Introduction to Math 444 Assignments

This sheet is about the regular individual assignments. There may be other written work stemming from group activity in class, etc., that is not covered by this description.

What is the purpose of the written Assignments?

As in most subjects, one masters math by doing. This means that all one's studying should involve drawing, working examples on paper, etc. But the written assignments provide the impetus to work out in polished form problems and constructions and proofs that develop understanding of geometry. They also provide a running assessment for student and instructor of what is going on in the class as to levels of understanding, areas of success, areas that need work, etc.

How often are assignments given?

After the beginning part of the course, regular assignments will be due about once a week. There will sometimes be special short assignments or group assignments to meet particular needs. The reading assignments are given daily, but of course you can read ahead (good idea to be prepared to get maximum benefit from class) or read behind (and get less from class).

What kind of written assignments?

Assignment items to turn in will be of several forms.

• Fairly routine exercises or constructions.
• Problems to solve - some challenging and some less so. These can be construction problems, numerical or ratio problems, or existence of special geometrical relationships such as similarity, concurrence, etc.
• Major or minor theorems to prove.
• Physical models and drawings will sometines be assigned.
• Investigations and open-ended problems. As the course moves on, such problems will appear on the assignments.

When are assignments due?

• Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date.
• Students may discuss problems outside of class, so long as each student writes up her/his work independently.
• No further writing is allowed once you walk into the room. Experience has shown that this leads to poor quality presentation and often depends on "sharing" answers in the 10 minutes before class. This is not collaboration; it is cheating.
• Late Assignments cause problems for grading and timely discussion of the problems, so they will generally not be accepted or, if accepted, will be marked down. Exceptions will be made for genuine emergencies, medical excuses, etc. Other rare exceptions may be made, but don't stretch your luck or make a habit of it. It is better to turn in a partial set of solutions on time than a complete one late.

Grading of Assignments will Follow several Strategies

We feel it is important that assignments be graded and feedback provided. However, some of the problems assigned in this course are not quickly graded. A bit of calculation will show that any problem that just takes 10 minutes per student will add up to about 5 or 6 hours of grading time. Thus the instructors will adopt a number of strategies to make grading possible. In some cases, students will self-report and then groups will discuss answers. In some cases students will be told to resubmit work to get credit.

Quality of Presentation Counts

Since Math 444 is a course designed for students who intend to make a career explaining mathematics, the assignments turned in should be well-written as to language and thought.

• Don't turn in your first draft with words marked out, added, etc.
• Answer in complete sentences.
• Use white space. Consider a separate page for all but the shortest problems.
• Break up long explanations or proofs into paragraphs.
• Write neatly or word process.

Presentation can definitely be part of the grade (plus or minus). Egregious examples of illegibility or bad writing will not be graded What this means is that one should often write down a draft page for brainstorming and then write a completely new page to turn in.

Good and Bad News about Assignment Grades

This section gives two contradictory messages. The good news is that in Math 444 one does not have to get 100% to get a high grade. The problems are not routine, so perfection is not required, though a high standard is expected. The bad news (for some) is that skipping the homework and trying to get a high grade by being brilliant on the tests will not work because of the weight put on assignments. Only a small part of the course experience shows up on the tests, so high test grades alone do not ensure a high course grade in the absence of strong assignment grades.