RobertTalbert

Module Structure for MTH 201 Fall 2020

All section numbers are from Active Calculus by Matt Boelkins

• Module 1: How do we find the speed of a moving object? (1.1, 1.2)
• Module 2: What is the derivative of a function? (1.3, 1.4)
• Module 3: What does a derivative tell us about a function? (1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8)
• Module 4: How do we efficiently compute derivatives of basic functions? (2.1, 2.2)
• Module 5: How do we compute derivatives of products and quotients? (2.3, 2.4)

RobertTalbert

MTH 201 Course Level Objectives (Talbert)

1. Use functions and other pre-Calculus mathematics proficiently.
2. Calculate, use, and explain the concept of limits.
3. Explain and interpret the meaning of the derivative of a function.
4. Use shortcuts to calculate derivatives efficiently.
5. Use derivatives to solve authentic real-life application problems.
6. Use definite integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to find areas and total change.

RobertTalbert

MTH 201 (Calculus) Course Objectives from GVSU Syllabus of Record

1. Apply the definite integral to compute the total change of a function from the rate of change and to compute area.
2. State the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
3. Describe the relation between the definite integral of a function and areas between the graph of that function and the horizontal axis.
4. Understand the definition of the definite integral as the limit of a Riemann sum.
5. Compute derivatives using the product rule, quotient rule, and chain rule.
6. Conceptually understand and evaluate limits, including L'Hopital's Rule.
7. State the formal definition of the derivative of a function and the purpose of each symbol in that definition.

RobertTalbert

The Six Rules for MTH 124:

1. Budget your time. MTH 124 is a 5-credit course with no meetings, so you will need to plan on spending about 15-20 hours per week doing mindful work. That’s 3-4 hours per weekday if you choose not to work on weekends. If you are taking other courses or have job of family responsibilities, you’ll need to think about where to put these hours in your daily and weekly schedules. In my experience, the #1 reason students don’t succeed in online courses is overcommitment and not managing time well.
2. Take initiative. Ask questions on CampusWire (or email, if they’re private) when you don’t understand something after working with it. And make the first move to help a fellow student with their questions if you can help.
3. Get comfortable with technology. Being a fully-online course, we will use technology every day. Get comfortable with using technology early, so you can use it well.
4. Stay engaged. As mentioned above, you are expected to check your GVSU email twice dai

RobertTalbert

Basic expectations for MTH 124 students:

• Spend about 10-15 hours per week, or 2-3 hours per weekday at minimum, doing mindful work on the course.
• Check in with the course at least twice a day to read email, course announcements, and CampusWire posts. Not reading announcements or emails is not an option!
• Check in with the calendar daily to maintain awareness of upcoming events and due dates.
• Engage throughout the week on CampusWire by posting and commenting.
• Start early and work at a moderate pace on all course assignments.
• Ask questions about anything that you don’t fully understand.

RobertTalbert

Below is some information on accessibility policies for some of our main course tools.

Blackboard: The Blackboard learning management system conforms with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Priority AA (Deque Systems, December 2012), has gold level certification for non- visual access (The National Federation of the Blind) and conforms with the accessibility standards under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. '794 d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105 - 220), August 7, 1998. For more information, please see Blackboard's own page on accessibility issues at http://www.blackboard.com/accessibility.aspx.

Blackboard ensures the accessibility of navigation and access to the tools built into the LMS. Content that is added to a Blackboard course site is not automatically accessible unless prior steps have been taken to ensure that it is. For more information on the accessibility of course content, faculty are encouraged to

RobertTalbert

Tech support: Questions about how to use course technology are best asked by web searches, or posting them to the #technology room on CampusWire, where the entire class can read and respond. For specific help that cannot be resolved through the discussion board or Googling for help, please contact:

1. For Blackboard issues: Email bbadmin@gvsu.edu or contact http://gvsu.edu/it/learn.
2. For CampusWire issues: Use the help feature in CampusWire, in the lower-left corner.
3. For Desmos issues: Click the Help button in Desmos, in the upper-right corner.
4. For general tech support: Contact the GVSU IT Help Desk at https://www.gvsu.edu/it/helpdesk/.

Please note that I (Prof. Talbert) do not provide tech support on hardware or software used in the course. If you are encountering technical difficulties, please note that many network-related issues can be resolved by either waiting, refreshing your browser, or moving to a different location.

RobertTalbert

Basic technological needs: Grand Valley State University maintains the following minimum technology requirements for all students taking online and hybrid courses. Make sure you have 24/7 access to each of these:

1. High-speed internet connection. Dialup or cellular connections are not recommended due to the high bandwidth requirements of some course technology.
2. An active GVSU email account you will use for course correspondence.
3. An active account on Blackboard.
4. A computer or tablet device sufficiently equipped to work with all the course technology.
5. A modern web browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

Graphing calculators: A graphing calculator is not required for this course, and your course work will ask specifically for Desmos or other computer-based tools rather than calculators.

RobertTalbert

I'm Robert Talbert, and I am a Professor here in the Mathematics Department at GVSU. I am not a math genius. I was a B/C student in math through high school, but then I had a teacher for Calculus in my senior year who stopped trying to cram things into my head and let me figure things out on my own instead. After a two-year stint as a Psychology major in college, I changed my major to Mathematics on a dare from my roommate (long story), and to my surprise I fell in love with mathematics as a result, and it's been all love ever since.

I have Master's and Ph.D. degrees from Vanderbilt University, where through sheer stubbornness I finished a dissertation on an obscure area at the intersection of abstract algebra and geometry. I went on to spend 14 years teaching in small liberal arts colleges before coming to GVSU in 2011. I teach classes ranging from Precalculus through Abstract Algebra, teaching people how to learn math and think like mathematicians. I also do research on how to help students learn better b

RobertTalbert

Dear Teacher Assistant or Student Teacher,                                                           
 
As you are aware, through communications from President Mantella, GVSU is actively coordinating with local public health departments and federal agencies as it relates to Covid-19 and the health and well-being of GV students.  The university has decided to restrict students from attending face-to-face classes and encourages students to return to their permanent residence.  Given this, we are also asking that you do not attend your teacher assisting or student teaching placement at this time.  
 
Please know that we are in communication with the Michigan Department of Education, and this interruption to your field experience will NOT impact your grade in your teacher assisting or student teaching field practicum course.  Nor will you be required to extend your experience beyond the regular end of the academic semester, as your field experience to date meets the minimum requirement of days in the classroom fo