Syllabus for 3113: Intro to ODE, Spring 2014

TR 9 - 10:15, PHSC 321

Please read this syllabus carefully. You will be responsible for all the information given here, and for any modifications to it that may be announced in class.

Instructor: Christian Remling
Office: PHSC 817
Phone: 325-5409
E-mail: cremling....math.ou.edu
Office hours: M 2 - 3, W 10 - 11, and by appointment.

Class Homepage: www.math.ou.edu/~cremling/teaching/odes14.html

Text: The textbook for this course is Differential equations, 4th edition, by Edwards and Penney.

Class Participation: I strongly recommend that you come to class; however, I will not formally check attendance. Please also keep in mind that you are responsible for all information given out during the lectures.

Quizzes: There will be (at least) ten pop-quizzes, which will be graded on a very coarse scale (0, 1, 2 or 3 points of credit). No special preparation is required for these, but, obviously, it is extremely important that you stay caught up and get into the habit of regularly thinking about the material. You can't make up a quiz in case you didn't come to class or were late.

Homework: Homework assignments will be posted on the course web page. They are due at the start of class on Thursday. To keep things fair and smooth, late homework can not be accepted. Please take the homework very seriously. Doing problems is the best way to master the material. The textbook offers an abundance of problems with a wide range of difficulties. Please make use of this if you feel that you would profit from working through additional problems. It is a good idea to discuss the homework with other students, but you should of course understand the solutions for yourself and write them up in your own words.

Exams: We will do two midterms and a (comprehensive) final. The midterms will be held on February 20 and April 8. The final is scheduled for May 7, 8 - 10 am.
All tests must be taken at the scheduled times, except in extraordinary circumstances. Please do not arrange travel plans that prevent you from taking any of the exams at the scheduled time.

Grading system: Your total score is computed by adding the scores from the individual categories. The maximum scores available in each category are:

Quizzes 150
Homework 150
Midterms 200 each
Final 300

Then the following scale is used: A 1000 - 875, B 874 - 750, C 749 - 625, D 624 - 500.
We will use D2L for the book-keeping, so you can check your current standing at learn.ou.edu at any time during the semester. Note that the percentages displayed on D2L are not necessarily relevant, especially if there should be bonus items.

This grading scheme is tentative; it provides you with a guarantee on what your grade will be in a worst case scenario. Depending on how things develop, I may very well lower the requirements or give opportunities for additional credit. However, under no circumstances will I apply special regulations for individual students, as this would be extremely unfair to the other students in class and it would also upset the whole grading process.

Withdrawal Policy: Click here for important dates.

Grade of Incomplete: The grade of I is a special-purpose grade given when a specific task needs to be completed to finish the coursework. This is typically a term paper or other special assignment, so rarely makes sense in a mathematics course. An I cannot be given to avoid receiving a low grade.

Academic Misconduct: See www.ou.edu/provost/integrity for University policies on academic misconduct.

Students with Disabilities: The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accomodation for students with disabilities. If you have a disability that may interfere with the demonstration of your abilities, please contact me as soon as possible to arrange accomodations necessary to ensure your full participation in the course. You will also need to register with the Office of Disability Services.