Math 131
Calculus I, Spring 2015
Basic Information
Instructor: Ari Stern
Email: astern@math.wustl.edu
Office: Cupples I, 211B
Teaching Assistant: Guanshengrui Hao
Email: ghao@math.wustl.edu
Lectures
Lectures will be held MWF 9-10am, in Cupples I, 115. The first class will be on Monday, January 12, and the last will be on Friday, April 24. Class will be canceled for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Monday, January 19) and for Spring Break (week of March 8-14).
Discussion Sections
You will meet with your TA every Thursday, beginning the first week of classes. In these meetings, you will learn new material and topics as well as working on problem solving. Come to these meetings prepared by doing your homework and bringing questions.
- Section A: Thu 9-10am in Cupples I, 215
- Section B: Thu 10-11am in Cupples I, 215
- Section C: Thu 12-1pm in Cupples I, 111
Textbook
The text for this course is University Calculus: Early Transcendentals, second edition, by Hass, Weir, and Thomas.
Homework
Mandatory weekly problem sets will be done online using WeBWorK. You are responsible for checking WeBWorK regularly and ensuring that each assignment is completed by its due date.
In addition, the textbook contains an enormous number of homework exercises at the end of each section. I will recommend a subset of these problems for you to do. These are optional (and will not be collected or graded) but strongly recommended, and you will get the most out of the course if you do all of them. The list of recommended problems is probably too long to expect you to do every last one — but you should do as many as possible, and at least look at the others to get a sense of the types of problems I think you should be able to do.
Clickers
In this course, we will be using i>clicker technology during most class sessions. Each student will need to check out an i>clicker from Olin Library in order to participate (and to have your class participation recorded). Therefore, before the second lecture on January 14, please go to the Olin Library Help Desk to check out an i>clicker. These devices are available for checkout only for students registered in specific courses, so please be prepared to tell the circulation staff that you are registered for this course. The deadline to return your i>clicker to Olin Library is the last day of classes for the semester: Friday, April 24th. Students who do not return their i>clickers at the conclusion of the semester will be charged for replacement of the device.
The i>clicker comes with a working battery that should not need to be replaced during the semester. However, if the battery does need to be replaced during the semester, you will be responsible for replacing it.
Resources for Help
In addition to the instructor's office hours, there are many available resources for supplemental help listed on the WUSTL Calculus Help Page. These include:
- Calculus Help Room: TAs available Mon-Fri from 10am-5pm
- Cornerstone: walk-in help desks, residential peer mentors, and mentoring by appointment
- Engineering Tutoring Services (only available to EN students)
- Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL): optional but highly recommended; if you want to apply for PLTL, you must do so during the first week of the term
Calculators
While you are free to use any calculator for your homework, you will only be allowed to use a non-graphing scientific calculator for exams. Here are some examples of "legal" calculators:
Exams
There will be three midterms and a final exam. These will consist primarily of multiple-choice questions, as well as a small number of free-response questions. You will not be allowed anything other than your calculator (see above) and writing material at the exams.
- Midterm 1: Tuesday, February 3, 7-9pm.
- Midterm 2: Tuesday, March 3, 7-9pm.
- Midterm 3: Tuesday, April 7, 7-9pm.
- Final Exam (cumulative): Thursday, April 30, 3:30-5:30pm.
Before each exam, check the Exam Seating Page for your assigned room and seat.
You can look up your multiple choice score beginning the day after each exam. All grades will be made available through Blackboard.
Do not miss an exam: there will be no make-ups. If something happens, you must contact the instructor as soon as possible.
You may find the Old Exams page helpful for studying.
Grading
Your final score will be computed as the greater of the following two weighted averages:
- WeBWorK and all 4 exams (20% each)
- WeBWorK and best 2 midterm exams (20% each), final exam (40%)
In addition, extra credit points (2%) are available to students who participate in the WUSTL Teaching Center's research study on the use of the i>clicker technology in this class.
The corresponding letter grade (without plus/minus divisions) will be assigned using the following scale:
| A | B | C | D | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≥85% | ≥70% | ≥60% | ≥50% | <50% |
(The scale may be adjusted upward based on the class' cumulative averages. However, it will not be adjusted downward, so your letter grade is guaranteed to be at least that corresponding to your score on this scale.)
Pass/Fail policy: You must earn at least a letter grade of C- to get a P.
Disability Resources
Special accommodations for exams are offered to students who have registered in a timely manner at Disability Resources (DR). Students who wish to take advantage of this service should go to DR early in the semester, well before the first exam. Once approved for accommodations, students in Math 131 should work with DR for these exams.