Section 2 Essential course information
This section covers essential course information, including the meeting times, textbook, and grading scheme.
Subsection 2.1 Course website
- Links to important resources, like this syllabus, and the textbook.
- Links to key course activities, like discussion forums.
- Details about your grades and assessments.
- A weekly topics schedule.
Subsection 2.2 Course textbook
Mathematics for Human Flourishing 2 , by Francis Su.
The primary textbook for the class is arguably not a textbook. It's not a free/open resource either, but in this case I'm willing to break with my usual policy, because it's an excellent book, and one that I think will give you a perspective on mathematics you haven't encountered before. You can expect to be asked to read (and report on) on chapter of Francis Su's book before each class.
The book should be available through the campus bookstore, but you can also find it in various formats (including e-book) through online retailers.
For mathematical content, we will refer to the book Mathematics for Elementary Teachers 3 , by Michelle Manes. This book is a free OER textbook. You can access it online, and the bookstore will print you a copy if desired. (For most students, I think online access will be sufficient.)
Other resources will be provided on Moodle.
Subsection 2.3 Assessment scheme
Math 2090 for Spring 2023 will be “ungraded”. This doesn't mean there won't be assessments. (There will be plenty of those!) What it means is that the focus of my marking will be on feedback rather than a score. You will be responsible for tracking your effort throughout the semester, and for responding to the feedback you receive.
On quizzes and assignments, you will be asked to make corrections to any mistakes, and to write a short reflection on what you learned (including what you learned from your mistakes). You will need to collect your work, and these reflections, in a portfolio. At the end of the semester, we will review your portfolio together, and agree on a final grade. Typically, this will be the grade that you request, as long you're able to support your request with your portfolio. I reserve the right to refuse your requested grade if I don't think you've done the necessary work, or (what is more likely) I think you deserve a better grade than you've given yourself.
Below I have listed the different types of work expected in this course, along with guidelines on how you can assess your contributions.
Subsubsection 2.3.1 Meetings
Each student will be expected to meet with me at least once during the semester to discuss their progress in the course, and again at the end of the semester to determine their final grade. These meetings are not technically assessments, but they are essential. A minimum requirement to pass the course is one midterm meeting, and one final meeting.
You are welcome to schedule additional meetings, either for guidance on your progress in the course, or to get help on course material, or just to discuss whatever else you feel like. For example, if you are not sure how to grade yourself on your quizzes or assignments, we can meet to go over your work to date.
Subsubsection 2.3.2 Moodle forums
Each Moodle forum will be set up so that points are awarded. The points are strictly for you to be able to gauge your own progress in the course. Typically, an “A” student will earn over 90% of available points, a “B” student will earn 80-89% of available points, a “C” student will earn 70-79% of available points, a “D” student will earn 60-69% of available points, and a failing student will earn less than 60% of available points.
- Weekly reflections
- There will be a journal forum on Moodle, where you will be asked to reflect on what was covered in class each week. Your entries are visible only to me. Typically I expect two or three reasonably thoughtful paragraphs. I will reply to each entry, and if I think you need to say more, I will prompt you to do so. Each journal entry earns 10 points, to a maximum of 100 points.
- Reading forum
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The reading forum will be used for discussion of the book by Francis Su. You may find his website 4 useful for this, especially the list of 100 questions for discussion 5 , which are organized by chapter.I generally expect each student to post one reflection per week, each from a different chapter. These reflections are visible to all students, and thoughtful/constructuve replies are encouraged.There will be a maximum of 200 points for the reading forum. Your initial reflection is worth up to 10 points, and replies are worth up to 5 points. (In some cases, especially good replies will earn 10 points.)
- Sharing forum
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There will also be a general forum for asking questions and sharing information. In past versions of this course, students have found it useful to share resources they found online. If you find something you think will be interesting for others in the class, you should share a link to the resource, along with an explanation of why you found it useful.General discussion is worth up to 5 points, and a good sharing post is worth up to 10 points. The sharing forum will have a maximum of 100 points.
Subsubsection 2.3.3 Quizzes and Assignments
These will cover the mathematical content in the course, and will be done in class. Your quizzes and assignments will not receive a numerical score. Instead, you will receive feedback on what needs to be improved/corrected. You will then write and submit a short reflection on the assessment and your feedback, as well as corrections to your work.
- Quizzes
- Quizzes will take place during class, and will usually be fairly short. You will work on your own for 25—30 minutes. Following that, you will have an opportunity to discuss the quiz with your classmates before submitting anything to me.
- Assignments
- Assignments can be done alone or in groups. You will have time to work on them in class, but you may need additional time outside of class.
For the purpose of self-assessment on your quiz and assignment work, please note that in this course, there should be no difference between getting everything right on the first try, and figuring it out once you've received feedback.
Every week, you can expect either a quiz or an assignment. Occasionally there might be one of each. In this category, A-level work consists of completing all assessments (excepting one or two missed due to illness), as well as corrections and a reflection once feedback is received. You should give yourself a lower grade if you miss several assessments, or if you do not put sufficient effort into completing the reflection and corrections.
Subsubsection 2.3.4 Presentations and activities
In the past, a highlight of Math 2090 was seeing students present on topics, and even lead activities. (Activities have included everything from worksheets to relay races!) For several of the topics we discuss, I will leave some of the details to students. Some presentation topics will be assigned. For example, we begin the course with a look at different numeration systems. I will present one example in class (Egyptian numerals), and other examples will be left up to you. In years where there is a critical mass of Education students, we have had students present on a grade level in the K-6 curriculum.
By the end of the semester, I expect each student to be involved in two or three presentations. They can be done individually, or with a group. After each presentation, I will ask those students not involved to provide me with feedback for the presenter(s).
From an A student, I would expect you at least two presentations, 6 and to support your peers by providing a good audience during the presentation, and constructive feedback after the presentation.
Subsubsection 2.3.5 Final project and portfolio
Two items are due at the end of term: a final project, and the portfolio of your term work.
The final project can be considered optional, depending on your ambitions. If you've been doing “A” work all semester and want to make the case for an A+, you're going to want to do a project. If you've missed a few assessments during the semester and want to bolster your case for a better grade, you're going to want to do a project. If you're busy with other courses and mostly okay with where you're at, you can let the project slide.
A project could simply be an essay (around 8-10 pages, plus references), or it could be something more hands-on. Websites have been a popular choice in past years, and I've also received some great posters and infographics.
The main requirement for a project is that it demonstrates that you've made an effort to learn something extra, beyond what was covered in class. In lieu of a project, I am also willing to offer a final exam as an alternative.
Your portfolio should be a record of all your work over the semester, including your reflections on assessments. For example, it would be completely fine to totally tank your first attempt at a quiz, but follow that attempt with corrections and a reflection that demonstrate that you learned from that experience. A good portfolio should tell a story of learning and growth throughout the semester.
Your portfolio should include one or two introductory pages in which you state what letter grade you are requesting, and then support your request with an outline your work. You can use this section to give a summary of your forum contributions rather than trying to include these in your portfolio. After the summary, please include a short write-up on each activity/presentation you contributed to class, and then each of your quizzes and assignments, along with any associated corrections and reflections.
For this course, the ability to avoid mistakes is not important. What I want to see is that when you do make mistakes, you learn from them. You will use your reflections and your portfolio to provide evidence of this.
Your work for this course falls into three categories: forums, quizzes and assignments, and presentations. You should decide your base letter grade in each category based on the following guidelines:
- You should give yourself an A grade if you've done (almost) all the expected work, at a level of quality/effort that we agree is satisfactory.
- If you've fallen just short on doing the expected work, or you've done the work, but haven't consistently put in your best effort, you're probably at a B.
- A grade of C represents work that is good, but inconsistent.
- A grade of D or F should only apply when you've failed to complete significant portions of your work.
When it comes to deciding on “decorated” letter grades (such as C+ or A-), you should consider all three categories together:
- To earn an A+ grade, you need to have A level work in all three categories, and you also need to submit a final project.
- You can earn a B+ if your work is mostly at a B level, but you have one category where you've exceeded expectations for a B. (The same principle applies for a C+ or D+.)
- If your work is mostly at an A level, but you fall short in one category, a grade of A- would be appropriate. (The same applies for B- and C-.)
For any grade, if the grade you think you've earned is less than the grade you want, you can use a final project to boost your grade.
moodle.uleth.calethbridge.verbacompare.com/comparison?id=162582pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/math111/www.francissu.com/flourishingwww.francissu.com/flourishing-discussionEither two presentations that demonstrate significant effort on your part, or three or more smaller-scale presentations.
