Text(s)/Materials:

Colley, Susan J. (1998). Vector Calculus. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Course Description:

Students will apply and extend their knowledge of calculus to problems involving several variables. They will examine the similarities and differences between one- and several-variable situations from both a computational and theoretical point of view. The course covers the material from a traditional semester-long university course: geometry and algebra of vectors, coordinate systems, functions of several variables and their graphs and behaviors, differentiation (partial derivatives, gradients, divergence, curl, etc.), integration (multiple integrals, path, line, and surface integrals). Other topics from among applications (min/max problems, work, flux, etc.), Change-of-Variables Theorem, Green's Theorem, Stokes' Theorem.

Teaching and Learning Methodology and Philosophy:

Students should be involved in exploration of the concepts and topics through reading of the text and outside material, giving presentations to classmates, through computer work, and solving problems in individual and group settings. Students will be asked to engage in the dialogue of problem solving, and to help their classmates understand the content of the course. Learning to write and speak in clear and precise mathematical language is a major goal throughout this course.

Student Expectations:

Students are expected to come to each class prepared to contribute to the classroom learning experience. This involves reading all assigned text and attempting all assigned problems before coming to class. Students are expected to work together and independently in deepening their understanding of course concepts. Students will have to take careful and complete notes in class, as the text does not cover all required material. Students may be expected to work in groups to make classroom presentations on selected topics during the semester.

Assessment Practices, Procedures, and Processes:

Students are assessed through a variety of means including but not limited to: written in-class and out-of-class exams, quizzes, classroom presentations, and homework. The relative weights of these factors depends on the amount of data available from each type of assessment. Semester grades are based on 40% for each quarter grade and 20% from the final exam.

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