The Organization of this Course, Fall 2011
22aug11


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Here is a summary of the administrivia.
Homepage


http://new.math.uiuc.edu  
is the portal homepage for my geometry courses and many other things. 
You only need to remember "new.math.uiuc.edu" and you might set the browser
in your lab account to this address. 
From there, links lead to the other pages, including those for Math 403 
http://new.math.uiuc.edu/math403.  
The homepage is accessible to anyone on the web. 
Some of its links are password protected as required by FERPA.
Syllabus

The syllabus for the course is a variable document. The current subject matter
is announced in detail. Details on future events are filled in as we get
closer to them. Consult the syllabus frequently to see what is going on in the
course.
Online Lessons

All course material is in \textbf{these lessons} on the web.
The approach to the material and the exposition in these lessons
is the \textbf{official one}. Information contained in the textbook
or which you might find online at other websites are useful supplements, 
but may not substitute their notations, definitions, theorems and proofs.
This rule merely insures that graders won't count something wrong in your
work just because you use unfamiliar terminology.

In this course it is essential that you study the lesson before coming to
class.  You earn class-participation credit for submitting questions 
about the lesson to the \texttt{Moodle} before class. The more specific
and apt you make the initial subject line the more points.  This helps me
optimize the time in class by discussing only those parts of the lesson 
you did not understand. 
The two class sessions per week are structured as tutorials and 
not lecture duplicating the information in the online lessons. If you do not read the 
lesson ahead of class, you may get little out of the discussion.
Labs

The Friday \textbf{quiz and computer labs} 
are supplementary to the course. Some of the quizzes can be taken online,
but you need to check when you must take them in class.  The labs are 
where you
learn the mechanics of LaTeX for submitting homework and reports and how
to use KSEG for constructing geometrical figures. If you can figure this out
on your own  and submit satisfactory homework online, you need not participate
in the labs. If you have a legitimate excuse for missing the labs, you may
make arrangments for a supervised lab at other times. 

Homework

Homework is due in class  on the day it is assigned for. 
All homework should be done on scratch paper and entered by hand into your journal 
prior to composing it in texWins. You should obtain and keep a 
printable (.pdf) file of the homework. When the \texttt{Moodle submission} 
feature has been enabled, you will upload the .pdf file to it, and the 
grader can processit from there.  Bring your journal to the Friday labs to get 
help on submitting the homework.
The homework will be graded and returned with comments via Moodle.
There is a 2 week grace period during which time you may submit your 
homework in any readable manner you wish.  

Moodle

This is the course management system we use for the course. You have password
protected access to this. Except for the public forums, your transactions with
Moodle is available only to you and your course mentor.
texWins

This is a web-based tool for writing up homework and reports in
LaTeX, which is the standard mathematical typesetting system used in all modern sciences and 
technologies. In it you compose text
with mathematical notation, which you can preview until you get it right.
You upload figures you made with KSEG, and texWins will insert these into
the LaTeX .pdf document. You should fetch this document and submit it to
Moodle for grading.
Journal


This is a good quality, bound notebook,
 different from your class and lab notes,
which contains information you thought about and entered by hand. The journal
purpose is to have a record of your homework independent of Moodle, and
summaries of course content, entered in a timely fashion. You journal is not
only a great souvenir of the course, but a study aid for the exams and final.
You may bring only your journal to the midterm and final examination for
reference.
Office Hours

Office visits are reserved for the resolution of personal problems with the
course.  Appointments are arranged privately by email. All questions on the
content or mechanics of the course are taken care of online. You should post
your questions on Moodle, but you may, if you need privacy email 
the instructor or mentor. You are also encouraged to work with student
colleagues in the course, and to participate in the \texttt{Moodle>Forum}. Such
class participation is part of the grade.

More Advice


You will find more detailed advice on how to do things in this class in
the \textbf{Advice} pages on this website.











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