MAT2500 21S Jantzen:
synchronous online Zoom course delivery format

Pandemic conditions require adapting to the situation we all face.

Classes will be synchonous, with class meetings at the scheduled times through Zoom accessible from the BlackBoard class site. They will begin with roll call to have a short verbal exchange and a video viewing of each of us. This will be followed by the presentation of Lecture Notes on the topic of the day through a discussion of handwritten PDF scanned notes, during which students may ask questions at any time as in an in-person classroom.

Most homework questions can be handled asynchronously online with the Ask your Instructor tool in WebAssign using email, or synchronously with the Office Hours Anytime Zoom meeting. Maple solutions for the textbook problem parameter values are often posted online, or can be created upon request to share with the class. These parameters have random values in the WebAssign problems, which means if small groups of students in BreakOut rooms work on homework problems, they can share their steps but using their own values of those parameters.

Following presentation of Lecture Notes, students may ask questions about the homework problems due that day and if not easily answered in real time, will be answered with an email to all students. Unfortunately writing on a Zoom whiteboard is not very efficient, unlike physical white boards in in-person classes.

All 9 quizzes (Fridays) and 4 tests will be released as PDF files on Blackboard with at least a day or two (or more) for submitting completed work. Quiz and test sheets should be downloaded and printed on 8.5x11 in paper. Hand written worked responses on 8.5x11 inch rectangular sheets of paper (no rounded edges) should then be scanned together with those sheets first as a single PDF document, using the free smart phone app Adobe Scan [download here] or one producing equally optimal scans. Turn off the Optical Character Recognition in the settings, you only want image scans. Ask bob if you need help. Maple or graphing calculators may be used to check calculations but not substitute for careful hand derivations using correct mathematical notation. Although these assessments permit open access to mathematical resources, no collaboration is allowed. Email bob if you get stuck or don't understand the wording. Contrary to the expectations of many, words in math matter. Read about academic integrity at Villanova.

You will be expected to record your responses to homework exercises from the textbook using the online homework system WebAssign, will count for 20 percent of your grade. By default you get 5 attempts to enter a correct answer, and you can request more time and 5 more attempts through the Extension tool. Each entry is one point in the total homework grade, normalized to 100 for all entries correct. The "deadline" for each assignment is the end of the next class meeting day after it is assigned, but it is only a suggestion. Any request for an extension in time or in attemps will be honored.