Fall 2018 | Professor Kate Poirier

Author: Kate Poirier (Page 2 of 6)

Test #3b checklist

Instructions for Test #3b are detailed here and summarized below.

  1. Make sure you are familiar with the academic honesty policy here.
  2. If you haven’t already, sign up for an interview time slot here (Webex/Zoom links for interviews will be posted later).
  3. Test #3b opens Wednesday at noon; closes Friday at noon.
  4. Once you start the test, you have one hour to complete the WeBWorK component and another 30 minutes to submit your written work. (Late submissions will incur a penalty of 5 points every 30 minutes.)
  5. Show all your work. Use a new piece of paper for each question. Write the page number and question number clearly at the top of the page, along with your name.
    • If you are integrating, don’t forget to check your antiderivatives by differentiating.
    • If you are using a convergence test, don’t forget to state which one.
  6. If you use scrap paper for your rough work, write “Rough” at the top of the page and include it at the end of the document with your written work.
  7. Submit your written work as a single PDF. Include your Student ID in the photos of your work.
  8. Use this link to upload your written work (this is a different link from last week’s for Test #3a).
  9. After you take the test, you can take a second version of it (with different questions) after 24 hours. Use the same link to upload your written work. Only the written work corresponding to the higher WeBWorK score will be graded.
  10. Try to relax, if you can! Just do your best, whatever your best is right now.
    • This test has 5 questions.
    • You have two days during which you can take two versions of the test.
    • You have the option to change your course grade to credit/no credit later.
    • This test is important for your course grade, but grades might not be the most important thing in your life right now.

Your WeBWorK test score will not count toward your Test #3 grade. It will be used only to determine which version of your written work will be graded. Your Test #3 grade will be calculated as follows:

    • 1/3 Test #3a written work
    • 1/3 Test #3b written work
    • 1/3 interview

Math Chair’s Email

I’ve received a few questions about yesterday’s email from the chair of the Math Department, so I hope I can clarify a few things for everyone.

  1. The email was sent to the whole class.
  2. The investigation she referred to was about an academic integrity violation we found out about on Test #3a. If you did not commit a violation on Test #3a, then you do not need to worry about this investigation.
  3. The investigation is completely separate from Test #2 and the appointments some people have scheduled with me to talk about Test #2.
  4. Test #3b is still on for tomorrow – Wednesday 12pm to Friday 12pm this week; our Test #3 interviews are still on for next week.

Some of you are probably wondering what is going on. The fact is that there has been widespread cheating in this class (even when we were meeting in person). Usually these matters can be dealt with privately, so you might never know that your classmates got caught cheating, but this is not a usual semester and have been required to have more of these conversations publicly.

I know that this whole thing is incredibly stressful for all of you and I want to remind you that I can be extremely flexible about everything except for:

  1. the final exam,
  2. academic integrity.

Just let me know what you need.

While I understand the temptation to reach for just a little outside help when you’re as stressed as you are and it’s as easy as it is, I also want to remind you that committing violations can have lasting consequences for you. For example, there will be instances in your future —not just for academic things, but for jobs you’re applying for as well—where you will have to produce your transcript or ask a professor for a letter of recommendation. This will be difficult with a violation on your record. You don’t want what feels like a little thing now to follow you around for years and I don’t want that for you either.

CUNY has done something really amazing for students caught in this situation this semester by extending the deadline to withdraw from a class until May 14. I’ve already had conversations with some students for whom this class is an extra source of stress and they just want to be done with it. This is completely understandable and not something you should feel bad about. If this is where you are, then getting this course off your plate is the responsible way to handle it. Committing academic violations is not. I want you to make the decision that’s best for you.

Finally, the chair’s email mentioned the app/website Symbolab and why we don’t recommend students use it (or anything like it) at all. It’s definitely a violation to present Symbolab’s work as your own, even if you’re just copying your previous notes. But there’s another problem even with using it as you study. Symbolab is really incredible at finding answers. Really impressive. But, as the chair mentioned, if often solves problems in weird and roundabout ways. It uses techniques that are inappropriate for the problem and refuses to use the appropriate (and easier) ones. Even using Symbolab (or anything like it) to study can give you false confidence that you actually know what’s going on.

The reason that matters for this class is that the learning outcomes on the official course outline (which is linked from the OpenLab site and which we discussed on the first day of class) does not include “find answers.” The learning outcomes list the techniques that you are to use and apply in this class. I am held accountable by the department and the college for assessing whether these learning outcomes have been met, and what I have to go on is what you write down.  It’s obvious if you’re using Symbolab’s approach because it’s often an inappropriate approach, even if you’re not just copying from Symbolab directly onto your paper. I don’t want to tell you you can’t use Symbolab (or anything like it) ever, but it’s very risky and you should know the risks.

Your tests are already open book. What I would do if I were taking tests like yours is open up several tabs on my browser with the relevant chapters of the textbook before starting the test. If you haven’t actually read them (though you should; there’s good stuff in there!) scroll through them for a few minutes so you know where the definitions are, where the formulas are, and what kinds of examples there are. You can refer to these in your written work. As usual, show aaaaaaallll your work.

I hope this helps to clear things up.

Sunday update: emails, deadlines/important dates, MAT 2680

We’re in the home stretch of the semester! There are two more weeks of classes before final exam week. Things usually feel *pretty* stressful at this point in the semester…and that’s when everything is normal. This is not a normal semester! I hope you are all managing the best you can and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Emails

A few of you have written me emails that I haven’t had a chance to respond to yet. I’m not forgetting you or ignoring you on purpose, I promise! I have just been so extremely busy. I know that some of the things you’ve emailed me about are of a stressful nature and I hope the delay isn’t adding to your stress. I can’t tell you when I will get back to you, but I will get back to you!

Deadlines/important dates
  • If you want to submit a Test 2 correction video, you may do so up until next Sunday, May 10 (a one-week extension). You don’t have to get feedback from your study group, but remember that you’ll only get to improve your grade if your video shows a perfect solution, so get any feedback you can. Submit final videos using this link.
  • Test #3b will follow the same format as Test #3a; it will be open from this Wednesday at noon to this Friday at noon. I’ll post a Test #3b checklist soon. A few of you did not submit your Test #3a according to the Test #3a checklist. I know it’s confusing with all the changes, but I expect the instructions for submitting your work for your final exam will be similar, so follow the checklist closely.
  • If you haven’t done so yet, please sign up for a Test #3 interview time slot on this schedule.
  • May 14 is the last day to withdraw officially from the class. You’ll see a W on your transcript but this will not affect your GPA. If anyone is thinking about dropping the class and wants to talk about it with me, just let me know.
  • June 25 is the last day to change your letter grade to the credit/no credit option. More details are here. This option might not work for everyone, but it might make sense for some of you. With this option, the credit/no credit grade does not affect your GPA. Talk to your academic advisor and financial aid advisor to determine if this option would work for you.
  • Yes, I will reopen all your old Webwork sets! No I haven’t done it yet! I’m waiting until after your 5/5 set is due to keep the old sets and new sets separate. The new deadlines will be the week before final exams.
  • I’ve made a few small changes to our new schedule. I expect these should be the *last* changes to the schedule!
MAT 2680

Some of you are required to take MAT 2680 (Differential Equations) after this class for your program. Professor Singh is teaching the online course in Summer Session I. He’s a great teacher! If you are planning to take the course, I really recommend you take it from him.

Pre-class prep lesson for Monday, May 4

1.1 Approximating Areas (p. 5 – 20)
2.1 Areas Between Two Curves (p. 122 – 128)

P. 21: 1 – 7 odd, 12, 15, 16, 17 (optional)
P. 131: 1 – 7 all, 11, 15 – 21 all, 23
P. 271: 63

Webwork: Riemann Sums (optional), Area Between Curves due 5/10

Notes from lecture and office hours:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6bo23k3staxnpm/Note%20May%204%2C%202020.pdf?dl=0


1.1. Riemann Sums

The Webwork set for Riemann Sums is officially optional, but the pictures in this section will help set us up to understand how integrals can be used to compute volumes, which is the last big topic in the course. Continue reading

Test #3a checklist

Instructions for Test #3a are detailed here and summarized below.

  1. Make sure you are familiar with the academic honesty policy here.
  2. Sign up for an interview time slot here (Webex links for interviews will be posted later).
  3. Test #3a opens Wednesday at noon; closes Friday at noon.
  4. Once you start the test, you have one hour to complete the WeBWorK component and another 10 minutes to submit your written work.
  5. Show all your work. Use a new piece of paper for each question. Write the page number and question number clearly at the top of the page, along with your name.
    • If you are integrating, don’t forget to check your antiderivatives by differentiating.
    • If you are using a convergence test, don’t forget to state which one.
  6. If you use scrap paper for your rough work, write “Rough” at the top of the page and include it at the end of the document with your written work.
  7. Submit your written work as a single PDF. Include your Student ID in the photos of your work.
  8. Use this link to upload your written work.
  9. After you take the test, you can take a second version of it (with different questions) after 24 hours. Use the same link to upload your written work. Only the written work corresponding to the higher WeBWorK score will be graded.
  10. Try to relax, if you can! Just do your best, whatever your best is right now.
    • This test has 5 questions that were taken directly from your WeBWorK homework sets, so you’ve seen them before.
    • You have two days during which you can take two versions of the test.
    • You have the option to change your course grade to credit/no credit later.
    • This test is important for your course grade, but grades might not be the most important thing in your life right now.

Your WeBWorK test score will not count toward your Test #3 grade. It will be used only to determine which version of your written work will be graded. Your Test #3 grade will be calculated as follows:

    • 1/3 Test #3a written work
    • 1/3 Test #3b written work
    • 1/3 interview

Pre-class prep lesson for Monday, April 27

6.1 Power Series and Functions (p.531–537)
6.2 Properties of Power Series (p.544–548, 552–557)

P. 541: 13-21 odd, 24, 28
P. 558: 87—90 all, 96, 97

Webwork: Power Series due Sunday, May 3

Lecture notes:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i86orzrwnoc15s8/Note%20Apr%2027%2C%202020.pdf?dl=0

Sorry, no video again today! I’ll see if I can figure Webwex out…


These two sections are scheduled for one day, because they’re really about different aspects of one topic: power series. Continue reading

Test #3a and #3b

As announced in class, Test #3a and #3b will have three components:

  1. WeBWorK
  2. Written work
  3. One-on-one interview
WeBWorK

As before, your questions will be delivered via Webwork. Test #3a has 5 questions and Test #3b has 5 questions (it will look like 6 questions; the first “question” is an academic integrity statement). The tests will be open for 2 days each. Your timer will count down from 1 hour after you start the test.

One thing that is different from Test #2 is that, if you want, you’ll be able to take a second version of the test within 24 hours of submitting your first version. This is optional. These will be completely different problems. You must submit written work for each version.

Your Webwork score will not count toward your overall grade EXCEPT if you submit two versions of the test; only one version of your written work will be graded: the version with the highest Webwork score. If the two scores are equal, your second submission will be the one that’s graded.

Test #3a: opens Wednesday, April 29 at 12 noon, closes Friday, May 1 at 12 noon (scroll to “Take Test 3a test “)

Test #3b opens Wednesday, May 6 at 12 noon, closes Friday, May 8 at 12 noon (scroll to “Take Test 3b test “)

Please let me know if you will not be able to complete the tests during these times so we can make other arrangements.

Written work

There are several ways to turn your written work into a single PDF document. If you are writing your work on paper and taking photos, place your student ID in the picture.

You will receive an email with a Dropbox File request from me. You do not have to have a Dropbox account (you will not even use your own Dropbox account if you have one). The email will contain a link where you can upload your PDF. Use the same link to upload written work if you take a second version of the test.

You have 10 minutes after your Webwork submission to assemble your written work into a single PDF document and share it with me.

Some good habits:

  • as you are working, write the page number at the top of each page;
  • write all questions on separate pages;
  • write the question number very large and clear;
  • if a question goes onto a second page write which number it is and “continued” at the top of the second page.

Your written work will be graded as usual. Don’t forget to check any antiderivatives you take by differentiating. Use good style.

Your written work counts for 2/3 of your exam grade.

One-on-one interview

Deadline to sign up for a time slot: Wednesday, April 29 at noon. Let me know if you aren’t available during any of the slots and we’ll make alternate arrangements. (Peter and Tony: please sign up for back-to-back slots.)

Sign up for an available time slot here. Please don’t move your classmates’ names around after they’ve entered theirs!

Interviews will be conducted over Webex. Links will be shared shortly. Please arrive on time as we have only 5 minutes. Make sure you have your work with you; we’ll both be looking at it. At the interview, I’ll ask you to explain your thought process for one or two of your solutions. Don’t just read what’s written on the page. Your work doesn’t have to be 100% correct, I just need to understand what was going through your mind as you wrote each step. This is a new skill, so practice doing this out loud before the interview.

There will be only one interview for Test #3. You maybe be asked about written solutions on your Test #3a or Test #3b.

You’ll receive a grade out of 5 for your interview component.

Your interview counts for 1/3 of your exam grade.

 

Academic honesty in the time of coronavirus

Academic honesty class policy

We’ve discussed what it means to submit your own work for this class several times, both in person and during online classes, yet there have still been multiple violations. I want to make it clear what is allowed and what is not allowed in our class and what the punishment for breaking the rules is.

Unless otherwise indicated, tests and assignments are now open book and open notes. You may use any notes you have taken for this class and you may use what’s in your textbook.

You may work together on homework assignments but you may not work with anyone else during a test. You may not consult automated problem solving websites or apps on assignments or during a test. This includes anything where you plug in the question and it spits out an answer and/or step-by-step solutions. This also includes Google.

If your work for a Test #2 question suggests outside help, you will receive an automatic zero for that question. If you want to dispute this grade, you must make an appointment to discuss it with me.  It will be your responsibility to convince me it’s your work and only your work. This will be your final warning.

If a your work for an upcoming test or exam question suggests outside help, you will receive an automatic failing grade for the course and a report will be filed with the college’s Academic Integrity Committee.

Some comments
  1. Remember that this semester, you will have the option to change your letter grade for a course to credit/no credit (by a certain deadline). Earning a  D grade means you’ll receive credit, just like if you earned an A grade. By committing academic dishonesty, you are giving up the option of receiving any credit for the work you have done this semester.
  2. I know it’s tempting when you’re taking an exam at home to reach out for outside help. This is natural, especially when you’re already under so much stress and you know your classmates have been cheating. Their cheating will be caught and it will be punished. Committing what feels like a small transgression is a slippery slope, though, and could lead to your being expelled from the college (I’ve seen this happen) so please resist the temptation.
  3. You need to make sure that your work doesn’t even *suggest* outside help. That means that, for example, if you consult an app that solves the problem for you, and you change things around to try to make it look like your own work, you’ll still be found in violation. You may as well just write your own work.
  4. For upcoming tests, part of your grade will come from a post-exam one-on-one oral interview with me. You will need to explain your thinking to me, not just read what you wrote (I’ll have a copy I can read for myself). This point here is not to catch you cheating, it’s to prevent you from cheating in the first place. Make sure that you understand every single thing you’re writing down and can explain your thinking to me. If you didn’t come up with it yourself, you won’t understand it well enough to explain.
  5. We’re all still getting used to this new way of doing things. If you committed a violation in the past, you can take the punishment and move on. I will not hold this against you. I’m still experimenting with the structure of tests and assignments that stay true to our original course, but take some stress off you. Please don’t make me regret these experiments by turning work that is not yours.
  6. I have the same apps you do. Please don’t pay $9.99 per month just to get caught cheating and fail the course.

 

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