Announcements:
- Note: your final point score in the course was calculated by the rule
score = .15*HwkAvg + .05*QuizAvg + .4*MidtermExamAvg +.1*ALEKS + .3*FinalExam
Two part assignments contributed to the HwkAvg as .2*Part A + .8*Part B- Your final grade was determined by which of the following intervals contained the point score computed above:
Letter Grade Interval A+ 96.6 <= score A 93.3 <= score < 96.6 A- 90.0 <= score < 93.3 B+ 86.6 <= score < 90.0 B 83.3 <= score < 86.6 B- 80.0 <= score < 83.3 C+ 75.0 <= score < 80.0 C 70.0 <= score < 75.0 C- 65.0 <= score < 70.0 D+ 61.6 <= score < 65.5 D 58.3 <= score < 61.6 D- 55.0 <= score < 58.3 F score < 55.0 - The final distribution of grades (suppressing + and - scores) in the course was: 30 A's, 71 B's, 97 C's, 23 D's and 29 F's (excluding 19 students who did not write the final exam.
Final Exam Results
- The average score (as a %) on the final exam for those who wrote the exam was 48%, corresponding to a raw average score of 82 out of 170. The exam was challenging, but more important, it was an effective tool for assessing student knowledge.
- The following scaling rule has been applied
new%Score = 227.6/(2+e-.0161203(rawScore - 85))
The average of the scaled scores is 73.4%. If the scale is set at A: 90-100, B: 80-90, C: 65-80, D: 55-65, F: 0-55, then the distribution of new scores was: 31 A's , 62 B's, 76 C's, 44 D's, and 24 F's (excluding 19 students who did not write the exam).- The new%Score has been entered into MathZone as your final exam score.
Midterm Exam 4 Results
- The solutions to midterm exam 4 can be found here
- The Exam 4 score in MathZone will be updated and accurate as of midnight on Friday May 4
- The average score (as a %) on this exam for those who wrote the exam was 58%, corresponding to a raw average score of 35.9 out of 70. The following scaling rule has been applied
new%Score = 172/(1.39+e-.03457(rawScore - 36))
According to this rule, anyone with a 36 raw score on the exam will get a 72%, anyone with a raw score of 70 will get 100%. If the scale is set at A: 90-100, B: 80-90, C: 65-80, D: 55-65, F: 0-55, then the distribution of new scores was: 39 A's , 43 B's, 103 C's, 32 D's, and 22 F's (excluding 18 students who did not write the exam).
Midterm Exam 3 Results
- The solutions to midterm exam 3 can be found here
- The average raw score (as a %) on this exam for those who wrote the exam was 66.26%. I feel that the exam was a good measure of everyone's skills and so the scores should be in the appropriate range given our grade scale. This means that the average should actually be at 73%. Consequently I have scaled the raw scores according to the rule
newScore = -.0030164*(rawScore)2 + 1.30164*rawScore
According to this rule, anyone with a 0 on the exam continues to get 0, anyone with 100% 0n the exam continues to get 100%, and the average of the class changes from 66.26 to 73. Students in the middle of the C range, for example, would see approximately a 10 point rise in their final score according to this rule. If the scale is set at A: 90-100, B: 80-90, C: 65-80, D: 55-65, F: 0-55, then the distribution of new scores was: 27 A's , 65 B's, 81 C's, 35 D's, and 36 F's (excluding 13 students who did not write the exam).- Check MathZone in the next few days for your % score on the exam.
Student Questionnaire: Click here
I would like your help. The use of the Smith/Minton text as well as ALEKS and MathZone are an experiment the Mathematics Department is conducting this semester. The results of this experiment will have an important impact upon what text we use in the future in Calculus and whether we use an electronic assignment system like MathZone and an assessment tool like ALEKS. Please complete the questionnaire above in the next few days so that your voice can be factored into our decisions. The more voices we hear from, the better!! The questionnaire should only take 5 to 10 minutes to complete, depending upon how much you want to say. The results of this questionnaire will also help the publisher, McGraw-Hill, to refine their texts and electronic assignment systems.
Study Strategy:
Have any of you noticed the button called "Assignment Printout" on the math pallete in MathZone? It allows you to print out the whole assignment and work it out long hand, if you wish, before you actually enter your answers in MathZone. You might also use this printout side by side with MathZone's help features to do each assignment.
The point is that the printout with long hand solutions will serve as a study guide for quizzes and exams.
While your score on an assignment is determined by what you enter into MathZone for each question, I would like to give you an opportunity for additional input on your assignments from your TAs. If you wish further input, I have authorized your TAs to collect these long-hand solutions from any of you who are interested and the TAs will look over your assignments and offer suggestions on improvement. This is not a "re-grade" but rather an opportunity for your TA to identify potential problems. It is entirely optional.
ALEKS Results
- Congratulations!! The average initial assessment on ALEKS was 53%. The average final assessment plus learning mode was 82%. Therefore, on average, the class has mastered 82% of the standard precalculus material.
- The average amount of time spent on-line in ALEKS was 12 hours. 79 students spent 20 or more hours on-line. The maximum hours on line was 64, resulting in a score of 97%. Once again, congratulations.
Midterm Exam 2 Results
- The solutions to midterm exam 2 can be found here
- The average score on this exam was 72%. Given that the C level on the scale is from 65% to 80%, this is right in the middle of the C range. I have had some of the calculus instructors in the department look at the exam from the perspective of difficulty and value as an assessment tool. Given this, I do not intend to adjust the scores in any way, though the structure of the exam as an assessment tool could have been better (see later in this note). If the scale is set at A: 90-100, B: 80-90, C: 65-80, D: 55-65, F: 0-55, then the distribution of scores was: 66 A's (so the exam was NOT too difficult), 43 B's, 56 C's, 33 D's, and 44 F's (excluding 13 students who did not write the exam). With better design the exam would have distinguished more carefully the students in the A range from the others and also students in the D and F ranges from all others.
- Check MathZone in the next few days for your % score on the exam.
Midterm Exam 1 Results (Updated)
- The solutions to midterm exam 1 can be found here
- The average raw score (as a %) on this exam for those who wrote the exam was 59%. In addition, one of the questions presented approximately a 5 point loss to those students with low scores (and a proportionately smaller loss to those with good scores). Consequently I have scaled the raw scores according to the rule
new%Score = -.010235*(rawScore)2 + 2.10334*rawScore + 11.576
The rawScore to be used here is the score on the exam out of a total of 60 points. According to this rule, anyone with a 0 on the exam (apart from those who did not take the exam) would get 11.576%, anyone with 60 points on the exam would get 100%, and the average of the class changes from 59% to 72%. Students in the middle of the C range, for example, would see approximately a 13% point rise in their final score according to this rule. If the scale is set at A: 90-100, B: 80-90, C: 65-80, D: 55-65, F: 0-55, then the distribution of new scores was: 28 A's , 59 B's, 94 C's, 35 D's, and 36 F's (excluding 9 students who did not write the exam).- Check MathZone in the next few days for your % score on the exam.
Course Description
Course Syllabus
Preliminaries
- ALEKS Assessment must be completed by March 1 (midnight): ALEKS ASSESSMENT
Homework Assignments
Week 1: January 16 - 19
- No assignments this week
Week 2: January 22 - 26
- MathZone Assignments 1 and 2 due Tuesday Jan 30 and Wednesday Jan 31 by 11:45 pm. If you do not have MathZone yet, print out the pdf versions of the homework provided here and hand in to your TA solutions to Assignment 1 on Tuesday January 30 and Assignment 2 on Thursday February 1: Assignment 1 - Assignment 2
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 0 Sec. 3, 4, 5, 6 in Self Study
Week 3: January 29 - February 2
- MathZone Assignment 3 is due Tuesday Feb 6 and MathZone Assignment 4 is due Thursday Feb 8 by 11:45 pm. If you do not have MathZone yet, print out the pdf versions of the homework provided here and hand in to your TA solutions to Assignment 3 on your Tuesday discussion session and Assignment 4 on your Thursday discussion session: Assignment 3 - Assignment 4
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 1 Sec. 1, 2, 3, 4 in Self Study
Week 4: February 5 - 9
- MathZone Assignments 5 and 6 are due Tuesday Feb 13 by 11:45 pm - sorry for the double up, but we need to get back to our standard schedule
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 1 Sec. 5 and Ch. 2 Sec. 1, 2 in Self Study
- Quiz 1, last 15 minutes of Tuesday discussion class. Quiz 1 solutions are here
Week 5: February 12 - 16
- MidTerm Exam 1 on Friday February 16 - in our main lecture room, 314 Altgeld
- THE CHECKLIST FOR MIDTERM EXAM 1 CAN BE FOUND HERE: CHECKLIST
- MathZone Assignment 7 is due Tuesday Feb 20 by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 2 Sec. 3 in Self Study
Week 6: February 19 - 23
- MathZone Assignments 8 and 9 due Thursday and the following Tuesday, respectively by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 2 Sec. 4, 5, 6 in Self Study
- Quiz 2, last 15 minutes of thursday discussion class. The solutions to quiz 2 can be found here
Week 7: February 26 - March 2
- MathZone Assignments 10 and 11 due Thursday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 2 Sec. 7, 8, 9 in Self Study
- Quiz 3, last 15 minutes of thursday discussion class. The solutions of Quiz 3 are here
Week 8: March 5 - 9
- MidTerm Exam 2 on Friday March 9
- THE CHECKLIST FOR MIDTERM EXAM 2CAN BE FOUND HERE: CHECKLIST
- MathZone Assignments 12 and 13 due Sunday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 3 Sec. 1, 2, 3 in Self Study
Week 9: March 12 - 16
- MathZone Assignments 14 and 15 due Thursday March 15 and Tuesday March 27 by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 3 Sec. 4, 5, 6 in Self Study
- Quiz 4, last 15 minutes of thursday discussion class. The solutions of Quiz 4 are here
Spring Break
Week 10: March 26 - 30
- MathZone Assignments 16 and 17 due Thursday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 3 Sec. 7, 8, 9 in Self Study
- Quiz 5, last 15 minutes of thursday discussion class. The solutions of Quiz 5 are here.
Week 11: April 2 - 6
- MidTerm Exam 3 on Friday April 6
- THE CHECKLIST FOR MIDTERM EXAM 3 CAN BE FOUND HERE: CHECKLIST
- MathZone Assignment 18 will be due on Sunday April 8 (due to the Midterm on Friday) and Assignment 19 is due Tuesday April 10 by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 4 Sec. 1 and 2 in Self Study
Week 12: April 9 - 13
- MathZone Assignments 20 and 21 due Thursday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 4 Sec. 3, 4, 5 in Self Study
- Quiz 6, last 15 minutes of thursday discussion class. The solutions of Quiz 6 are here.
Week 13: April 16 - 20
- MathZone Assignments 22 and 23 due Thursday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 4 Sec. 6, 7, and 8 in Self Study
- Quiz 7, last 15 minutes of thursday discussion class.The solutions of Quiz 7 are here.
Week 14: April 23 - 27
- MidTerm Exam 4 on Friday April 27
- MathZone Assignments 24 and 25 due Thursday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 5 Sec. 1, 2, 3 in Self Study
Week 15: April 30 - May 2
- MathZone Assignments 26 and 27 due Thursday and Tuesday by 11:45 pm
- Supplementary homework problems: Do the Practice Exercises Ch. 5 Sec. 4 and 5 in Self Study
Final Exam: In 314 Altgeld from 1:30 to 4:30 pm on Friday May 11
- Here is the CHECKLIST for the final exam. NOTE: YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE A CALCULATOR ON THE FINAL EXAM