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

Weekly check in

We are all doing our best in an unusual situation and as our lives move online, it is more important than ever for us to check on each other. To that end, I’m asking you to fill out a short form every week to let me know how you are doing.

You can complete the form in about 10 seconds but there is room for you to write more details about your own situation, if you’d like to share them with me. You are not required to tell me any personal information you don’t want to. Nobody other than me will have access to your responses to these questions. These submissions will be used in place of attendance moving forward, though you are still expected to attend our virtual class meetings if you can. Each submission is worth one participation point.

You can also send me an email if you have anything you need to talk about. I’ll do my best to get back to you quickly. My address is kpoirier@citytech.ccuny.edu.

Here is a link to your check-in form. You can also access this link in the menu at the top of the OpenLab site.

Submissions are due by 11:59pm on Sundays:
– March 22
– March 29
– April 5
– April 12 (optional)
– April 19
– April 26
– May 3
– May 10
– May 17

Tutoring

Some of the college’s tutoring services are moving online. Here is the information for tutoring offered by the math department over Zoom.

Perkins Spring 2020 Virtual

I’m not exactly sure how it will work, but if they are able to give you some kind of electronic verification slip, please forward it to me for participation credit.

I know the Atrium Learning Center is working on trying to get online tutoring up and running too, so I’ll let you know when I have that information.

Internet Access

Everyone who filled out last week’s internet access survey said they had internet at home, so this might not apply to any of you, but it might apply to someone you know, so you could pass the information along. I just got an email from the math department chair listing different companies who are offering students some kind of free or discounted internet. I’ll copy-paste it below. Not every deal will apply to everybody, so check to see who’s eligible.

Altice USA:
Starting Monday, March 16, 2020, eligible households interested in this solution can call: 866-200-9522 to enroll in Optimum region. For households with K-12 and/or college students who may be displaced due to school closures and who do not currently have home internet access, we are offering our Altice Advantage 30 Mbps broadband solution for free for 60 days to any new customer household. Altice is the parent company for Optimum.

Comcast:
Comcast Increases Access to and Speeds of Internet Essentials to Support Americans Through Coronavirus Pandemic.  We’ll send all new customers a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router. There will be no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee.  To sign up, applicants can simply visit www.internetessentials.com. The accessible website also includes the option to video chat with customer service agents in American Sign Language. There are also two dedicated phone numbers 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.

Spectrum:
Charter to Offer Free Access to Spectrum Broadband and Wi-Fi for 60-Days for New K-12 and College Student Households and More.  Parents have to call 844-488-8395 starting Monday, March 16 for grades k-college.  Free internet for 60 days with more information coming on installation instructions and programs guidelines.  Format 100 mbps speed Open internet (your device needs to set up filtering apart from this).  Public Wi-Fi hotspot will also be made available so no credentials should be needed. 

ATT:
https://about.att.com/pages/COVID-19.html

Verizon:
Verizon response to the coronavirus COVID19 | About Verizon
https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizons-covid-19-relief-efforts

T-Mobile:
https://www.cnet.com/news/t-mobile-provides-unlimited-data-on-all-plans-for-60-days-during-coronavirus-spread/
60 days unlimited smartphone data: 20GB of additional mobile hotspot service. Future reference- T-Mobile’s EmpowerED 2.0 program for hotspots-https://www.t-mobile.com/business/education/empowered2

Optimum:
Free WiFi 60 days – Optimum is rolling out a free Internet program on Monday. Families will need to call optimum and ask for the free Internet program and
are students in the house, schools have closed and lessons are online.) Optimum will set up a router at their location. NY sales rep 1-718-617-3500