My chalkboard drawing of the conic sections
(Thanks to Heather for the picture!)
Laura Kettner Math 229 Calculus I
MWF 3-3:50 DU 428
Th 3:30-4:20 DU 428
Office: DU 352
Office Phone: 753-6774
Email: kettner@math.niu.edu
Office Hours:
MWTh 1:30-2:30 DU 352
We will be using Blackboard to keep track of grades and post announcements.
Grading Scale: Grades are determined by a percentage of the
total of the 650 available points as described in the Course Information
page.
A: at least 80% (520 points)
B: between 70% and 80% (455 to 519 points)
C: between 60% and 70% (390 to 454 points)
D: between 50% and 60% (325 to 389 points)
Homework: Homework will be assigned daily or almost daily and announced on Blackboard. Experience has shown that, while diligently doing your homework day in and day out doesn't guarantee success, not doing it ensures failure. On the other hand, you are supposedly learning the material when you do the homework, so it seems (to me at least) inappropriate to grade your homework on anything other than your effort. What works best is for you to do the homework, turn it in on time, have it checked for errors, and have it returned back to you promptly so that you get timely feedback on your progress.
Each setion or subsection assigned will be worth 1 point. I expect to have between 34 and 40 sections (or subsections) turned in. The total will be scaled to be out of 30 points.
Your homework should be neat, legible, well-organized, and show sufficient steps to justify your work. Exercises should be done in the order they are assigned and clearly labeled. Everything turned in on a certain day should be stapled. If a question asks for an explanation, use complete sentences and proper grammar. You will most likely need to first do the exercises on scratch paper and then rewrite your solutions on a final draft. It is expected that you will have difficulty with some exercises. Homework is graded on effort, so try all the problems!
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given each Friday and will consist of material covered in the previous four lectures. No makeup quizzes will be given! There will be 12 quizzes each worth 10 points.
Exams: There are 3 hour-long exams given during class, each worth 100 points. Requests for makeup exams must be in writing (or email) within 24 hours of missing the exam. If you are a CAAR student, it is your responsibility to get the paperwork to me in a timely fashion.
Please note that the final exam is a departmental mass exam on Friday, December 11 from 8 to 9:50 in the morning. The room assignment will be announced near the date of the exam.
Not 229 Stuff:
My chalkboard drawing of the conic sections
(Thanks to Heather for the picture!)