Subject: [mat2500] welcome message from your instructor
Dear MAT2500-005 section
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 have previously taken MAT1500 or MAT1505 here at Villanova, you have
already gotten a purchase code to register with Cengage for our e-textbook and
create an account. You may login with this account when you enter the WebAssign
link in BlackBoard or if you are new to Cengage, register when requested for our e-textbook class portal. If
you are new to Cengage you have 2 weeks from the start of class to purchase the cheapest
one semester access to WebAssign.
2) Make sure you have Maple 2022 on your local computer, available by
clicking here. You may use
it to check (not justify) any calculations you make on all quizzes and tests.
3) Send bob the following email by the first day of classes.
We will be on a first name basis in
class using your choice of preferred nickname (I am "bob" or "dr bob"), and will
share our cell phone numbers and dorm names for collaboration (my cell is
610-716-zerothreefivesix). Please send me a new email with the following subject
line:
To: Mat2500: Lastname, Firstname (nickname); cell-phone-number;
3-letter-dorm-abbreviation
There is no need for the nickname in parentheses if
you use your given name.
For example:
To: Mat2500: Jackson, Matthew (matt); 914-651-7172; SUL
Three letter dorm abbreviations (OFF = off campus) may be found here:
http://www34.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/courses/schedules/vudormabbreviations.htm
Finally attach to this email your
Student Schedule by Day and Time page saved or printed to PDF from
MyNova or if that fails, saved to HTM as a webpage.
I will share cell numbers and dorm names offline with all students in these two
sections, and use your nickname for the attendance roll call at the beginning of
each class. If you do not wish to share your cell number, email me.
4) By Friday reply to this email and tell me briefly what Math classes you have taken previously at Villanova (if any), how comfortable you are with math in general and with using Maple if you have used it before, why you chose your major, and anything you wish to tell me about yourself to give me an idea of who you are.
If you have time and are interested read the rest of this email.
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 (we all learn a
bit differently), guided by your
instructor, in this case me. What you invest in your education now can only improve your future
outcomes.
You can learn about me from my homepage:
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen/
and about our class this semester from its homepage linked on that web page:
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.
Our class is logged day by day 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
WebAssign homework
portal.
in WebAssign, so some problems 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, which may
contain hints or some Maple solutions of the e-textbook parameter value
exercises.
We will be using the
computer algebra system Maple 2022. Why? Read:
whymaple.htm
During the entire semester I encourage
you to communicate with me
in class or by email or using 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.
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).]
Did you really make it all the way down here?
=========================================
My signature info:
bob jantzen
http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.jantzen
http://www.drbobenterprises.com