Category: Online course updates (Page 1 of 2)

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.

Please see the new grading scheme here.

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.

Handing in your written work

I’m still working on grading your Test #2 and I hope to have your grades to you by next week. As I mentioned, there were some problems having you submit your written work for Test #2 over email, so in the future, we’ll try something different. We’re all still just figuring these things out for the first time!

1. A single PDF document instead of several files

Many of you were able to use a scanning app to send me one PDF of all your written work, which worked very well. The main problems seemed to occur when individual photos were attached to the email, so I’m going to ask you to assemble the photos into one document yourself.

• • If you have an iPhone/iPad/iPod, you can use the Notes app to scan several pages;
  • you can also use the Adobe Scan app, the Dropbox app, or another scanning app;
  • you can also create a Microsoft Word document, import the images into the document, and save/print the document as a PDF;
  • if you have an iPhone or Android phone, you can use the Dropbox app to scan several pages…you might prefer this because we’re going to try using Dropbox instead of email.

If you are using a tablet and writing your work in something like Notability or OneNote, then please save your work as a PDF (I need the actual file, not just the link to it).

If you absolutely cannot turn several individual photos of your written work into a single PDF document because you don’t have the appropriate technology at home, just let me know and we’ll work something out.

2 . Shared folders instead of email Dropbox file request links

CUNY offers free Dropbox accounts for all students, faculty, and administrative staff. I’m creating folders for each of you in my Dropbox account and will share them with you soon. You can find information about setting up your free Dropbox account here. Notice that you’ll need your CUNY Login information to access your account; that’s the information I’ll be using to share the folders with you.

Edit 4/28: I’ll be sharing Dropbox file request links where you will submit your written work. You don’t have to have Dropbox to upload your files.

I recommend practicing scanning your written work and sharing it in Dropbox (once I’ve shared the folder with you) if you haven’t done it before so you’re not doing it for the first time when it’s really important to get it right.

Webwork Ask for Help

Don’t forget about the Webwork question-answer forum on the OpenLab. Often, a peer leader will be able to answer your question before I can. When you’re on the page for your Webwork problem, if you click the “Ask for Help” button at the bottom of the screen, that link will send you to the page on the forum just for that question, so you can read what people have asked before and their answers.  Every question you ask or answer is worth one participation point.

Tutoring

Drop-in tutoring is available from the math department. Scheduled tutoring is available from the ALC. I heard that the ALC is not very busy yet, so now is a great time to schedule a one-on-one appointment with a tutor. Here are the links for for drop-in and scheduled tutoring (also in the menu at the top of this page). If you make an appointment at the ALC, forward me the confirmation email for one participation point.

Test #3

I’ll post more details soon, but I wanted to give you a head’s up: I’m planning on splitting up Test #3 (green topics on the schedule) into Test #3a (light green) and Test #3b (dark green). Both parts will follow the structure of Test #2: there will be a timed Webwork component and you’ll share your written work according to the instructions above.

Test #3a will be given the week of April 27; Test #3b will be given the week of May 4.

I hope that those of you who were able to are feeling more settled after CUNY’s recalibration week. Our class meets as usual next Monday as well as on Tuesday (which follows a Wednesday schedule). Spring break is technically next Wednesday to Friday and after that, we’ll resume classes on Monday, April 13. Hopefully after that, we won’t have more disruptions to our schedule.

Due dates

Just a reminder, the following are all due Sunday night:

• Test #1 Solutions OpenLab post
• Test #2 Review OpenLab post
• Webwork
  • Partial Fractions (reopened)
  • Improper Integrals
  • Taylor Polynomials

Tutoring

The Atrium Learning Center’s online tutoring program will start on Monday. You can schedule a 30-minute one-on-one appointment with your favorite tutor.  I strongly encourage you to make an appointment as soon as you can (Monday after class would be perfect, if there are available appointments, since you have a test on Tuesday); having a tutor’s undivided attention for 30 minutes is hard to beat. Here are the instructions.

You can also drop in to the Math Department’s tutoring on Zoom without an appointment.

Test #2

Test #2 still covers the yellow topics on the schedule (which still needs to be updated). Just like your Practice Quiz and Quiz #5, there is a Webwork component and and a written work/email component. The instructions are similar.

Webwork component: Test #2 will be available from 8:00am on Tuesday, April 7 to 9:40am on Wednesday, April 8. Once you start the test, you will have 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete it (even if you log out and back in again) so make sure you find a quiet spot where you won’t be bothered. Webwork will cut you off at 9:40am on Wednesday, so make sure you start by 8:00am on Wednesday at the latest.

You do not have to log into our Webex meeting to take the test, but I will be available on Webex at the usual meeting link on Tuesday from 8:00am to 9:40am, so you can log in if you want to ask me a question (one person at a time). I will not be available after that, so I suggest you start your test when it open on Tuesday at 8:00am if you can.

Once you’ve logged into Webwork, scroll to Test 2 (it will say take Test 2 test). All of the questions will appear on one screen. You will submit all your answer for all test questions all at once (compared to usual Webwork sets where you submit your answers one question at a time). You will have only two chances to submit your test.

Written/email component: As usual, your written work is what really matters. After you finish the Webwork component, you will have 10 minutes to email me your written work at kpoirier@citytech.cuny.edu. Use the email subject line “MAT 1575 Test #2” so I can locate it later.

• You may write your test on a iPad/tablet if you have one.
  1. Please send me your written work as one PDF document.
  2. Answer the questions in order.
  3. Label each question by its number clearly.
  4. Write your name at the top of each page.
• You may write your solutions on paper.
  1. Please write each solution on a separate piece of paper.
  2. Label each question by its number clearly.
  3. Write your name at the top of each page.
  4. Take a photo of each page. Make sure the photo is clear and not blurry.
  5. Preferred version: If you have access to a scanner, scan your work and arrange it into one PDF document so that the questions are in order before you send it to me.
     • If you have an iPhone or an iPad, your phone camera works as a scanner. Here are some instructions.
     • You might have another way of creating a single PDF document to send to me.
  6. If you do not have access to a scanner, iPhone or iPad, and you don’t have another way to turn your work into a single PDF, you can attach individual photos to your email to me.
     • Sometimes there is a limit to the number of photos you can attach to an email (if they are very large). If you need to, send me two separate emails with subject lines MAT 1575 Test #2 Questions 1-5 and MAT 1575 Test #2 Questions 6-10.

After you send your solutions to me, double-check make sure the email appears in your sent folder and that your email hasn’t been bounced back to you for some reason.

Academic integrity: This is an open-book test. Your work must be your own. This means that you can use your own notes or the online textbook, but you may not work with your classmates or with anyone else, and you may not use any automated problem solvers or websites. You need to be prepared to defend your work orally in case I ask you to (I plan to do this randomly throughout the semester).

While I know most of you have been working hard, we have already had some instances of academic dishonesty in this class, which has been incredibly disappointing. It will obviously be harder for me to supervise you on this test, so I must ask you to be fair to your classmates who are following the rules. Anyone found in violation of the rules will be reported to the college’s Academic Integrity Committee.

Practice Test and group discussion

You may take a practice test before Test #2. Completing the Webwork and written/email component will earn one participation point, whether your answers are correct or not. This is a good time to practice arranging your work into a single PDF document.

Just like for the real test, you will have 1 hour and 40 minutes to finish the Webwork component. Scroll to Take Practice Test test (it might be near the bottom of your screen). Email me your written work within 10 minutes of finishing the practice test.

You have until Tuesday at 7:50am to complete the practice test.

Group discussion: I recommend you and your study group agree to take the practice test at the same time, if you can. Then you can all talk about it after to see what you were all able to answer and what you weren’t able to answer.

Here are some recommended times (but you and your group members can settle on a different time):

1. Sunday 6:00pm to 7:40pm
2. Monday 10:00am to 11:40am (unless you want to stop by my office hours on Webex)
3. Monday 600pm to 7:40pm

I hope everyone is managing to stay strong during this terrible time. I saw a model recently that predicted that NYC would hit its inflection point as soon as April 6 (one week away). This means that, in the big picture at least, things will get keep getting worse until then, but then they’ll start getting better. Other models predict other dates, but I’m finding small comfort that, even though it will still be some time before we can get back to normal, there’s a math reason that things will actually stop getting worse and start getting better. I know that inflection points won’t help those of you who are directly and personally impacted by this crisis; you guys are in my thoughts and I’m sending you all the good vibes I can.

New due dates

I know due dates have been jumping around a lot lately and they’re hard to keep track of. I’m sorry for that; hopefully things will settle back down soon. I’ve just changed a few more dates. Everything below is now due on Sunday, April 5:

• Test #1 Solutions OpenLab post
• Test #2 Review OpenLab post
• Webwork
  • Partial Fractions (reopened)
  • Improper Integrals
  • Taylor Polynomials

These are the three topics that will appear on Test #2, which will be given on Tuesday, April 7 (which follows a Wednesday schedule).  Monday’s class will cover sequences; this topic will not be on Test #2 but you should review the pre-class prep lesson before Monday’s class. The dates on our new schedule are already old because they don’t account for the recalibration period but I plan to make a new new schedule soon.

Review sessions

This week during the recalibration period, I’m holding review sessions on Monday and Wednesday from 9am to 11am using the regular class Webex link.

Here are the notes from today’s session: Review Session Mar 30, 2020.

Here is the video: Review Session Mar 30, 2020  (password: yFj2M2Rz)

I’ll post the notes and video from Wednesday’s session here once they’re available.

Grants

I sent you all an email about this last night; I’ll copy-paste the information here:

CityTech is trying to offer small grants for students who are experiencing unexpected economic hardship. I don’t know a lot about this program, but you can find instructions and the application here: 

http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/bzmaterials/docs/Petrie_Application.pdf

Voter registration

If you’re eligible to vote in local and federal elections, you absolutely should. The registration deadline for the New York State primary is April 3. Here‘s a video about how elections impact CUNY directly and how to register.

I’m really happy that so many of you were able to attend class this morning! This is such a tricky situation and I think it says a lot about you that you keep showing up.

I’m sorry the technology failed us for the breathing exercise; I really thought that would be a helpful thing for us to try together. Oh well! If you haven’t tried breathing exercises or meditation before and you’re feeling stressed right now (who isn’t?) this might be a good time to try something. Personally, I suffer from anxiety even during normal times and I’ve found that if I can keep up a regular meditation and physical exercise routine, it helps me to feel like I can get through anything. There are lots of free breathing/meditation exercises on YouTube and other places; here’s a mini exercise from the company I subscribe to, if you want to try it on your own.

I hope you are finding ways of trying to stay grounded during this turbulent time. Some people might find comfort in religion or in connecting with friends and family members. Some people are able to meet with their therapists over FaceTime or other apps. Some people are volunteering to help out on the front lines, but even if you’re just playing video games, if it helps you feel less stressed, that’s a good thing. Things look pretty bad right now and they’re probably going to get worse, but then they will get better.

Schedule changes

CUNY is taking another week off from official classes from this Friday, March 27 to Wednesday, April 1. Online classes resume Thursday, April 2. For us, that means that we won’t meet again until April 6.

• Test #2 will be given on Monday, April 6 (unless CUNY changes the schedule again!). I’ll give details and instructions in a separate post.
• I’ll hold review sessions during usual class/office hour time next Monday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 1. (If nobody is online at 8am, I might hit snooze again until 9am!)

Spring break has been shortened and is now from April 8-10. If you need to observe religious holidays that no longer fall during spring break, just let me know and we’ll work around it.

Laptops/tablets for students

Next week is called the Recalibration Period for Educational Equity. From what I can tell, the main reason for the pause is so that CUNY can distribute computers for students who need them for their online classes. If you need to borrow one of these devices:

1. please send me an email so I can put you on one list,
2. fill out the application here: https://bit.ly/NYCCT24 as well,
3. fill out the application here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXUALqOA_hJ7mjFjc28tJ-f-XnhCDD1pLBj_EgNrN4EuySMg/viewform as well.

Last week I posted about different ways to get internet access here.

If you don’t need a computer or internet access yourself but you know a CUNY student who does, please let them know about these resources.

Today’s lesson

It takes Webex a while to generate videos, but as soon as today’s video is ready I’ll post it here. The PDF of my lecture notes and the notes I made during office hours is already posted there. We went over a few more examples showing how to find Taylor polynomials during office hours.

In the future, I’m planning to post the “pre-class prep lessons” the week before the in-class lessons. Then after the in-class lessons I’ll add links to the class videos and my own class notes to the same post. You can see just these posts, organized according to date, by clicking on Pre-class prep lessons in the menu at the top of the OpenLab site.

Credit/no-credit grades

CUNY’s working on a policy that will allow you to select a “credit/no-credit” (sometimes called “pass/fail”) option instead of a letter grade. From the looks of it, you might even be able to make this decision to take the class credit/no credit within 20 days of receiving a letter grade. The university will let students know the details of the new policy and help you understand how this impacts your academic progress and financial aid.

More information is here https://www.cuny.edu/cuny-continuity/cuny-continuity-for-students/#grade-policy

I’m really glad so many of you were able to attend our first online class this morning. I’m sorry to hear that the coronavirus situation is so stressful for so many of you, but it’s completely natural to be thrown off by this. I hope you continue to stay home if you’re able to, and stay as safe as possible if you’re not. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to the essential workers who are making it possible for so many of us to stay home.

Class recordings

I forgot to record today’s session! But my intention is to record all upcoming classes and share the links in the appropriate “pre class prep session” posts on the OpenLab. Please remind me to turn on the recording if you think I’ve forgotten! I’ll also share my own lecture notes and any notes I make during office hours as PDFs.

Here’s the PDF from today’s discussion on coronavirus calculus: Mon March 23 COVID calculus

You may also like to see this video (9 minutes) that goes into some detail about the math behind the coronavirus spread, similar to our discussion on Monday.

Quiz #5

Quiz #5 will be available in Webwork starting at 8:10am tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Scroll down to “Take Quiz 5 test.” You’ll have until 8:10am on Wednesday morning to complete the Webwork component. Remember that Webwork starts a 10-minute timer when you start taking the quiz and that you’ll have only two attempts to submit your correct answer. Email me your written work at kpoirier@citytech.cuny.edu within 10 minutes of finishing your quiz. There is more quiz info in this post.

We’ll *probably* use this combination of Webwork and emailed written work for Test #2 (midterm) as well, but I will post those instructions later this week.

Schedule

I keep messing around with our schedule trying to get everything to fit in the time we have left. The schedule might keep changing. I’ve moved some things around so upcoming Webwork due dates have been shifted.

• Improper integrals now due Sunday, March 29
• Taylor Polynomials now due Tuesday, March 31

Test #2 (midterm) is now scheduled for Wednesday, April 1.

Study groups

I haven’t decided what the official role of study groups will be yet, but unofficially, now is a great time to get started working together. I’ll send emails to the addresses I have on file for you so you can start a group chat over email or something else. You can also direct message each other on the OpenLab. I used a spreadsheet to determine the groups somewhat randomly, so everyone should be here, but let me know if you don’t see your name.

Group 1: Melvin, Fausto, Nafew, Risul, Reuben, Peter, Isaias

Group 2: Anik, Antonio, Parveen, Mariam, Sheriff, Israel

Group 3: Denny, Mamadou, Maftuna, Raisa, Elijah, Joanna

Group 4: Czar, Da Hong, Levaun, Inderpreet, Pablo, Frederick

Group 5: Garvin, Jared, Taraeah, Aarish, Renee, Tony

Computers to borrow

I’ve already sent you an email about the possibility of borrowing a laptop or tablet from CUNY this semester. I’ll copy that email here:

I’ve received an email update from the provost and will post today’s update for you on the OpenLab shortly, but there’s one topic I wanted to email you about immediately. We really don’t know any details yet, but it looks like CUNY is buying laptops or tablets or something for students to borrow. If you are receiving this email, it probably means you have some kind of access to a device and might not need to borrow one, but if you do need to borrow one, let me know as soon as possible so I can at least get your name on a list. If you have a friend at CUNY who will need to borrow a device, please ask them to email their professors to get them on a list (their professors might not know about this yet if they haven’t read the provost’s email, but the provost will send us more details when she has them).

It’s been a week. I know many of you are going through a lot right now and I’m so sorry you have to go through this strange and difficult time. Please be kind to each other and to yourselves.

I’ve posted daily updates this week as information becomes available and I know it’s A LOT, so I’m providing a summary with links here. Hopefully this makes the info easier to digest.

This week’s update highlights

1. Starting Monday classes will be delivered virtually. Classes will be recorded for you to access later. You are expected to attend virtual classes but let me know if your circumstances change and you are not able to attend. Instructions here are also linked in the menu at the top of this page.
2. Class time will now be used to discuss material that you have prepared ahead of time (readings and videos). You can access “pre class prep lessons” for next week here and in the menu linked at the top of this page.
3. Office hours will be held right after class just as they were before. Use the same links as for the virtual classes.
4. Test #2 has been postponed until the week of March 30. It will still cover the topics in yellow on the schedule (please note that the new schedule is a work in progress). More details about Test #2 to come.
5. Quiz #5 will be given over Webwork/email. You will have from Tuesday at 8:10am to Wednesday at 8:10am to complete it. The practice quiz is due by Tuesday at 11:59pm. Instructions for taking Quiz #5 and the practice quiz are here.
6. Something new we’re doing is weekly check ins. Even if you are not able to attend class or do any work during the week, fill out this short survey to let me know how you are. Responses are due every Sunday night and are worth one participation point each. You can access the check-in survey here and in the menu at the top of this page.
7. Due dates for assignments currently in progress:
   • Test #1 Solutions are now due Sunday, March 22
   • Test #2 Review is now due Friday, March 27
   • Webwork Improper Integrals is now due on Tuesday, March 24
   • Webwork Taylor Polynomials is now due on Sunday, March 29
8. The last day to withdraw from the class is now May 14. There is information about taking the class “pass/fail” instead of a letter grade here.
9. Online tutoring is available. Information is posted here.
10. You will be assigned to an official study group shortly.
11. Your physical and mental health are important. The physical and mental health of your loved ones are important. Being a student during this weird time can be overwhelming and I don’t want anyone to feel like their grade in this class is the most important thing right now. It’s not. We’re just going to try to get through this semester the best we can together so that those of you who are able to will still receive credit for this course with as little extra stress as possible.

This week’s daily updates table of contents

• Friday 3/13: Logistics, important dates, grading
• Monday 3/16: Meet the Pets Party! (Practice session)
• Tuesday 3/17: Online class meetings, pre-class prep sessions, and quizzes and tests
• Wednesday 3/18: Virtual meeting connection glitches, staying in contact, study groups, grades
• Thursday 3/19: Test #2 and quizzes
• Friday 3/20: Weekly check in, tutoring, and internet access