Math 1560 Course Outline

Subsection 1.1 Welcome to the University of Lethbridge

Oki, and welcome to the University of Lethbridge. Our University’s Blackfoot name is Iniskim, meaning Sacred Buffalo Stone. The University of Lethbridge acknowledges and deeply appreciates the Siksikaitsitapii peoples’ connection to their traditional territory. We, as people living and benefiting from Blackfoot Confederacy traditional territory, honour the traditions of people who have cared for this land since time immemorial. We recognize the diverse population of Aboriginal peoples who attend the University of Lethbridge and the contributions these Aboriginal peoples have made in shaping and strengthening the University community in the past, present, and in the future.

For most of you, this is your first semester at the University of Lethbridge, or at any post-secondary institution. University is an exciting time. You'll be exposed to new people, new ideas, and new experiences. Making connections as we learn remotely will be a challenge, but somehow we'll do our best to make this happen.

Most of your courses, including this one, will be facilitated using the Moodle learning management system. You'll want to spend time as soon as you can familiarizing yourself with your course Moodle pages, and plan to check each one on a daily basis.

Transitioning to learning in the university environment is a challenge at the best of times. Doing so in the middle of a global pandemic while also trying to learn online, and learn to use all the technological tools needed for that, will be additionally challenging. Everyone here at U of L will be doing our best to help you through this time.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions. I'll do my best to answer all of your course-related questions as quickly as possible. (See Section 3 for details on how to get in touch.) If you have questions that are not related to the course, you can ask those too, and I'll try to answer, or to direct you to someone who can.

There's some great general advice for first year students on the U of L website, including links to Academic Advising and advice on study skills from the Student Success Centre. Other resources can be found on the University's Health and Safety website.

Subsection 1.2 Course staff and contact information

Math 1560 is running in three sections for Fall 2020: A, B, and C. My name is Sean Fitzpatrick. I'm in charge of all three lecture sections (A, B, and C). I can be reached via email at sean.fitzpatrick@uleth.ca.

Office hours: as long as it's convenient for most students, I will extend our scheduled Zoom classes to include office hours. That is, I'll stick around for half an hour after class ends to answer questions. (Section B runs until 5:45 pm, and by that time I'll have been on Zoom for 5-6 hours. I might choose to do office hours for Section B before class.) Check Moodle for the most up to date information on office hours. I will also use Moodle's Scheduler booking system to let you book individual appointments.

Tutorial sections 4, 9, 11, and 12 are taught by Dr. Jana Archibald. All the other tutorial sections are taught by Azar Efekhari Targhi. Jana and Azar handled our Summer 2020 offering of Math 1560, so they've already had their first adventure in teaching calculus online, and I'll be relying on their experience and expertise with what works best online.

Subsection 1.3 Course description

This is Math 1560, Calculus I. It's a first course in calculus, covering limits, derivatives, and integrals of functions of one variable.

We'll be dealing with all your favourite functions from high school: polynomials, logarithms, exponentials, even trigonometric functions.

• Limits tell us about the value of a function near a point. A limit is simulataneously approximate and precise. In fact, most of calculus could be described as “the art of precise approximation”
• Derivatives tell us about how a function is changing near a point. Most rates of change in the sciences, from speed to population growth, are quantified using derivatives.
• Integrals will be defined in the context of calclating area, but they also appear whenever aggregates or averages are being considered.

Both derivatives and intergrals are defined using limits, and the two are related in a (possibly) surprising way.

Subsection 1.4 And what about the whole online thing?

Ah, right! More details on that throughout the outline. But to get us started: what changes?

• More emphasis on:

  • Conceptual understanding

  • Discussion

  • Context (the whole “what is this good for?” routine)

  • Being generally swell human beings

• Less emphasis on:

  • Memorization (because how am I gonna stop you from looking stuff up, anyway?)

  • Routine computational proficiency (let's be honest: the computer can do this better than us most of the time)

  • Tests and exams (so I can spend more time teaching and less time as the Math Police)

The course is set up with synchronous meetings (via Zoom) that follow the original timetable. It's great if you can come to these. There will be opportinuties for discussion, and to work on problems (including ones you'll be handing in) with your classmates.

It's also understandable if you can't. Bad internet. Bosses who don't understand that online classes still have, well, classes. Maybe you have to share your computer with your little brother. Maybe travel restrictions mean that when class meets, it's 2 am where you are.

Fortunately, I'll do my best to also support asynchronous learning. Lots can be done on your own time, even if you do make it to class. The textbook is free, online, and full of videos. We'll run an online Q&A forum you can use to ask questions any time of day. Tests are not during class time. You'll have a 24 hour window.

In Subsection 2.4 you're going to see that there are lots of pieces to your grade. And yes, most of them have deadlines. But don't worry! Most of those pieces are small: designed to be done in class, or to take up no more than an hour or so of your time. Learning any kind of math is a marathon, not a sprint. So I'm giving you a little bit to do every day. Keep at it, and you'll do well.