Week 1: Starting softlyWelcome to Math 120/ALES 291AI'm looking forward to the course, and to getting to know you! (First equation of the semester and the first thing you need to know is that: Math120 = ALES 291A. Same course, two labels. Math 120 if you registered through YukonU and ALES 291A if you registered through U of A.) Soft Start?In light of Covid the School of Science has opted for a "soft start" to the semester. (You should have received an email from Janet Welch in mid-December providing the background for this decision. If you missed it you can read it here.) This means the first week of this course will be devoted to Course Orientation, and the second week will cover a topic you are already familiar with, linear equations and models, you know, good old y = mx + b and Ax + By = C. Well, maybe very old, and maybe not so good, but I've found it comes back quickly as we review it. There will be Exercises to complete this week and next week, but they are only marked for completion. The first Assignment will be on the second week's material, and is not due until the third Friday of the semester. Two websites?This course will use two websites. The course's YukonU Moodle site will be used for administration and logistics: you can see upcoming events and deadlines on the home page, your marks in the Grade Book, and ask questions in the Discussion Forum. Course materials like notes, pencasts, exercises and assignments will live at timtopper.com/Math120.W21. The sites are linked together, so hopefully you will usually be unaware of their duality. Where to begin?The starting point is always the table of quick links on either the Moodle home page or the timtopper.com page. Start by clicking the Course Orientation link, and once you've explored where that leads you, the Exercises link.
Come by to say "Hi"I'll have office hours this week and every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 in my Zoom "office". Feel free to stick your head in to say a quick hello, or to stay a while and tell me what you're up to. It's optional, not required, but I look forward to getting to know you, and hope you'll find time to stop by. When you find my mistakesLet me know! Really. It's good math karma for you, and improves the course for everyone. Try as I might errors creep in. 😔 There are so many kinds of potential errors. 😬 Typos. Arithmetic errors. Broken web page links. Calendar mistakes. I can't prevent all of them, but I do try to repair them as soon as I know about them, so be kind and help me out! 😇 That's all for now!Stay well and stay in touch, |
