Section 1 Introduction to Math 1560
Welcome to Math 1560, Calculus I. I’m glad you’ve chosen to embark on this journey through a mathematical classic.
Let’s get one thing out of the way before we begin: Calculus I isn’t nearly as bad as its reputation might suggest. Most students who put in the work do well in Math 1560. We will do our best to support you in your learning, and ensure that students continue to do well in this course.
There are many of us in this class, coming from many different backgrounds and situations. I want our classroom to be an inclusive space for all students. If the “default settings” for the class don’t work for you, please don’t hesitate to ask for accommodation. Not everyone has reliable high speed internet. Not everyone is able to attend scheduled classes without work/family/life getting in the way. But everyone deserves a fulfilling, enjoyable learning experience in each class.
We begin with some introductions: to the university, to the staff, and to the course.
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.
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.
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moodle.uleth.caTransitioning to learning in the university environment is a challenge at the best of times. Doing so while a pandemic refuses to go away 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. (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 we’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.
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www.uleth.ca/services-for-students/what-do-i-do-if3
www.uleth.ca/services-for-students/health-safetySubsection 1.2 Course staff and contact information
Math 1560 is running in two sections for Fall 2023: 1560A and 1560B. Both sections are taught by Sean Fitzpatrick. (That’s me!) I can be reached via email at sean.fitzpatrick@uleth.ca.
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www.cs.uleth.ca/~fitzpat5
mailto:sean.fitzpatrick@uleth.caMath 1560A has a good time (12 noon) and a terrible room (E690, in UHall). Math 1560B has a great room (SA6008, in Science Commons), and a terrible time (4:30 pm). We can’t have it all, I guess.
Tutorials will be coordinated by Sean Legge, a.k.a. “The Original Sean”. Our tutorials are larger than they used to be, but they also have more staff. Sean will be assisted by a graduate student, and for most sections, a senior undergraduate.
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mailto:sean.legge@uleth.caSubsection 1.3 Office Hours
Most of you are new here, so you might be wondering, “What’s the deal with office hours?” The short version: these are opportunities to meet with me about the course, the university, or whatever, that are helpful for everyone, and used by far too few.
This isn’t entirely accurate, but attendance is always lower than one might expect. Office hours are a time when your teachers are agreeing to make themselves available, and give you their undivided attention for whatever questions you might have. (Unless you come with a group of people; then our attention will be divided between you.)
Office hours don’t have to be just for help with the course material. You can drop by with philosophical questions, or to ask for advice, or just to chat and make sure you know who you are. And by the way, you absolutely do want to make sure we know who you are. Many of you will get an A in this course. (Many will get an A+.) But it is a big course, with about 250 students. A good grade won’t guarantee that we know who you are.
The reason you want us to know you is that in a couple of years, you’re going to start to need to ask for references, for scholarships, jobs, or whatever. Or you may want to apply for a job like the ones our undergraduate TAs are doing. The more time your instructors have spent talking to you, the better we’ll do at writing you a good letter.
So drop by, introduce yourself, say hello, ask for help, or whatever. The University of Lethbridge is small, but it’s not that small, especially when it comes to first year classes. You’ll have a better time here if you get to know your faculty.
Subsection 1.4 Universal learning accommodations
Everything is “back to normal” now, with classes fully in-person. But we all get sick from time to time, and there’s word of another COVID wave on the way. I will do my best to ensure that you’re not penalized if you have to miss class from time to time. Some of you may even find that you don’t like the class format, and you can learn better from the textbook. That’s fine too. Please feel free to let me know if your needs aren’t being met, and I’ll do what I can.
The following general accommodations apply to all students.
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Most assessments (the final exam is a notable exception) can be completed remotely. The homework and the unit tests will be done online. Tutorials are in person, but we’ll try to accommodate you if this presents an undue burden.
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Extensions can be requested for almost any assessment. An online form will be provided for extension requests.You generally do not need to give a reason for requesting an extension, and documentation will never be required. As in the “real world”, most deadlines act as planning guidelines, and when you can’t meet one, you ask for more time. This is usually no big deal, unless it happens a lot, in which case we might check with you to make sure you’re doing okay.
Please also note that it’s quite likely that some of your instructors will become ill, or have family members who are ill. None of us want to risk spreading infection to an entire class! In the event that your instructor is sick (but not so sick that they’re unable to teach), classes will be temporarily moved online.
If this should happen, we will do our best to give you plenty of notice, and to minimize disruption, to the extent this is possible.
Subsection 1.5 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.
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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”
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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.
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Integrals will be defined in the context of calculating area, but they also appear whenever aggregates or averages are being considered.
Both derivatives and integrals are defined using limits, and the two are related in a (possibly) surprising way.
In this course, you should expect:
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More emphasis on:
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Conceptual understanding
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Discussion
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Context (the whole “what is this good for?” routine)
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Less emphasis on:
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Memorization (because how am I gonna stop you from looking stuff up, anyway?)
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Routine computational proficiency (let’s be honest: the computer can do this better than us most of the time)
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High stakes testing
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The course is meant to be done in person, and for best results, on the schedule that will be laid out in Moodle. But please do not come to class if you’re sick. Accommodations are available; see Subsection 1.4.
