Course Syllabus

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MA 126 Calculus 1 (Block 8)

Professor:   Luis David García Puente

Office:   Tutt Science Center 206B

e-mail:   lgarciapuente@coloradocollege.edu

Classroom:   Palmer Hall 126

Zoom personal room: https://coloradocollege.zoom.us/j/6161062078

Time and Days:   Monday–Friday 9:00 am–11:00 am and 1:00 pm–3:00 pm

Office hours:  Monday–Friday 11:00–11:30 am and 3:00 pm–3:30 pm

Learning Assistant: John Le

Problem Sessions (with John Le): Monday-Friday 5:00-6:00 pm (Palmer Hall 126)

Paraprofessional: Alex Wagner   Monday, Wednesday 3:00-4:00 pm (Palmer Hall 126)

Homework Platform: Edfinity (access through Canvas)

Course Description:

This course explores the basic concepts of analytic geometry, limits (including indeterminate forms), derivatives, and integrals. The topics covered will include graphs, derivatives, and integrals of algebraic, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and hyperbolic functions. Applications will be covered, including those involving rectilinear motion, differentials, related rates, graphing, and optimization. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World requirement. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • compute limits of algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions.
  • calculate derivatives of algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions.
  • evaluate integrals of algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions.
  • interpret limits, derivatives and integrals in a variety of contexts.
  • apply derivatives and integrals to solve physics, economic, geometric, and/or other problems.
  • properly apply major theorems.

Course Content:

  • Real numbers, coordinate systems in two dimensions, lines, functions.
  • Introduction to limits, definition of limits, theorems on limits, one-sided limits, computation of limits using numerical, graphical, and algebraic approaches; continuity and differentiability of functions, determining if a function is continuous at a real number; limits at infinity, asymptotes; introduction to derivatives and the limit definition of the derivative at a real number and as a function.
  • Use of differentiation theorems, derivatives of algebraic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and hyperbolic functions, the chain rule, implicit differentiation, differentiation of inverse functions, higher order derivatives, use derivatives for applications including equation of tangent lines and related rates, and differentials.
  • Local and absolute extrema of functions; Rolle's theorem and the Mean Value Theorem; the first derivative test, the second derivative test, concavity; graphing functions using first and second derivatives, concavity, and asymptotes; applications of extrema including optimization, antiderivatives, indeterminate forms, and L'Hopital's rule.
  • Sigma notation, area, evaluating the definite integral as a limit, properties of the integral, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus including computing integrals, and integration by substitution.

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!

Active Calculus (2018 Edition updated)

You have several options to obtain this book:

The official textbook at Colorado College is also free and you can downloaded as supplementary material.

Calculus, Volume 1 from OpenStax (Links to an external site.), ISBN 1-947172-13-1

You have several options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended. 

Course Structure:

This course is designed around the principles of active learning and classroom dialogue. Your goal should be, as part of our ongoing work together, to read the text itself in full, and to complete all of the activities in the text.

The following list details the course workload and how grades are determined.

  1. Daily Prep (5%):  At the start of each class meeting, there will be a Daily Prep assignment consisting of online activities inspired by the Preview Activities on the textbook. Your lowest two DP scores will be dropped; the remainder constitute 5% of your final grade. You must complete these assignments through Edfinity.

  2. Textbook Activities (5%):  These activities in the text will be a central focus of our in-class discussions and work, and it’s your responsibility (with lots of support from your instructor and one another) to make sure you understand them and work through them fully. You should write your work on the activities in your Activities Workbook and submit it through Canvas as a single pdf file for a grade. This grade will be based on effort and completeness. You must submit this work as a group (2-4 members).

  3. Online Homework (30%): Online homework will be assigned using the system Edfinity. You will need to purchase one month of access to this tool, which costs $7.99. Homework will be accepted up to 2 days late, at a deduction of 10%.  You are encouraged to work in groups on your homework, and to seek help from your classmates, learning assistant, and professor. Submitted work must reflect your own understanding and efforts on the material, however. Your lowest homework grade will be dropped; the remainder will constitute 30% of your final grade. You get 4 attempts per exercise (except for multiple choice problems). Each assignment must be submitted by 11:59 pm MST. Please read the Online HW Setup for complete details on how to enroll in Edfinity.

  4. Computer Lab (20%): About twice a week, you’ll start a lab or activity in class that you’ll complete and write up outside of class for a formal grade; normally these will be done in groups of 2 and assigned a single group grade.

  5. Checkpoints (40%): Several times a week, you’ll take a Checkpoint quiz to assess your understanding of up to 5 of the 18 core learning targets in the course. Checkpoints are graded on a mastery-based scale: each target receives either “mastered” or “not yet”, and you’ll have three attempts at each of the 18 core targets over three consecutive checkpoints. Learning Targets 16, 17 and 18 will have fewer attempts. Because of the multiple attempts, there are no makeups for checkpoints missed due to absence. Your grade is based on the total number of mastered learning targets. Please check regularly both the Learning Targets assessed per checkpoint and the Checkpoints: What to expect pages to prepare in advance for the quizzes.

Your semester letter grade will be assigned according to the following, based on your overall percentage based on the weighted contributions of each of the 6 items above: 93% A, 90% A-, 87% B+, 83% B, 80% B-, 77% C+, 73% C, 70% C-, 67% D+, 63% D.

Alternative Grading Schemes:

In order to help you have a meaningful and successful experience in this class, while paying attention to your well-being, I am offering one new track that I call A- and I am also explicitly detailing the activities that you must complete if you decide to take this class on the P track. 

A- Track: The highest possible grade in this track is A-.  Here you do not have to submit the computer labs, and the remaining activities are re-weighted as follows: Daily Preps (10%), Textbook Activities (10%), Online Homework (40%), Checkpoints (40%). Your final grade will be computed using the same regular scheme described above after a removal of 7% from your final average.

P Track: In this track you do not have to submit the computer labs either.  In order to obtain an S grade you must obtain at least a 70% average using the same weights as in the A- Track: Daily Preps (10%), Textbook Activities (10%), Online Homework (40%), Checkpoints (40%).

Note: Te final grade computed on Canvas (displayed in the column called Total) follows the usual grading scheme. Eventually, I will add new columns to display the tentative grade for any student requesting one of these alternative tracks.

Classroom Etiquette:

Students are expected to minimize distracting behaviors. In particular, every attempt should be made to arrive to class on time. If you must arrive late or leave early, please do not disrupt class. Please turn off the ringer on your cell phone. I do not have a strict policy on the use of laptops, tablets, and cell phones. You are expected to be paying attention and engaging in class discussions. If your cell phone, etc. is interfering with your ability (or that of another student) to do this, then put it away, or I will ask you to put it away.

Special Schedule Days:

On the following days, class will be held from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Any other changes to the daily schedule will be announced in class:

  • Monday, April 25
  • Friday, April 29
  • Wednesday, April 4
  • Friday, May 6 (Late afternoon start at 1:30pm)
  • Monday, May 9
  • Wednesday, May 11 (Late afternoon start at 1:30pm)
  • Friday, May 13

Commitment to the Learning Community:

In our classroom, diversity and individual differences are respected, appreciated, and recognized as a source of strength. 

  1. The whole point of education is literally to change your mind. Be open to changing what, how, and why you think about mathematics, and work hard to train your mind to get better at thinking about mathematics and thinking generally. 

  2. I want you to be successful. I define “successful” to include: changing your mind (see #1) by learning a lot, developing a deep understanding of calculus you can demonstrate to others, and becoming able to apply ideas in calculus to solve interesting applied problems. I do not think of success in terms of letter grades.

  3. We are a community of learners who need one another. Pandemic or not, it’s hard to learn alone. It’s easier to learn in a community of others who support, encourage, and challenge you. The best ways to make yourself part of the community are to be active, be positive, and be caring. I commit to being all of those things and ask you to, too.

  4. Mathematical ability and intelligence are not fixed or innate qualities. Both can be developed through exercise, in the form of challenging problems, discussion, and inquiry. We learn math by trying many things, making many mistakes, and asking many questions. Questions, mistakes, and confusion are proof of progress, not evidence of failure. Please think hard about these facts as you begin another intense mathematical experience.

  5. Strive to embrace struggle and have a growth mindset. Nothing that is worth doing comes easily, and struggle is a valuable and necessary part of growth. Be prepared to be sometimes frustrated with the course. Work to have a growth mindset: the whole reason you are taking the class is to learn new things and make sense of them. Persistence and hard work count for a lot -- in this class and in life -- and both characteristics contribute immensely to success.

Expectations: 

Four basic expectations will serve you well in the course:

BE-1: take responsibility for your own learning
BE-2: attend to details and follow directions
BE-3: seek help when you need support
BE-4: keep a careful written record of all your work

  • I encourage you to focus your work in MA126 on making sense and understanding, not on answers or memorization or blindly repeating procedures. Nowadays it is more important than ever to be able to solve non-routine problems and be confident in attacking new ideas. If you work to have ideas make sense, you will be able to think creatively in new ways. If you can communicate these ideas to others, you will be able to really demonstrate that understanding. These skills are far more valuable to your future than any particular content you can learn in MA126. If you make sense and strive for understanding with course ideas, great things will follow in your work. 

  • Attend each class meeting:  Daily attendance is expected. Showing up is a key to success is all aspects of life. While there is no direct grade penalty for being absent, historically students who do not attend my classes struggle to be successful much more than those who attend regularly.

  •  Stay out of social media during class and while studying. Arguably the most valuable commodity we each own is our attention. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat and more all know this, and they were designed (designed! by engineers working with psychologists!) to be addictive and persuasive. If you have any of these apps or your text feed open during class or open when you are committed to be studying (open on your phone, or open on your computer), you are guaranteed to be distracted. I urge you: dedicate time free from social media distractions so that you can think as clearly as possible about the ideas in our course. Turn your notifications off. Close these programs. It will make your learning (and your life) better.

  • Work hard. This is a challenging course, which carries an expectation of 4-5 hours of work each day outside of class. We will discuss this explicitly early on. It will be difficult to be successful spending much less than 3 hours a day outside of class. In a typical day, you should expect to spend approximately:

    + 2-3 hours completing the  Edfinity sets 
    + 1 hour working on lab activities 
    + 1 hour studying (especially for Checkpoints)

Help!: You have several resources for support with mathematical ideas: (1) office hours or an individual appointment with me, (2) your peers in class, (3) mastery sessions with our Learning Assistant, (4) other tutors at the QRC, and (5) the math department's paraprofessional Alex Wagner.

 It is not a sign of weakness to say “I don’t understand” or “I need help”; rather, it is a sign that you are smart and self-aware. Be completely honest with yourself: ask yourself, “Do I really understand this?” If not, find someone who does and discuss the ideas with them.

Our Learning Assistant will focus on helping you master the Learning Targets. Please attend the Mastery sessions to address any questions on these. Our paraprof Alex Wagner is available to answer questions as well. Alex’s office is just off the math lounge on the second floor of Tutt Science Center. Other tutors are also available at the QRC in Tutt Library to answer questions. The QRC is open Sunday through Thursday afternoons and evenings 2-10 PM. Individual and study group tutors are also available through the QRC. You are also very welcome to make an appointment with me to meet outside of office hours/problem sessions to get extra help or discuss a topic beyond what our class time allows.

If you need further help for well-being please visit the  Wellness Resource Center.

Accessibility Resources: If you experience a disability and anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course, as well as talk about how best to coordinate your accommodations. Additionally, if you have not already done so, please connect with Accessibility Resources, the office responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities: accessibilityresources@coloradocollege.edu, 719-227-8285, Armstrong 219.

Honor Code: Students are expected to fully understand Colorado College’s Honor Code. The Honor Code defines academic integrity by three interrelated criteria: honesty, integrity, and fairness. Students must uphold these standards in their academic pursuits. Any suspected violation of the Honor Code will be referred to the Honor Council.

Reviewing material from previous courses and looking up definitions and theorems/facts you may have forgotten is fair game. However, when it comes to completing assignments for this course, you should not look to resources outside the context of this course for help. That is, you should not be consulting the web, other texts, other faculty, or students outside of our course in an attempt to find solutions to the problems you are assigned. On the other hand, you may use each other, the course notes, me, and your own intuition. If you feel you need additional resources, please come talk to me and we will come up with an appropriate plan of action.

Changes to the Syllabus: Any changes to this syllabus made during the block will be properly communicated to the class.

COVID-19, living, and learning: Take care of yourself. Above all else, take care of your own physical and mental well-being during these difficult times. Get sufficient rest, stay connected to friends and family, and give yourself time and space to do things you enjoy outside of studying. This website (Links to an external site.) lists several good tips for maintaining good self-care in our situation. Before coming to campus, perform a self-evaluation; if you feel even the slightest bit of sickness or Covid-19 symptoms, stay home and participate remotely. You should be on campus only if you feel completely healthy. You always have the option to attend class remotely and without penalty.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due