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St. Francis and St. Clare acknowledged God as creator and all humankind as made in the Divine Image. At Cardinal Stritch University, all are invited to embrace Franciscan values of Creating a Caring Community, Showing Compassion, Reverencing all of Creation, and Making Peace. Adapted from the booklet, Franciscan Values at Cardinal Stritch University, published by the Office of Franciscan Mission at Cardinal Stritch University through a grant from the Teagle Foundation, Inc. |
This four-credit seminar is intended to provide a culminating experience for majors in Mathematics and Computer Studies who are near the end of their program of studies. Post-baccalaureate students (PBC) who are preparing to be certified to teach mathematics may take this course to fulfill a mathematics requirement. A faculty member acting as a facilitator will provide some problems as stimulus for class discussion and a partial list of topics to be covered on the exam. However, students are expected to play a major role in planning and carrying out activities to meet the course objectives. The faculty member is more coordinator than instructor.
The objectives of this seminar are to provide opportunities for students to:
The required text for this class is The (New) Turring Omnibus: 66 Excursions in Computer Science, by A. K. Dewdney. This book is published by Computer Science Press, Freeman. It first appeared in 1993; in 1998 it was in its fourth printing. The ISBN is 0-7167-8271-5.
The booklet, Franciscan Values at Cardinal Stritch University, published by the Office of Franciscan Mission at Cardinal Stritch University through a grant from the Teagle Foundation Incorporated will be available for all seminar participants.
Each student is also expected to have access to a some mathematics books including texts for college algebra, trigonometry, discrete structures of mathematics, and calculus. Students may already have these texts from previous courses, and many of these books are available for reference in the departmental library in CH 31-A. The instructor also has additional texts for students who have trouble finding such books. Students have access to a variety of computers and software in the academic computing labs, and are expected to become acquainted with appropriate resources available in the university library.
Students will be encouraged to make appropriate use of such tools as calculators, computers, textbooks, and other resources.
Back to TOCStudents should have completed at least two semesters of calculus and have senior standing. Post-baccalaureate certification students (PBC) may register for this course with departmental permission. Students in this seminar are ordinarily expected to be near the end of their program of studies, and should have completed most of the requirements for a major in Mathematics or Computer Studies.
Back to TOCIn order to demonstrate integration and synthesis of courses which comprise the major in Mathematics and/or Computer Studies, each student is expected to assemble a portfolio representing achievements in the major. You might think of the portfolio as a snapshot of your achievements in computer studies and/or mathematics.
A comprehensive take-home exam will demonstrate each student's knowledge of foundational concepts of mathematics and computer science. The mathematics content will be drawn from those courses which are a required part of the major for students in both Mathematics and Computer Studies. This includes Calculus I and II (and mathematics topics in College Algebra and Trigonometry which are prerequisite for Calculus), and Discrete Mathematics (Boolean algebra, sets, and logical reasoning). The exam will also cover those topics chosen from by the seminar participants from chapters of The Turing Omnibus which are covered in class discussions. Around midterm (March 14), seminar participants together with the instructor will work together to determine an appropriate mix of topics from mathematics and computer science to include on the comprehensive exam. This exam will be available sometime after mid-semester when the review of the topics on the Study Guide has been completed. It will have both oral and written components.
The Comprehensive Exam will be a take-home exam, available May 1 and due on May 13. During the class session on May 13, each participant will be expected to present (orally) solutions to several of the problems from the exam.
The grade on the exam will contribute 20% to the final course grade.
Benchmark testing is the Department's way of assuring that students have achieved minimal levels of technological and computational skill. The benchmark test will consist of problems involving basic computer applications and straightforward calculations using arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, basic derivatives and integrals, and Boolean algebra. The seminar participants will be invited to determine specific areas of technological and computational skills that should be included on this test.
The intent of the benchmark test is to demonstrate minimal skill levels and computational fluency. Seminar participants will be invited to develop a format for this test that allows each student to demonstrate basic skills.
The Benchmark Test will contribute 10% to the final course grade.
Each student is expected to demonstrate an ability to extend her or his knowledge base by completing a major project. This project is equivalent to a major term paper, but it may take a variety of forms. Let the project itself guide the media you choose to use. Although you may work together on the project, it should be clear what your individual contributions are.
The project should be of professional quality. It should demonstrate skills and knowledge that the student has acquired through the major. The project can be one of the items included in the Portfolio.
Think of your project as something that you can take with you to a job interview to demonstrate skills developed as part of your major. Put together something that you can be proud of! In the past, some students have received job offers because of the quality of the work presented in their seminar project.
Your seminar project is a major term project, and should be about the equivalent of a 20- to 25-page paper, although it need not all be written text.
Project Timetable: Dates are to be set by class consensus.
The project will contribute 30% to the final course grade.
Each student will make an appointment with J. R. Brey, the Director of Institutional Research, to complete those instruments such as the Academic Profile and the Student Opinion Survey, which are used for collecting institutional data. This data is important for the continuing accreditation of Cardinal Stritch University as an institution of higher education.
Inherent in the mission of Cardinal Stritch University is the belief in the principle of academic integrity. 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 abide by the policy on academic integrity found in the Student Handbook. Because the exam for this course is a take-home exam, each student will be asked to sign a statement affirming that they have not cheated on this exam. Any student who objects in principle to signing such a statement is invited to discuss this with the instructor so that an alternate arrangement can be made.
If you have any special needs for alternative instruction and/or evaluation procedures, please feel free to discuss these needs with me so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
As a matter of courtesy, students are expected to turn off cell phones and pagers during class. If extraordinary circumstances require an exception to this policy, the student is expected to discuss this with the instructor before class begins.
Back to TOCThis Seminar will be held in the Math-Science Classroom Computer Lab in Clare Hall, CH 31-A. My office is just across the hallway from our classroom, in CH 34. If you are looking for me between classes, I am often in my office or in the Classroom Computer Lab.
The best way to reach me between classes is to send me an email message. You may leave a voice message at 410-4018.
I am regularly on campus and available for students on most weekdays. If you need to make an appointment with me, you may sign up on the sheets which are posted on the in the hallway just outside the door of my office. You can also send me an e-message requesting an appointment. Suggest a day and time, and I'll check my schedule to see if this is possible.
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