As the name indicates, this course deals with discrete, or finite, processes and sets of elements. Accordingly, many of the ideas included have direct application to computers. Among topics to be discussed are propositional and predicate calculus, quantification, mathematical induction, sets, sequences, relations and functions, as well as fundamental ideas about combinatorial analysis, recurrence relations, graphs and tree theory.
Back to TOCTo be successful in this course, you should have mastery of college algebra. A highly recommended corequisite is a course in introductory programming. Please see me if you have any questions about your preparation for this course.
You may do a good portion of the work of this course in cooperative learning groups. It seems to work best if there are three or four students in each group. You will be working with your small group in class, on homework problems, and on group projects.
Working well in a group is an important skill. Some of you may enjoy the group work more than others, and all of you will benefit from further developing this skill. After graduation, most of you will be working in jobs which will require you to function as a member of a project team. One objective of group work in this course is to help you to develop skills in working effectively as part of a team. Another is to encourage discussion obout the concepts.
One of the primary objectives of this course is to help you to learn to think about problems mathematically and to solve the problems on your own. Working with your colleagues in this class and talking about problems with your group members are strategies to help you better understand a problem situation from several points of view.
Regular attendance is expected. This class meets three times per week
and each student is expected to
attend every session and to arrive before the class begins. Students are
responsible for all class work and assignments whether or not they
are in attendance. Some material will be
presented in class from a different perspective than that given in the text.
"Getting someone's notes" is a poor substitute for being present and
involved in class discussion. However, if you do miss a class, it is
your responsibility to find out what you missed.
NOTE: experience has shown that there is a high correlation between class
attendance and success.
Problem solving is not a spectator sport. During class periods there will often be time for large and/or small group discussions about selected problems. It is important to learn to ask helpful questions and to listen constructively to each other. Constructive participation sometimes means allowing others time and space to think about the problem.
Homework assignments (100 points) will be assigned continously. In addition
to work assigned
directly from the text, there will be assignments using WeBWorK, which will
be accessible on the World Wide Web.
NO HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED LATE.
Please note that these dates may change depending on class progress and unforseen circumstances. ALL EXAMS COUNT; i. e., no scores will be discarded.
Ordinarily, there are no make-up tests; exceptions to this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You must determine BEFORE the exam date whether your excuse will be acceptable.
Generally, incomplete grades will not be given. If there is an emergency which causes a student to be unable to finish course requirements, the emergency must be documented by the student's advisor or by the advisory center.
If you have concerns about your progress or ability to keep up with course assignments, please feel free to discuss these with me.
GRADES Grades will be determined as follows:
85% - 100% of total points available A
75% - 84% of total points available B
62% - 74% of total points available C
50% - 61% of total points available D
0% - 49% of total points available F
Students who cheat violate their own integrity and the integrity of the university by claiming credit for work they have not done and knowledge they do not possess. All students are expected to recognize and to abide by the policy on academic integrity found in the Student Handbook. Because you will be asked to do work in collaboration with your group members, I will ask you to sign all homework assignments attesting to the fact that you have actively participated in the work.
If you need to reach me between classes:
I regularly check email several times a day both from home and at school, but I check voice messages only when I am on campus.
Back to TOC
This page was updated August 2007.