to solve routine problems that look like ones you have seen before, and to use proper mathematical notation and terminology when communicating your problem solutions. We also expect you to do what it takes on your own initiative to learn the material, guided by your instructor, in this case me. What you invest in your education now can only improve your future outcomes.

Here is a slight recap of some of the things I may or may not discuss in class Monday, January 14, 2019.

You can learn about me from my homepage:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/

and about our class this semester from its homepage:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/

This includes all of my scanned old tests and quizzes to give you an
idea of what I expect, the syllabus, an on-line class and homework log
which will be added to daily as assignments are given out for each class,
and general advice about the course, as well as a "bob teaching FAQ"
which summarizes some questions you might have about having me
as a teacher.

You may easily get to this home page in the future by logging into MyNova
on the Villanova homepage
http://www.villanova.edu
with your standard VU email username and password, then choose the
Student tab, Student Dashboard and click on the double head icon on our
class listing to get the our photo class roster.
Under my photo on that class roster is a link to my home page.
On the same class line in the Student Dashboard, is a link to our class
on BlackBoard where you will find grades posted eventually. Blackboard
is a course management system which locks out everyone but the class members.
I prefer open access course materials on my own Villanova website, so I will
only use Blackboard for posting grades.

The first day of class I will give you a form to record your schedule information
to best determine the most convenient office hours for both most of you and
myself, with the understanding that I will share your email, voicemail,
and the name of your dorm (no room numbers!) with my two sections of the course
to help you find partners to work together on homework, studying, or Maple
computer assignments. Anyone who has a problem with sharing this info must
speak to me privately. It is very useful to work with others in learning the course
materials and I encourage you to get to know others in the class to begin forming
such partnerships. If you miss the first class for some reason, you can print out the
schedule for your section from the course handouts page first listing:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/handouts

Use the 3 letter dorm abbreviations:
http://www34.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/schedules/VU_dormitory_abbreviation_list.htm
<<<< HOW TO ABBREVIATE YOUR DORM NAME
I will ask you to return this form on the second class day.

You all have laptops, which you may bring to class but must bring
to class on quiz days, typically Fridays, and on test days.
Please bring your laptop the first day of class so
you can follow along as I demonstrate the computer environment
that supports our class as described in the
Homework and Daily Class Log page:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/homework.htm

Daily homework exercises from the textbook will be listed here, but you will be expected to record your work
using the online homework system WebAssign.
You can already view the first assignment due Wednesday and can even try it out to see what using
WebAssign is like. WebAssignments are due at 11:59pm of the class day they are assigned for,
allowing you to ask about exercises you are having trouble with in class and return to them for credit online.
5 submissions are allowed for each entry, and you can ask for extensions if the time or number of tries is insufficient.

Not all textbook end of section exercises (and no end of chapter Review problems) are available for assignment
in WebAssign, so some problems number marked on line with square brackets around them will be expected
to be done independent of WebAssign. You are responsible for these as well, so don't just automatically
go to the current WebAssign assignment without checking our HW page.

We are pretty fortunate here having a highly wired (/wireless!) campus. This can add to the
effectiveness of your education if you take advantage of it. Everyone has a laptop
which should replace your graphing calculator as the appropriate college level math tool to be
an effective tool to help you in cooperative learning. You may bring your laptop to class if you like.
You may and are encouraged to use it on all quizzes and tests.

Downloading it and installing it is a relatively simple task that you should attempt before the first day of class, but if you run
into any difficulties I can help you personally in my office.
To download the software, visit the page:
http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/mathematics/resources-and-opportunities/maple.html
Even if you have never used Maple, it is not a problem to easily begin using it with
your knowledge of Windows/GUI applications.

Everyone is required to come find me in my office by weeks 3-4, don't wait
if you find yourself having difficulty: seek my help immediately.

We would like to understand the underlying concepts of the topic of this course,
not just be able to follow some recipes.
Whenever you forget the meaning of a technical term, you are encouraged
to ask me (please interrupt!); you will be doing the class a service since
others may also need reminding.

Some of you will like me :-) and others will not :-( . This is a fact of life.
Remember that teaching is my number one priority here at Villanova and I want
to help you. Let me do that by communicating to me when you feel I am not
helping you, in class or after class. Also try to help each other.

[I am a mathematical physicist with many years of experience in using calculus in solving physical problems,
so I am interested in making sure you are "application aware", not just capable of doing artificial
math problems.]

thanks,
bob
[You can call me "bob", "dr bob", or "dr jantzen" (please not!) depending on how
formal you wish to be. See the "bob teaching FAQ" for the "dr bob" story.
I will try to learn your first name or preferred nickname if you help me by not
being an "invisible student" (one who seeks minimal interaction with the instructor).]

PS. Part of your first homework assignment
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/homework.htm
involves sending me an email with the subject heading "[mat2500]"
which responds to the questions given on that webpage. Better yet you can just
reply to this welcome email to you.

IMPORTANT:
It is important that you use your official VU email account to
communicate with me and not hotmail or yahoo etc accounts which do not
identify you by your name in my email directory, making it difficult for
me to manage my email.

IMPORTANT:
As the semester progresses, computer assignments will be submitted
by email from your official VU account, when it will be crucial that
you follow these instructions and properly identify your submission
with a subject heading reproduced exactly as requested. In fact if you
include the string "mat2500" or even just "2500" in the subject heading,
as in:
SUBJECT: hey bob, what about that quiz? [mat2500]
it will help me organize my incoming email to put it in its appropriate
folder and also get my attention for immediate response.

Did you really make it all the way down here?

Dear MAT2500-01/04 sections of Calculus III
(as of this date),

Hi. This is a welcome message from your math instructor, bob jantzen.
I look forward to working with you during this semester here at Villanova.

Here is a slight recap of some of the things I may or may not discuss in class Wednesday,
January 17, 2018.

The most important thing to start with perhaps is a short explanation of why you are taking this course:
http://www34.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/2500why.htm

A few of you had me for MAT2705 last semester so you know the routine.
You can learn about me from my homepage:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/

and about our class this semester from its homepage:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/

This includes all of my scanned old tests and quizzes to give you an
idea of what I expect, the syllabus, an on-line class and homework log
which will be added to daily as assignments are given out for each class,
and general advice about the course, as well as a "bob teaching FAQ"
which summarizes some questions you might have about having me
as a teacher.

You may easily get to this home page in the future by logging into MyNova
on the Villanova homepage
http://www.villanova.edu
with your standard VU email username and password, then choose the
Student tab, Student Dashboard and click on the double head icon on our
class listing to get the our photo class roster.
My name under my photo on that class roster is a link to my home page.
On the same class line in the Student Dashboard, is a "Blackboard" link to our class
on BlackBoard where you will find grades posted eventually.

The first day of class I will give you a form to record your schedule information
to best determine the most convenient office hours for both most of you and
myself, with the understanding that I will share your email, voicemail,
and the name of your dorm (no room numbers!) with my two sections of the course
to help you find partners to work together on homework, studying, or Maple
computer assignments. Anyone who has a problem with sharing this info must
speak to me privately. It is very useful to work with others in learning the course
materials and I encourage you to get to know others in the class to begin forming
such partnerships. If you miss the first class for some reason, you can print out the
schedule for your section from the course handouts page first listing:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/handouts
Use the 3 letter dorm abbreviations.
I will ask you to return this form on the second class day.

You all have laptops/tablets, which you may bring to class but must bring
to class on quiz days, typically Fridays, and in class on test days.
Please bring your laptop/tablet the first day of class so
you can follow along as I demonstrate the computer environment
that supports our class as described in the class log:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/homework.htm
We are pretty fortunate here having a highly wired (/wireless!) campus. This can add to the
effectiveness of your education if you take advantage of it. Everyone has the same laptop
platform as well so it can be an effective tool to help you in cooperative learning. You may
bring your laptop to class if you like. You may and are encouraged to use it on all quizzes and tests
as a check on your handwork, not a substitute for clearly presented mathematical derivations.

You should upgrade your Maple to Maple 17 if it is not already at that release.
Downloading it and installing it is a relatively simple task that you should attempt before
the first day of class, but if you run into any difficulties, I can help you personally in my office.
You can log in to the VU homepage by using the logon link on the university
home page at the upper right of the window using your standard username and password
(mecessary) and then visit the page:
http://www.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/mathematics/resources/maple.html
Even if you did not use Maple last semester, it is not a problem to easily begin using
it with your knowledge of Windows/Mac applications.

During the entire semester I encourage you to communicate with me
in class or by email or during my office hours
about what you find difficult or confusing so that I can better help you
in your learning process. I am not your adversary but your facilitator for
learning the course materials.

You have been doing calculus of a single variable until now, with different
degrees of success and stopping points. Now we are moving on to use that
same knowledge of limits, derivatives and integrals when functions depend on
more than one independent variable, as well as vector functions of one or
more variables. We would like to understand the underlying concepts,
not just be able to follow some recipes.
Whenever you forget the meaning of a technical term, you are encouraged
to ask me (please interrupt!); you will be doing the class a service since
others may also need reminding.

Some of you will like me :-) and others will not :-( . This is a fact of life.
Remember that teaching is my number one priority here at Villanova and I want
to help you. Let me do that by communicating to me when you feel I am not
helping you, in class or after class. Also try to help each other.

thanks,
bob
[You can call me "bob", "dr bob", or "dr jantzen" (please not!) depending on how
formal you wish to be. See the "bob teaching FAQ" for the "dr bob" story.
I will try to learn your first name or preferred nickname if you help me by not
being an "invisible student" (one who seeks minimal interaction with the instructor).]

PS. Part of your first homework assignment
[http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/mat2500/homework.htm
]
involves sending me an email with the subject heading "[mat2500]"
which responds to the questions given on that webpage. Better yet you can just
reply to my welcome email to you.

IMPORTANT:
It is important that you use your official VU email account to
communicate with me and not hotmail or yahoo etc accounts which do not
identify you by your name in my email directory, making it difficult for
me to manage my email. If you normally use another account and don't
want to check both mailboxes, you may set up forwarding from your
official account to this other account so you are aware of incoming
email at your official mailbox (choose the "Edit Your Account" link on
the upper right of the VU home page to set up email forwarding).
All official university email goes to that official account
as well as email from friends who look you up in Villanova's directory
to find your email address.

IMPORTANT:
As the semester progresses, computer assignments will be submitted
by email from your official VU account, when it will be crucial that
you follow these instructions and properly identify your submission
with a subject heading reproduced exactly as requested. In fact if you
include the string "mat2500" or even just "2500" in the subject heading,
as in:
SUBJECT: hey bob, what about that quiz? [mat2500]
it will help me organize my incoming email to put it in its appropriate
folder and also get my attention for immediate response.

Instructor	Section	Class Key
Robert Jantzen	MAT 2500, section 001 (10:30 MWF/10:30 Th)	villanova 3227 8678
Instructor	Section	Class Key
Robert Jantzen	MAT 2500, section 004 (12:30 MWF/11:30 Th)	villanova 1288 7300