Class
syllabus can be found here.
Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19
pandemic, please note that the instructor may need to make
modifications to the course syllabus and may do so at any time.
Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible
through UH email.
This
course is being offered in the Synchronous Online format.
Synchronous online class meetings will take place according to the
class schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00-10:50am. There is no
face-to-face component to this course. In between synchronous class
meetings, there may also be asynchronous activities to complete, see
below.
Online
class will meet online in Microsoft Teams. You must login in
Microsoft Teams using your UH credentials. Go to the Live
Meetings channel for the link to the live class meeting.
When
signing in to live meeting, turn off your camera and your mic, and
keep them turned off during the meeting. This will improve
connectivity and will help keep distractions to a minimum. If you
would like to ask a question during a class, use the chat feature,
which I will review periodically during the class. Do not use "Raise
a Hand" feature during a lecture, but you are free to use it during
discussions. I will let you know when it is appropriate to use the
feature.
If an
unforeseen technical difficulty or emergency makes live meeting
impossible, we will disconnect, and slides from the lecture will be
posted under "Files" tab. You
will be responsible to review the slides, read the textbook and do
practice problems in Lyryx.
Every class will be recorded. By participating in live meetings you give your consent that some of your information and image might be displayed during the event, and possibly recorded and accessed by others. This might also be due to you forgetting to turn off or turning on your video/mic. By participating in this class, you also give your consent to be recorded during exams, when your audio and video will be turned on.
Aug 24 - Sep 14: Class recordings will not be openly shared with all students in class. Only if you have missed a class for a reason described in the UH Excused Absence Policy, you may send me an email with a request to access the recording. You should treat live meetings as you would in-person classes, and miss them only for a valid reason. It is understandable that you might have internet or technology disruption that are out of your control. If that happens, let me know and I will share the video with you. But if you expect to have frequent disruptions, you should consider enrolling in asynchronous class, as its material is better suited for off-line study.
Sep 16 - onward: Class recordings will be available for all students in the class.
Slides will be posted after every lecture to be openly access by all
students.
The materials provided by the instructor in this course are for the
use of the students enrolled in the course only. Copyrighted course
materials may not be further disseminated without instructor
permission. Students are also prohibited from
sharing/posting/sending/... materials derived from the instructor's
content (for example, slides, video, problems/solutions/comments in
homework, tests and practice problems and tests).
Chat
You
are welcome to use chat before and during the class, but you can
post only information related to the class, no personal
information or communication is allowed in this team. I will review
chat before the end of the class, and will answer all relevant
questions. I
will also review the chat periodically during the lecture, so please
be patient if your question is not answered right away.
Please do not post stand alone well intended but meaningless messages such as "Hello", "Bye", and others. I appreciate such communication during in-person meetings, but given a large class population, it will clog the chat and will make it harder to find relevant information and questions.
When
using chat, it is polite to use a proper etiquette.
For example, do not use ALL CAPS, it often comes through as shouting
and makes you look angry. It's also best to avoid sarcasm, as it can
be very difficult to understand in online environment. Check you
grammar every time, and do not use any shorthand and slang. While
it's tempting to use chat as you would use it with your friends,
keep communication professional and respectful for in-class
messages.
Keep
chat communication to a minimum, and post questions or comments only
relevant to the covered material. Any general questions can be
emailed me directly, or asked at the end of the class during
discussion period.
Attendance/Presence
Presence
for the online class meetings is not mandatory, but strongly advised. If
you miss class, for whatever reason, you are responsible for all
material covered, any assignments missed, and any announcements made in
class. If you have to miss classes for a prolonged period due to a
serious illness or an event, you should contact me as soon as possible.
Your attendance will be expected in most live classes, and you should miss it only for a strong reason. If you decide to treat a synchronous class as if it were asynchronous in terms of "live" attendance, you might be at a real disadvantage, and it would be advisable to consider transferring to asynchronous section.
Technology
requirements
Students
should be aware of the minimal technology requirements for this
synchronous class, which can be found here.
These requirements may change at any point during the semester, and
the change will be communicated in class.
Recording of Class
Students
may NOT record all or part of class, livestream all or part of
class, or make/distribute screen captures, without advanced written
consent of the instructor. If you have or think you may have a
disability that
such that you need to record class-related activities,
please contact the Center for
Students with DisABILITIES.
If you have an accommodation to record class-related activities,
those recordings may not be shared with any other student, whether
in this course or not, or with any other person or on any other
platform.
Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use
instructor's recordings for their own studying and notetaking.
Instructor's recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone
without prior approval of the instructor.
Failure to comply with requirements regarding recordings will result
in a disciplinary referral to the Dean of Students Office and may
result in disciplinary action.
Contact
Email: anna@math.uh.edu
Please include "MATH 2331"
in the subject, so that
your email won't be regarded as spam. For security reasons I will
reply only to emails sent from official UH emails (i.e.
ending in "uh.edu").
When writing an email, make sure it adheres to the protocol of formality, which is standard in academia. Read more about it here, for example.
Normally, I answer urgent emails within one-two business
days. Generally, I do not repeat information that can be found on
this website or was communicated in class. If I do not respond to
your email within two working days, please resend the email. If you
again do not hear from me within one more working day, it is likely
that your email is not coming through and you should speak with me
before or after class using Teams chat. It is your responsibility to
ensure that I am aware of issues you may have with the course;
failure to effectively initiate timely communication is not a valid
basis for a grade grievance and cannot be used as such.
I will
not respond to Teams chat messages or video calls outside of
scheduled class times, and I do not check Blackboard communications.
Bring
comments or complaints to my attention as soon as possible. Don't
wait until the end of the semester to bring up a matter which we
could deal with and solve early on.
UH
Email
Email
communications related to this course will be sent to your Exchange
email
account which each University of Houston student receives. The
Exchange mail server can be accessed via Outlook, which provides a
single location for organizing and managing day-to-day information,
from email and calendars to contacts and task lists. Exchange email
accounts can be accessed by logging into Office 365 with your
Cougarnet credentials or through Acccess UH. They can also be
configured on IOS
and Android
mobile devices. Additional assistance can be found at the Get
Help page.
UH
policy states that all required written notices shall be addressed
to the student via their UH email. Notices properly addressed and so
sent shall be presumed to have been received by the student. Thus,
you are responsible for the content in emails sent to your UH
account, regardless if your external (non-UH) email provider filters
or blocks. Emails lost to external providers shall not be used as a
justification to claim faculty are unresponsive, to appeal grades,
etc.
Questions
You are welcome to write a question related to the course material in the chat during live meetings. Outside the meetings, you may also write me an email with a specific question, and I will reply to it within two business days. If necessary we will set up live meeting. Answers to most questions related to the material can be found in a textbook. Try working it out yourself first, only if unsuccessful for a serious period of time, you may contact me for directions. Most of the time I will point to where the answer can be found, so you can work it out yourself. The only way to learn any new material is to work with it yourself, so I will not deprive you of that opportunity.
Text
We will be following the following two books:
For
this course we will be using online Lyryx system. It gives you
access to the practice exercises, homework, and tests. We will be
using this system for homework, part of midterms and part of the
final. I suggest you take some time to explore everything that is
available to you on the website.
To use
the platform for free you must use desktops
in the following computer labs:
Make sure that the computer you are using is connected through ethernet, not wi-fi. If for some reason you don't see a free option to register, try using another computer in a different part of the lab (don't use computer close to the one that failed).
If you are planning to use free access from the UH library
computers, please let me know ASAP, I will provide further
assistance.
To register for the course follow the link below:
http://login.lyryx.com/unprotected-servlets/FDOC.html?c=
While registering, you will be asked to enter you First and Last
names as well as "Student Number". For security reasons, you will
enter aliases created using rules I told you during our first class.
If you missed the first class, please contact me by email for these
rules.
You are required to register for the course and try accessing homework assignment before Friday, August 28.
If you require technical assistance while using Lyryx system, please contact (and 'cc me in the communication):Your grade will be calculated as follows: for each category (homework, midterm 1, midterm 2, final) I will compute the average 'a' and the standard deviation 'd'. Your normalized score for each category will be computed from your total score S as follows: z=(S-a)/d. Your final score will be computed using weighted normalized scores according to the percentage above, and the grades will be distributed according to the table:
z>1.25 | 1.0<z<1.25 | 0.75<z<1.0 | 0.5<z<0.75 | 0.25<z<0.5 | 0<z<0.25 |
A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ |
-0.25<z<0 | -0.5<z<-0.25 | -0.75<z<-0.5 | -1.0<z<-0.75 | -1.25<z<-1.0 | z<-1.25 |
C | C- | D+ | D | D- | F |
Here are some helpful tips regarding grades.
Interim
Undergraduate
Grading Policy
Due to the unique and unprecedented challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Houston has implemented an Interim Undergraduate Grade Policy for undergraduate grades which applies to all undergraduate students in courses offered in all sessions during fall 2020. Under this policy, students have the option of converting final assigned letter grades to S (Satisfactory, applicable to any letter grade from A to D-) or NCR (No Credit Reported COVID-19, applicable to grades of F) on their transcripts. Please visit FAQs for additional information.
Homework
will appear in Lyryx, where you will complete it. You will have two
attempts for every problem. After each attempt you will be given a
feedback on how you've done. Study it carefully, go back to the book
and end of chapter problems if necessary. The problem will change on
the next attempt. You must complete homework before midnight on the
day it is listed in the calendar below. The deadline will also be
indicated in Lyryx. Deadline extension may be granted only in case
of a prolonged illness or emergency described in the UH
Absence Policy, with proper and timely provided documentation.
Try to complete homework at lest two days before the deadline
expires, in case you encounter any issues with your technology.
Since every homework will be active for more than a week, no excuses
will be granted for a missed deadline because of a failed equipment.
If you believe the system has graded your solution incorrectly (e.g. your solution is correct, but the system has marked it as incorrect), you have one week to bring this to my attention. Requests to change the rubrics will be ignored.
There is a practice problems section on Lyryx system. These problems are not graded, but provide instant feedback on your solutions. I strongly encourage you to try these problems first, before doing your homework. The chapters for these problems correspond to chapters for homework. There
will be two online midterm exams. Each midterm will consists of two
parts: problem set and oral. Each portion will take place during one
of the class times indicated in the calendar below.
You
are not allowed to use any resources during exam (both protions).
Problem
set portion will take place in Lyryx. You will not have to
login in Microsoft Teams for this portion. First, you will login in
CASA Monitor, then to Lyryx. You will have only one attempt for
every problem. The duration of the exam will be 50 min.
Feedback
will be given immediately after submission.
If you believe the system has graded your solution incorrectly (e.g. your solution is correct, but the system has marked it as incorrect), you have two business days to bring this to my attention. Requests to change rubrics will be ignored.
Randomly chosen half of the class will take group oral exam during the first midterm using Microsoft Teams, and the other half will take it during the second one. The exam will take place at the regular class time. During a group oral exam, I will ask each student in turn a quick question related to the covered material. Examples will be given during Review session before each midterm. For each student a question and answer will take 1 min in total. If
you miss exam for a reason described in the UH
Excused Absence Policy, and you are able to provide satisfactory
documentations in a timely manner, an arrangement will be made on a
case by case basis. The makeup exam might be different and have a
larger oral portion.
You
are required to adhere to the UH
Academic Honesty policy.
During
problem set portions of both midterms and the final you will use
CASA Monitor to proctor your exam. Here are the steps you need to
take to set it up.
1) You
need to reserve a time slot for the proctored exam on CASA
CourseWare website as soon as it is available (I will let you know
by email) and at least a few days before your exam.
2) Read the instructions on how to set up CASA Monitor and what you need for it.
3) Do a practice run at least a few days before the exam, the link to the practice website is located in the instructions.
4)
Read a list of rules
you need to
adhere to while taking the exam. If you violate these rules, the
exam might be invalidated and you will receive a zero grade. If
something unexpected happens beyond your control, write me an email
after the test.
On the day of the exam, at the time that you have chosen, you need to:
1)
make sure your testing environment is in line with the rules listed
in the instructions;
2) set
up CASA Monitor just as you previously practiced; if you will be
using black scratch paper, show those pages to the camera;
3) open and log in to Lyryx website;
4)
work on your midterm and submit your answers; you have 50 min to
finish the test once you have started it;
5) go
back to CASA Monitor website and click "I finished the test" to stop
the proctoring services.
If you
have any significant technical difficulties using Lyryx, CASA
Monitor, or if the monitor is not properly setup, you will be
required to use UH
proctoring services at a later date. The new exam will be
different (even the types of the problems), but the same difficulty
level overall. Note that some proctoring cites charge a fee for
their services.
I will
be available on Microsoft Teams during the exam time period, so
please use chat to communicate with me if you have any problems
during the exam.
Final will consists only of problem set portion. You will use CASA Monitor for the final. Problem set portion will be given online through Lyryx. You will have one attempt for every problem. If you believe the system has graded your solution incorrectly (e.g. your solution is correct, but the system has marked it as incorrect), you have until the end of December 18th to bring this to my attention. Requests to change rubrics will be ignored.
Final will cover ALL material from the beginning of the semester.
Final will be held on December 16th, 11:00am-2:00pm.
Webcams
Access to a webcam is required for all students. Webcams must be turned on during exams to ensure the academic integrity of exam administration.
Honor
Code
Statement
Students
may
be asked to sign an honor code statement as part of their submission
of any graded work including but not limited to projects, quizzes,
and exams:
"I understand and agree to abide by the provisions in the University
of Houston Undergraduate Academic Honesty Policy. I
understand that academic honesty is taken very seriously and, in
the cases of violations, penalties may include suspension or
expulsion from the University of Houston."
The
chapters listed in the calendar are tentative, and are subject to
change without notice. I will update the chapter we covered after
each class.
'K'
stand for book by Kuttler, 'L' stand for book by Lay. If you require
more detailed references, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
August
24 Technology check; Introduction; K A.1 |
August
26 Sets and notations; K 1; L 1 |
August
28 System of equations: elementary operations K 1; L 1 Lyryx enrollment deadline |
August
31 System of equation: reduced row-echelon form K 1; L 1 |
September
2 System of equation: homogeneous systems K 1.1; L 1 |
September
4 System of equation: homogeneous systems, rank of a matrix K 1; L 1 |
September
7 Labor Day |
September
9 System of equation: rank of a matrix K 1; L 1 Homework 1 Due |
September
11 Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 |
September
14 Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 |
September
16 Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 Homework 2 Due |
September18
Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 |
September
21 Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 |
September
23 Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 Homework 3 Due |
September
25 Matrices: arithmetics K 2.1; L 2 |
September
28 Review |
September
30 Midterm 1 problem set |
October
2 Midterm 1 oral |
October
5 Matrices: LU Factorization Determinants K 2.2-3.1; L 2-3 |
October
7 Determinants K 3.1-3.2; L 3 asynchronous |
October
9 Determinants K 3.1-3.2; L 3 asynchronous |
October
12 Determinants: Applications K 3.2; L 3 |
October 14 Eigenvectors, eigenvalues K 7.1; L 5 |
October 16 Eigenvectors, eigenvalues K 7.1; L 5 Diagonalization K 7.2; L 5 Homework 4 Due |
October 19 Diagonalization K 7.2; L 5 |
October 21 Vector space R^n: vectors K 4.1-4.5 |
October 23 Vector space R^n: dot product K 4.7 Homework 5 Due |
October 26 Vector space R^n: cross product, spanning K 4.9, 4.10 |
October 28 Vector space R^n: spanning, linear independence K 4.10 |
October 30 Vector space R^n: linear independence K 4.10 Homework 6 Due |
November 2 Review |
November 4 Midterm 2 problem set |
November 6 Midterm 2 oral |
November 9 Vector space R^n: basis K 4.10 |
November 11 Linear Transformations K 5.1 |
November 13 Linear Transformations: matrix of a l.tr.; properties of a l.tr. K 5.2-5.3 |
November 16 Vector spaces: algebraic considerations, spanning sets K 9.1-9.2 |
November 18 Vector spaces: linear independence, subspaces and basis K 9.3-9.4 |
November 20 Vector spaces: subspaces and basis K 9.4 Homework 7 Due |
November 23 Vector spaces: subspaces and basis K 9.4 |
November
25 |
November 27 Thanksgiving |
November 30 Vector spaces: sums and intersections, linear transformation K 9.5-9.6 |
December
2 Review |
December 4 Review Homework 8 Due |
|
December 16 Final 11:00am-2:00pm |
Regular
class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework
are important contributors to student success. Absences may be
excused as provided in the University of Houston Undergraduate
Excused
Absence Policy and Graduate
Excused
Absence Policy for reasons including: medical illness of
student or close relative, death of a close family member,
legal or government proceeding that a student is obligated to
attend, recognized professional and educational activities
where the student is presenting, and University-sponsored
activity or athletic competition. Additional policies address
absences related to military
service, religious
holy
days, pregnancy
and
related conditions, and disability.
Per UH policy, requests for planned absences should be submitted to instructors as soon as the conflict becomes known and no later than 5 business days, if possible, before the anticipated absence. Unexpected absences should be communicated to the instructor before the next class meeting, or as soon as possible afterwards with an explanation regarding why the notice could not be sent before the next class meeting.
Religious Holy Days
Students
whose
religious beliefs prohibit class attendance or the completion
of specific assignments on designated dates may obtain an
excused absence. To do so, please make a written request for
an excused absence and submit it to your instructor as soon as
possible, to allow the instructor to make arrangements. For
more information, see the Student Handbook. http://catalog.uh.edu/index.
UH CAPS Statement
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to college, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS (www.uh.edu/caps) by calling 713-743-5454 during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the "Let's Talk" program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. http://www.uh.edu/caps/outreach/lets_talk.htmlResources for Online Learning
The
University of Houston is committed to student success, and provides
information to optimize the online learning experience through our Power-On
website. Please visit this website for a comprehensive set of
resources, tools, and tips including: obtaining access to the
internet, AccessUH, and Blackboard; requesting a laptop through the
Laptop Loaner Program; using your smartphone as a webcam; and
downloading Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. For questions or
assistance contact UHOnline@uh.edu.
Online
tutoring is available for MATH 2331 with the schedule listed here.
Helpful
Information
COVID-19 updates: https://uh.edu/covid-19/
Coogs Care: https://www.uh.edu/dsaes/coogscare/
Laptop Checkout Requests: https://www.uh.edu/infotech/about/planning/off-campus/index.php#do-you-need-a-laptop
Health FAQs: https://uh.edu/covid-19/faq/health-wellness-prevention-faqs/
Student Health Center: https://uh.edu/class/english/lcc/current-students/student-health-center/index.php