Instructor: Christopher Hanusa -- email chanusa@math.binghamton.edu.
TA: Bronlyn Wassink -- email wassink@math.binghamton.edu.
Lectures: MWF 8:30-9:30am in LH 009.
Quiz Section: Tue 8:30-9:55am in SW 305
Web Site: http://www.math.binghamton.edu/chanusa/teaching/math221/.
Course Discussion Board: Hosted on blackboard.binghamton.edu.

Textbook: Single Variable Calculus by Stewart, 5th ed.

This class covers: Chapters 1 through 6 (most sections) from the textbook.

Screening Test: EVERYONE who takes Math 221 must pass the screening test.

Homework Policy: DO IT! Every week a new homework set will be posted on the course website. The homework will not be collected, but you can not expect to learn the material and the underlying concepts without doing the assignments. Complete the week's homework by the start of quiz section on Tuesday so that the TA can go over any questions you may have and so that you will be ready for the group assignment or quiz. I suggest working in Study Groups. (See below.) The first few weeks you should meet the other students and find those with whom you work best.
      It is important to learn how to express yourself in the language of mathematics. In the homework, you should show your work and explain how you did the problem. This is the difference between an Answer and a Solution. It should be obvious to the person reading the homework how you went about doing the problem. This will often involve writing out explanations for your work in words. Imagine that you need an example to help refresh your memory for another class in six months!

iLrn: The only grade you will receive for homework is from the five weekly problems that need to be inputted into the iLrn software. More information will be posted later about this system.

Study Groups: It is useful to form study groups to work on homework. At the beginning the problems will seem easy enough to plug and chug on your own, but as the quarter progresses the questions become quite complex indeed. Study groups good. Copying solutions bad. When a group works on a problem, everyone can participate. But when you write up the answers to the problems, write it up in your own way.
      Study groups have several advantages: (i) you can practice and learn how to solve more problems in less time (doing as many problems as possible is the key to success), (ii) the best way to really learn something is to explain it to someone else (misunderstandings that you never knew you had come to light under someone else's questioning), (iii) no two people solve the same problem the same way, in a group you may discover new and more efficient ways to solve the same problem, (iv) seeing that others also struggle with this material helps to put your own level of understanding in a better perspective and will hopefully reduce some of your anxiety, (v) in making the homework assignments, I assume that you will be working in groups.
      The course Discussion Board is a useful place to advertise and find a study group. Even if no one has posted, that doesn't mean no one is looking. If you can not find a study group, e-mail me or the course e-mail list.

Quiz Sections: Bronlyn will be leading the quiz sections this semester. Quiz sections will be made up of various combinations of worked homework questions, group activities, and quizzes. The group activities and quizzes will be graded, so quiz section is key in your grade. The group activities will help you understand concepts from lecture. The quizzes will assess how well you understand the previous week's ideas. They will be 15-20 minutes in length and no calculators or study aides are allowed.

Tests: There will be three midterms on Wednesday nights throughout the semester, and the Final Exam on December 15th that is two hours long. Again, no calculators or study aides will be allowed.

Grading Scheme: (subject to minor tinkering)

• iLrn: 5%
• Quizzes: 10%
• Midterm 1: 18%
• Midterm 2: 18%
• Midterm 3: 24%
• Final Exam: 25%

Help and Office Hours: The math help room is a great place to get help, even when the TA and I are not around. It is open most of the day and is located in LN 2216.
     Please take advantage of the office hours held by our excellent TA, Bronlyn Wassink; she will announce them soon.
     I will hold regular office hours in LN 2233 this quarter on Mondays and Wednesdays after class (9:40-10:40) and on Mondays from 3:00-4:00. If these times are not convenient, I would be glad to meet with you some other time. It is much better to raise questions as soon as they occur, rather than get farther behind and more frustrated. Please contact me by e-mail at chanusa@math.binghamton.edu. I will hold extra office hours before the midterms and the final.