Basic Info

  • Instructor: Dave Feldman
  • Email:dfeldman@coa.edu
  • Pronouns: he/him/his
  • Problem Solving Sessions: TBA, via Zoom.
  • Teaching Assistants:None

Course Goals

  1. Stay physically and mentally healthy and maintain intellectual and personal connection during a potentially difficult time.
  2. I want to help you improve your problem solving skills, and mathematical confidence, and overall ability to use mathematics.
  3. I want you to understand and know how to use partial derivatives, directional derivatives, double and triple integrals, and their applications.
  4. I want you to gain experience using a computer to help you do mathematics.
  5. I want you to understand and know how to use the main elements of vector calculus: the divergence, gradient, and curl; line and surface integrals; and Greens Theorem, Stokes Theorem, and the Divergence Theorem.
  6. I want you to have fun while working hard and learning a lot.

Text

We will use the book Guadalupe Lonzano, et al. Calculus: Multivariable, 5th Edition. J. Wiley. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-470-13158-9. I have purchased copies for you. You won't need to buy a copy.

Evaluation

Your evaluation will be based on weekly homework assignments. There will be two parts to these assignments: problems from the text that you'll write up, scan, and upload to google classroom; and problems from WeBWorK that you'll do online.

Course Structure and Flow

This is the tenth(!) time I've taught this course, so on the one hand I have a very good feel for how this will go. But we are still in a pandemic, so nothing it quite normal.

  • Most students find the material in Calculus III to be less difficult and more interesting that that of Calculus I and II. Calculus III basically re-does all of calculus, except with functions of two or three variables instead of just one variable. In the last third of the class we re-re-do calculus for vector fields. This means that along the way we will review and re-affirm concepts and techniques from the first two terms of calculus.
  • Students who take this class should have had roughly a full year (or two college terms) of calculus. It is important that you've seen both differential and integral calculus and felt like you understood these topics reasonably well at some point. If you feel like you've forgotten a lot of calculus, that's ok.
  • This class is a lot of work and will move at a fairly brisk pace. However, the workload is steady; you'll be doing approximately the same amount of work each week. We'll hit the ground running and try to get lots of stuff done the next few weeks. The workload may taper off some toward the end of the term, although the material at the end might be a bit more difficult.
  • This class meets three times a week instead of the usual two. The Wednesday meeting is a normal class session, not a lab. This extra time will let us cover more material and have classtime be a bit more relaxed.
  • Our textbook emphasizes graphical and verbal understanding in addition to being able to work with symbols and numbers. Much of mathematics -- both theory and application -- is graphical or geometrical in nature. The graphical problems are not "lite" problems but are an essential part of the course. The graphical problems are most definitely "real math." Some of you may find graphical work difficult, as it's likely different than some of what you've been asked to do in math classes before.

Some Additional Details and Logistics

  1. This class fulfills the QR requirement.
  2. Homework will usually be due Fridays at the end of the day. If you need extra time on the assignments, that's fine, but please let me know.
  3. I will be sending out class info via email. Thus, it's important that you check your email.

Homework!

  1. There will be a homework assignment due almost every Friday. It is essential that you do these assignments, as this is how one learns math, and also this is what your evaluation will be based on.
  2. As discussed in this video there will be two parts to almost every homework assignment:
    1. Problems to be submitted on WeBWorK
    2. Problems to be submitted on "paper" (a scanned pdf) on google classroom
  3. WeBWorK is an online homework system. I use this system even when the world is not in a global pandemic. There are three reasons why I use WeBWorK:
    1. You get instant feedback while doing the work, so you can learn right away from your mistakes. You can submit solutions many times until you get everything correct.
    2. Some problems are randomized so that you will all get slightly different versions of the questions. This means that collaborating with other students will be maximally effective, since you'll have to share solution methods and not just the final answer.
    3. Since the problems are automatically marked, I can spend more time helping you and won't have to spend as much time grading.
  4. If you need extra time for one or two of the homework assignments, it's not a big deal. But be mindful to not fall farther behind every week.
  5. I expect the homework assignments to be productively challenging. The assignments will vary in length, difficulty, and style. I don't expect you to be able to complete the homework quickly in one sitting. Don't let yourself get frustrated. I strongly suggest working with others and seeking help if you need it.
  6. You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, class tutors, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding.
  7. As I plan on sending out homework assignments and other information via email classroom, it is important that you check your email regularly.
  8. You will want to have at your disposal a basic calculator or phone/tablet app. I strongly suggest an actual calculator. You do not need a graphing calculator for this course (or, in my opinion, ever).

Help Sessions

I will have a handful of help sessions every week. You are warmly invited and encouraged to attend these sessions. Help sessions are relaxed, informal, and hopefully fun. Things that happen at help sessions:

  1. I am around to offer help on the homework.
  2. Some students do most of the homework while at a help session. They work through problems alone or with others, and find it comforting to know that help is immediately at hand if needed.
  3. Others do the problems at home and come to the help session with specific questions.
  4. Help sessions are also a chance to ask general questions about the course. Conversations also sometimes wander into other areas: politics, the state of the world, what's for dinner, what classes are offered next term, and so on.
  5. Help sessions are a great way to meet other students in the class.

Unfortunately, there are no Teaching Assistants for this class. So it's just me. This means that it will be important for you to work in groups and help each other. As much as I'd like to, I probably won't be able to provide one-on-one help to everyone. We could set up a discussion board or a slack channel or something for the class if that would be helpful.

Everyone is welcome at help sessions! Attending these sessions help students do well in the class and get as much out of it as possible.

You should also feel free to reach out to me with questions. If you're stuck on a problem, it might help to take a photo of what you've done so far and include it in an email to us. We might be able to help you with a short email, or we could set up a time to meet, perhaps on zoom.

Also, you can summon help via email from within WeBWorK. If you do so, I get an email and a link to your version of the WeBWorK problem, and I can see all the answers you've submitted. Usually I can see what's going on and quickly offer some help. Sometimes it'll be an issue that doesn't lend itself to email, in which case we find a time to meet and go over it.

Electronic Distractions

As much as possible, I'd like to minimize the use of laptops, tablets, and phones during our class meetings. There is good evidence that these wonderful devices can harm the learning environment, even for those who are not using their own devices and are merely exposed to the devices of others. An excellent, reasoned discussion of this is Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away by Clay Shirky. I highly recommend giving his essay a read.

There is no need to ban laptops entirely—that just seems silly to me. There will be times in class when we will do exercises that require computers, and there will also be moments when we might want to grab a device and look up the meaning of a word or a historical tidbit or something. So let's use common sense and keep devices holstered except when they're needed, at which point we should use them proudly and without apology.

Diversity and Inclusion

It is my intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture.

Learning about diverse perspectives and identities is an ongoing process. I am always looking to learn more about power and privilege and the harmful effects of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. If something was said or done in class (by anyone, including me) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it. You can also reach out to Provost Ken Hill, or Associate Deans Bonnie Tai or Jamie McKown.

Standard Disclaimers

  • You should expect to spend a minimum of 150 academically engaged hours associated with this one-credit course. These 150 hours will be spent roughly as follows: 4.5 hr/wk "in" class, 2 hr/wk reading, 8.5 hr/wk on homework.
  • By enrolling in an academic institution, a student is subscribing to common standards of academic honesty. Any cheating, plagiarism, falsifying or fabricating of data is a breach of such standards. A student must make it his or her responsibility to not use words or works of others without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is unacceptable and evidence of such activity is reported to the academic dean or his/her designee. Two violations of academic integrity are grounds for dismissal from the college. Students should request in-class discussions of such questions when complex issues of ethical scholarship arise.