I will be recording some lectures. You will probably need to download a codec to see the avi files (at the bottom of the codec page with the link above, there is a download button. click it, and then download and install just the TSCC codec (not the EnSharpen Codec). Quicktime doesn't seem to work well here, but Windows media player does. Note that some students have reported that VLC works much better on the MACOSX and Linux.
Each Wednesday you will turn in the week's homework assignment (we take homework late, but you have to turn in at least 80% of the homework to pass the class--much better to turn in an incomplete homework set than no homework set). The assignments for the course will be graded, but experiencea has shown that there can be quite a delay on when they can be handed back. Students are expected to study the solutions posted for each homework assignment and to be ready to use that material for the weekly quizzes (historically, quiz problems have often come from the homework). I will post solutions here or in the webforum. The homework will always cover the new topics that will appear in that week's quiz (old topics from previous weeks can always be revisted---and probably will if the class doesn't do well on a particular problem).
Each week there will be a quiz during the Friday class. Your grade for the quizzes in the class will be determined by dropping your lowest grade, and averaging the remaining ones. If you miss a quiz, your score for that quiz is zero. It will be extremely rare for anyone to have an excused absence from a quiz, and there will be no makeup quizzes: plan to attend class every Thursday.
I will be publishing solutions to the quizzes on the webpage.
There will be weekly in-class quizzes and a final exam. The lowest-scoring quiz will not count towards the course evaluation. For those opting for a letter grade, the quizzes will account for 40% and the final 50%. All relevant performance (including class participation) will be noted in your narrative evaluation.
I hate to talk about cheating, because I like to assume there will be none, but the board office says I must: If the TA finds or I find conclusive evidence that you have cheated on a quiz or exam, you will fail that quiz or exam. It will not be possible to pass this course with a grade of 0 on the final exam. You should know that if you have been officially charged with cheating, and the provost has ruled that you have cheated, you get a black mark on your record: if you have two black marks on your record, you cannot be in any school of engineering major (I am not sure what will happen to you if you are not in one of our majors).
To receive credit for a weekly quiz, your name must appear on one of the row sign in sheets, such that your name appears in between the people seated on either side of you, and you must be seated in one of the installed seats in the lecture hall. After you turn in your test, you must leave the lecture hall immediately, and if you have forgotten your backpack or other materials, you may not retrieve them until class time is over. You may not talk to anyone during the test time but the instructor or one of the TAs. Violations of this rule will result in a quiz score of zero on the part of the person doing the talking.
Please feel free to tell either the professor or the TAs about any comments or suggestions you might have about how to improve the class. The best way to do this is by electronic mail. You may also broadcast your opinions by using the webforum.
