Dr. Conroy's math department page.
Dear Math 381 student,The course webpage is here: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~conroy/2020/m381-spr2020/ On that page, you can find the course syllabus. You can also find the first lecture information (slides pdf and video link).
Generally, I think I'll be posting one or two lectures each week.
The first assignment will not be due until April 10. I'll let you know when I post it.
On the course Canvas page, in Discussions, I have started a thread for introductions. Please take a look and consider introducing yourself. https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1373459
Also on our Canvas page, I have set up a Start of Quarter Survey. Please fill it out some time this week.
Please let me know if you are having any difficulties accessing any of this material. I've never taught an online course, so I *will* mess some things up. Please let me know when I do.
take care,
Dr. Conroy
Dear Math 381 student,
Welcome to Math 381!
I hope you are doing well and staying healthy and safe.
This is going to be a weird, challenging quarter for all of us.
Math 381 will not run the way it has for several years.
In a regular quarter, the course is based around group projects: these make up the bulk of the work in the class.
For Spring, we will not be doing group projects, as the logistics make this impossible.
Instead, each week I will share with you some mathematical ideas, and there will be something weekly for you to do ("homework problems") to try out those ideas and investigate them further. There will be opportunities to ask questions, to explore in many different directions and share your explorations if you want to, and to experiment.
You will also write a reflection essay at the end of the quarter describing what you have done this Spring.
My goal is to make this as low-stress and comforting a course as I can. I hope it will be a happy distraction from real-world stress.
The most important thing you need to know about Math 381 right now is that I am going to be grading in a very non-standard way. Everyone in the class who participates above a certain minimum level each week will get a 3.5 in the course. This will allow me to not have to judge every person's work in the way instructors normally do; I do not feel, in the current environment, that I should be comparing each person's work against each others with a "fine-toothed comb". We are all under a great deal of stress, and I trust everyone will do the best they can.
To reiterate: the only grades I will assign at the end of the quarter are 3.5 and 0.0. I will not assign any grades above 3.5, or below 3.5, except for 0.0 if you simply do not participate in the course. It will not be possible to get a 4.0 in this class.
If you find yourself unable to participate often enough in the course, please drop the course. I do not want to give any 0.0 grades. I will email you after we get going if I notice that you are not participating sufficiently for that 3.5 grade.
I choose 3.5 because this is approximately the median grade in this course as I've taught it over the last few years. This way, this quarter's median will be 3.5 as well.
Our class website is here (This is NOT on Canvas!): https://sites.math.washington.edu/~conroy/2020/m381-spr2020/
Everything you need will be on this page, or this page will direct you to the right place.
More information to come later.
Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns you might have.
cheers,
Dr. Conroy