MATE Research Methods in Secondary Mathematics Syllabus

Transcription

1 MATE Research Methods in Secondary Mathematics Syllabus Semester Spring 2017 Instructors Dr. Hyung Won Kim Section 01 CRN Office MAGC Class time 12:15 1:30 pm MW Office Phone (956) Classroom EDUC (Edinburg) Office Hours TTh 2pm 4pm (Others by appointment) Intended Outcomes and Topics of this Course Research Methods Learning Objectives: - Pose scientific questions and design experiments to answer scientific questions. - Design experiments to reduce systematic and random errors. - Use statistics to interpret experimental results. - Use probes and computers to gather and analyze data. - Treat human subjects in an ethical fashion. - Apply safe laboratory procedures. - Create mathematical models of scientific phenomena. - Find and read articles in the scientific literature. - Apply scientific arguments in matters of social importance. - Write and review scientific papers. - Give oral presentations of scientific work. Course Learning Outcomes: Students will gain experience in conducting scientific experiments, analyzing data, and giving written and oral presentations of their results. They will also be reviewing each other s presentations. Students will be immersed in the process of scientific inquiry so that when they become teachers, they will be able to instruct their own students in how to approach questions scientifically. Course Topics: This course prepares students to become science and mathematics teachers. Through the course, students will be engaged in a set of four scientific inquiries that each student (or group) develops independently. To this end, the course will focus on statistics topics (such as Experimental Design, Standard Deviation, Standard Error, Distributions, Central Limit Theorem, t-tests, z-tests, p-values, Chisquared (χ 2 ) Distribution and hypothesis testing), mathematical modeling (such as Estimation, Linear Regression, Fourier Transforms and Deterministic Modeling), Scientific Literature, and Spreadsheets. Course Overview Textbooks:

2 The textbook for the course is: Research Methods for Science, by Michael P. Marder (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Additional reading will be distributed either during class or electronically. Evaluation: Students are required to complete 11 homework assignments and four major inquiries over the course of the semester that include oral or written assignments. Details are provided in the Course Information packet. Each student's weighted average is computed using the following percentages: Activities Weight Class participation, preparedness, other 5% Homework assignments 22% Inquiry 1 10% Inquiry 2 (proposal/draft/oral presentation/final write-up) 20% (2%/4%/4%/10%) Inquiry 3 10% Open question presentation 3% Inquiry 4 (proposal/draft/oral presentation/final write-up) 30% (3%/6%/6%/15%) Total 100% Course Requirements and Grading Policy: Research Methods carries the Independent Inquiry flag. Independent Inquiry courses are designed to engage you in the process of inquiry over the course of a semester, providing you with the opportunity for independent investigation of a question, problem, or project related to your major. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from the independent investigation and presentation of your own work. Research Methods carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will regularly encounter in your adult and professional life. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your use of quantitative skills to analyze real-world problems. Each person needs to participate daily with their group. You must also show up to class with the readings done and work done on problems assigned. If you know you are going to be absent the day a problem set is due, make arrangements with someone else to bring it in. Since the problem sets are essentially the tests, you can severely damage your grade by turning in all the problem sets late. Also, Research Methods will require you to use equipment provided by UTeach. In many cases you will check materials out for use outside the classroom. You are responsible for all items in your care and must return them in a timely fashion. Failure to do so may result in financial bars. Some course topics will be covered only in class, and you must be present to receive credit. Each person needs to participate daily with their group. You must also show up to class with the readings done and work done on problems assigned. If you know you are going to be absent the day a problem set is due, make arrangements with someone else to bring it in. Your final inquiry write-ups will be graded according to a rubric you will find in your course text and checklists you can find on the course website. Inquiry drafts will be graded by checking off whether the major sections of the report have been completed (Abstract, Introduction, Design, Analysis, Conclusions). Also, please note that the final inquiry must be related to the subject of your major. If you turn assignments in late without approval, you will lose 10% of the initial value of the assignment for each day it is late. Assignments will not be accepted one week or more after the due date. The final write-ups will be graded according to a rubric in your course packet. The final grades will be determined as shown in the table below: Grade Weighted Average 2

3 A B C D F Course Schedule: Week & Dates Topic Assigned Reading Homework Start Due by midnight 1 Jan 18 Class overview and policies 2 Jan 23 Balloons: Inquiry I Preparation Inquiry I Feynman: part II Jan 25 Falling objects; Experimental design I&II Text (Ch. 1) 1 (Inquiry Grading) 3 Jan 30 Safety, Inquiry II Inquiry II Text (Ch. 2) Inquiry I Feb 1 Statistics: Motivation, Overview, Sample Inquiries 2 (Excel) Homework 1 Sampling and Averaging 4 Feb 6 Homework 1 Grading Discussion + Inquiry II Text (App. A) Feb 8 Statistics: Standard Deviation, Standard Error Text (Ch. 3) 3 (Human Subjects) Inq. II proposal Homework 2 5 Feb 13 Inquiry II Feb 15 Statistics: Distributions, Central Limit Theorem and Z tests 4 (Statistics) Homework 3 6 Feb 20 Inquiry II Feb 22 Statistics: t tests and Inquiry II partner grading 5 (Inquiry grading) Homework 4 7 Feb 27 Inquiry III Inquiry III Inquiry II draft Mar 1 Statistics: (χ 2 ) 6 ( χ 2 ) Homework 5 8 Mar 6 Scientific Literature Text (Ch. 5) Mar 8 Inquiry II presentations 7 (Lit. Search) Homework 6 Inq. II final Spring Break 9 Mar 20 Inquiry IV planning Inquiry IV Inquiry III Mar 22 Modeling: Order of magnitude Text (Ch.4) 8 (Estimation) Homework 7 Inq.IV Proposal 1 10 Mar 27 Inquiry IV: proposal review Mar 29 Modeling: M&Ms + Temperature 9 (M&Ms) Homework 8 11 Apr 3 Inquiry IV Inq.IV Proposal 2 Apr 5 Inquiry IV Homework 9 12 Apr 10 Numerical Modeling: Equations in Excel Presentation Articles 11 (Position paper) Apr 12 Inquiry IV 13 Apr 17 Inquiry IV 10 (Inquiry Inq. IV draft Grading) Apr 19 Inquiry IV Homework Apr 24 Presentation: Inq. IV discussions Apr 26 Inquiry IV Homework May 1 Open Question Presentations May 3 Inquiry IV discussions Feynman, Cargo Cult Science 16 May 5-11 Final Exam Period: Inq. IV Presentations (May 10: 10:15-12:00 p.m.) Inq. IV final (May 10) Calculator and Other Electronic Devices: 3

4 A TI-83/84 Plus calculator may be required. Efficient use of the calculator will be emphasized throughout the course. Cellular Telephones, Pagers, Palm Pilots or any device that may distract from the class should be turned off before class begins and may not be on the desk during class or tests, UNLESS they are being used for instructional purposes at the instructor s direction. Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is essential to your success in this course. You are in jeopardy of being dropped by your instructor if you miss more than 3 class sessions. Coming to class late, being tardy or leaving early will be treated as half an absence. An attendance sheet will be provided. It is your responsibility to sign in when it is passed around. If you have to leave early, you have to let the instructor know ahead of time. Also, you are required to write your name and the time you leave on a piece of paper and hand it in to the instructor at the time you leave. If you are not in class, you are responsible for the material covered. In general, no make-up assignments, exams or quizzes will be given, except in the extreme cases described in and at the discretion of the instructor. Be prepared by attending all classes and keeping up with your homework. Details of Course Assignments General Submission Guidelines for All Assignments/Inquiries write-ups: Your assignments will be received electronically, and I will turn back comments electronically, using Blackboard. Please follow these guidelines: - Your instructor will create a folder with your name under My Groups. You will submit most of your assignments to it, and receive instructor feedback in it. - Your instructor will create a second folder with your name and the names of inquiry grading partners. You will use this folder for peer review of Inquiries 2 and 4. - Inquiries 1, 2 (final draft), 3, 4 (final draft) and Homework 11 must be submitted as safe assignments, which means they will be checked automatically for plagiarism. - Before submitting each assignment: o Number all pages, and also put your name in the header on each page. All assignments and papers will be multiple (1.5) spaced with font size 10 and font type Time New Roman. o Convert the document to pdf for submission. Recent versions of Microsoft Word allow you to save your paper to pdf under Save As. For LATEX, pdf is the natural output format. o Give the file you submit a name that begins with your last name and first name, and describes the inquiry/assignment as follows: Kim_Hyung_HW1.pdf or Wilson_Aaron_Inquiry4_Final.pdf (Use YOUR name, not mine!) Blackboard also asks you to type in a name for the assignment, but the name of the file you upload is what we need to begin with your last name. If you simply name your file Inquiry 2, it can be overwritten on the instructor s computer by any other submission also named Inquiry 2. Inquiry 1: Home Discovery (Due: Jan 30) Description: Do Assignment 1 of Chapter 1. Submit this assignment electronically to Blackboard under the Assignments link. Remember to name your file using your last name as in Hood_Brian_Inquiry1.pdf and submit in pdf format. The paper should be 1.5~2 typed pages. Background: For this assignment, you need to perform a bit of scientific inquiry away from an academic setting. Write a paper (you can think of it as a lab write-up) that describes what you learned. It is up to you to decide what you will investigate, as well as the format for the write-up. 4

5 Selecting a topic: Here is the hard part. BE CURIOUS!! You do not need anything more than what can readily be accomplished around the house, dorm, or outdoors. Let your curiosity take hold and use Feynman for inspiration. Do not carry out any project involving human subjects or vertebrate animals unless you verify with your instructor that there are no safety concerns with your idea. Comments: You are being asked to do an assignment before you have learned anything in this course. This effort will give you an opportunity to find out just how much you already know, or don t know, about science in action. If you take a look at the course outline, you will be learning about Experimental Design, Statistics, Modeling, and Presentation as the semester goes along. For now, though, don t do anything other than what you already know how to do. You can use this assignment for comparison with assignments you produce after you learn more. In other words, this write-up may not be very good, but that s OK. We are modeling the assessment technique of designing authentic pre- and post-assessments and comparing student work samples before and after a unit or course. While not all students perform well on standardized tests or other forms of traditional assessments, authentic assessments based on measurable change in student work provide an alternative and powerful measure of what students really know and can do after instruction. Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry 1 Grading Checklist. This checklist has fewer items on it than the checklists that will be used as the course progresses. By the end you will be responsible for many elements of scientific research, but for the moment you will mainly be held accountable for a good-faith effort to investigate something, turn in the paper on time, and write the results up clearly. In most cases, including a graph is valuable to explain the results clearly. Homework 1: Inquiry Grading (Due: Feb 1) Description: Do Assignment 2 of Chapter 1 in the course text. The paper you are to evaluate is called Seilman Inquiry and is available for download at uteach.utexas.edu/researchmethods and on Blackboard. What you turn in should have two parts. First, written comments either set down on the paper itself or else on a separate sheet. In addition to your written comments, assign points either using the full course rubric, or else with the Inquiry 4 Grading Checklist, also available at the course website. Note that points on the rubric and checklist do not add to 100. In categories where there are errors, you subtract points from 100 (you can stop when you reach 0). Submit this assignment to your Blackboard group folder. Again, please use a filename such as Jordan_Michael_HW1.pdf Inquiry 2: Independent Laboratory Investigation Description: Do Assignment 1 of Chapter 2 in the course text. The purpose of Inquiry 2 is to create a quantitative data set in a controlled laboratory setting and subject it to statistical analysis. Write typed pages. Inquiry 2 Components: o Initial proposal (due Feb 8): For guidelines on how to write the proposal, see Section 2 in Chapter 5. o First draft (due Feb 27): Submit this assignment electronically to your Blackboard peer grading folder. Any extensions desired for this draft must be negotiated with your inquiry grading partner because their homework depends upon your draft. Reminder to name your file something like Hood_Brian_Inquiry2_Draft.pdf and submit in pdf format. o In-class oral presentations (Mar 8) o Final draft (due Mar 27): Submit this assignment electronically to Blackboard as a Safe Assignment under the Assignments link. 5

6 Background: This assignment takes place in a formal laboratory setting. Your instructors will tell you what scientific equipment you have available to select from. The questions you can ask will be constrained by the equipment. However, your ability to collect quantitative data should improve because you will be able to work with instruments not typically available at home. You may not be as inventive as you can be when pursuing questions that make you curious at home, but you should be able to perform more precise work. You should perform an investigation chosen from the first and third types listed in Chapter 1; investigate a hypothesis, as in Section 1.3.1, or measure a function as in Section Plan to use statistics in evaluating your results, and take your data with the idea in mind that you will subject them to statistics later on. Report: Please include the following sections: 1. Title 2. Abstract: This paragraph should explain the purpose of your inquiry, and then summarize the main results. It should be written in present or past tense. Write this section after you have completed all the work. Imagine that you are trying to prepare a single paragraph that will be published by itself in a newspaper to explain to huge numbers of people what you have found. 3. Introduction: This section should explain the motivation for your inquiry, and should incorporate background information including theories and models. An introduction explains the hook to the reader in other words, what is the significance of this inquiry and why did you decide to spend time investigating it? It also provides enough essential background information to ground the reader about current research in the field. 4. Experimental design: Imagine in writing this section of your report that you are preparing a lab manual. Your goal is to enable other people to reproduce your experiment. Therefore, you will need to include a description of all the materials you used, and diagrams that explain how the apparatus was constructed. It is perfectly appropriate for you to explain wrong steps that you took, so as to warn others away from repeating your mistakes. 5. Analysis: Including an appropriate statistical treatment of the data and explanation of whether your findings are statistically significant. 6. Conclusions: State what you found in your experiment and what you have learned. You should set yourself the goal of being honest. On the one hand, you should not minimize the effort you have put into the experiment, and you should not dismiss or underestimate your own results. On the other hand, you should not claim to have found things that your results do not support. You are free to write about how you might do the experiment otherwise if you could do it again, and to make suggestions for yourself or others to pursue in the future. 7. Data: You should include enough raw data to enable evaluators to check your results. You can either include the data in the body of the report, or else in an appendix. In some cases, you may choose to provide the instructors with electronic copies of your data. Comments on Project: For this assignment, you may use equipment in PAI 4.14, which is similar to the kind of technology and equipment you will have access to in a well supplied science or mathematics department in secondary schools. After a first laboratory session in which you explore equipment, you should turn in a brief description of the experiment you intend to perform. This proposal will give us the chance to provide some preliminary advice on the direction you are taking. Comments on Report: o Introduction: From the perspective of UTeach master teachers who have guided several hundred students through science fair projects, it is the introduction that illustrates how well or how poorly a student is prepared to conduct an experiment. Again, as you learn to write introductions that provide context for your own inquiries, you will develop skills in assessing your own students abilities to provide a rationale for their work. 6

7 o o o Experimental design: For a teacher, the ability to provide a clear and accurate description of an experiment is very important, both so that you can guide your own students, and also so that you can describe innovative projects you have developed to other teachers. Analysis: Students in this class sometimes view statistical analysis as cumbersome and irrelevant. The UTeach Master Teachers have found that most high school students struggle mightily with this aspect of inquiry reports. Many high school students can master the technical skill of putting data into a calculator or spreadsheet and punching buttons to spew out their stats but few to none are capable of explaining what these mysterious values tell them about their data. This fatal flaw has caused more than one aspiring science fair student to not make the final cut for the next level of competition. Your experience with the discussion of your own data through statistical analysis will provide you with the requisite skills to guide your students through similar explanations, allowing them to draw conclusions that are supported by their work. Master Teachers become truly masterful when they can demonstrate that their innovations in teaching are impacting student achievement in their classroom significantly. As you experiment with innovation in your classroom, you will want to gather data and apply appropriate statistical techniques to determine if your innovations are working. A cogent discussion of statistical techniques employed to analyze your data will convince colleagues to follow your example, administrators to support your efforts and provide resources that you need. In addition, the more prestigious education research publications require statistical analysis of data. Well documented studies that are statistically validated will also enhance your applications for grants and allow you to get even more funds for your classroom. Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry II Grading Checklist. You will be paired with another student in the class, and the two of you will read and assess each others assignments. The instructors will grade your first draft by checking that you made a good faith effort to complete each of the major sections of the report, and by checked that you turned the assignment in on time. The peer grade of your draft will not enter directly into your grade, but it will play a role in the grade of your final write up. Your final draft will be evaluated attentively. Instructors will pay particular attention to whether corrections suggested concerning the first draft have been implemented in the final write up. These suggestions can come from peer and instructor evaluation of the first draft, or from comments during the oral presentation. Note that your final inquiry write up need not be accepted if you have not submitted a draft on time, or have not delivered a presentation, or have not graded your partner s inquiry. Homework 2: Excel (Due: Feb 8) Description: Do Assignments 1, 2, and 3 of Appendix A. Put the three exercises in one file. Name the file using the following format: Jordan_Michael_HW2.xls. Put Exercise 1 in the first tab (Sheet 1), Exercise 2 in the second tab (Sheet 2), and Exercise 3 in the third tab (Sheet 3). Please check that your file is no more than 200kB in size. Submit the assignment to your Blackboard shared folder. Homework 3: Human Subjects Training (Due: Feb 15) Description: Do Assignment 3 in Chapter 2 in the course text. Submit the assignment to your Blackboard shared folder. Homework 4: Statistics (Due: Feb 22) Description: Do Assignments 2 5 in Chapter 3 in the course text. Submit the assignment to your Blackboard shared folder. (You can scan handwritten work in the UTeach student workroom and send to yourself. Or you can typeset the mathematics. We recommend LYX.) Inquiry 3: Surveying and Testing (Due: Mar 20) 7

8 Description: Do Surveying and Testing Assignment 1 of Chapter 3 in the course text. The purpose of this inquiry is to conduct and carry out a survey of opinion, knowledge, or learning and employ statistics to analyze the results. Submit this assignment electronically to Blackboard as a Safe Assignment under the Assignments link. Remember to name your file something like Winfrey_John_Inquiry3.pdf and submit in pdf format. Put your name in the header of each document so that it appears on each page, and number pages. Turn in the physical copies of your permission forms and survey sheets. The report should be 3 4 typed pages. Background: In this inquiry, you should build upon your knowledge of statistics as you apply it to one of the most important and controversial areas of research, the investigation of people s opinions and knowledge. Teamwork: You may choose a partner for this assignment. Together with your partner, you should settle on some question that involves other peoples opinions or knowledge. Design a survey or assessment instrument that provides you information to answer your question. If you work in a team, it is highly recommended that your partner should be someone in the same laboratory section. Teams larger than 2 are discouraged. Factors: Although you have very broad freedom in what sorts of questions you address, you should include at least one potentially significant factor in your survey or test. For example, you might see whether men and women respond to something similarly or differently. You might look for variations based upon age, or on which instructor students have had. Ethical Treatment of Human Subjects: Before beginning your survey, you will need to provide instructors with evidence that you have completed NIH training on ethical treatment of human subjects. You must conduct this survey in accord with the guidelines that govern research on human subjects in an academic setting. In particular, you must obtain signed consent from every participant, and you must conduct the survey in such a way that the responses of all participants are anonymous, but any participant who chooses to withdraw from the study after it is completed can do so. Procedures and forms to assist in this process are on page 46 of the course text (47 in electronic version). Report Requirements: Although you may design your surveys or tests in teams, please type up individual reports. The interpretation and discussion of the data should be yours, although the data may be shared. Please include the following sections: 1. Title 2. Abstract: This paragraph should explain the purpose of your inquiry, and then summarize the main results. It should be written in present or past tense. 3. Introduction, including background information. 4. Survey: A copy of the survey or test you developed, with a discussion of why you settled on its final form. 5. Analysis: Statistical discussion of results, especially discussion of whether factors you investigated were statistically significant. 6. Conclusions 7. Survey sheets: You must turn in the permission forms and response sheets from which you compiled your survey so that the instructors can verify that you properly followed procedures concerning ethical treatment of human subjects. Schedule: Use the first lab period to construct your survey, and the second one to deliver it, or to analyze the results. 8

9 Comments: Although your questions may seem as though they could never hurt anyone, and the procedures for protecting human subjects may seem like too much work, they are required, for example, in secondary science fair projects involving human subjects, so you may as well learn them now. As you enter your classroom and begin to explore teaching, you will want to experiment with innovative lessons and instructional techniques. The development and implementation of these innovations should be carried out in a professional manner so that lessons learned from your classroom experiments can be presented at teaching conferences or published in educational journals. Your school district as well as the journals in which you may wish to publish will require that you obtain appropriate permissions from students (and their parents) who participate in your classroom experiment. The lessons learned in this inquiry will provide you with the requisite knowledge and skills to carry out such classroom research projects. Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry 3 grading checklist. Please note that you must acknowledge your team members, if any, and explain their contributions to the project. You must turn in your survey sheets to avoid penalties for the first item on the checklist. Homework 5: Peer Grading (Due: Mar 1) Description: Do Assignment 2 of Chapter 2 in the course text. Save your written comments on the paper and a completed rubric in your peer grading Blackboard folder. Comments: Your instructor will assign you an inquiry grading partner, and you will be responsible for evaluating the first draft of their second inquiry. The goal is for you to obtain some practice grading papers on open-ended topics. This is not an easy task, but every most teachers must learn to do it, and it is the basic skill underlying the peer-review process for scientific publication. The more constructive advice you offer the person you are evaluating, the better their final paper will have a chance to be. Homework 6: χ 2 Test (Due: Mar 8) Description: Do Assignments 6 and 7 of Chapter 3 in the course text. Submit to your Blackboard folder (you can scan handwritten work in the UTeach student workroom and send to yourself. Or you can type the mathematics, for example using LYX.) Presentation 1: Inquiry 2 (Due: Mar 8) Description: You will give an oral presentation of your work on Inquiry 2 to the class. You should prepare 2-4 PowerPoint slides, pdf pages, or Prezi views, describing the title and motivation for the work, and describing the main results. See Section 5.5. The presentation should last 3-4 minutes. Homework 7: Literature Search (Due: Mar 22) Description: Do Assignment 2 of Chapter 5 in the course text. Choose a challenging or open scientific question, either from the list in the assigned problem or from the list in Assignment 5.3. First, search using Google and describe the best information you find. Next, search using professional databases made available through your library and describe the best information you find. The description should be more substantive than to say something such as The library had better information. You must turn in a brief description of the sorts of information you found in your Google and database searches, and a minimum of two complete references to recent articles from the peer-reviewed literature. For each article, locate the full text electronically and place in your Blackboard folder. Homework 8: Order of Magnitude Estimates (Due: Mar 28) 9

10 Description: Do Assignment 3 of Chapter 4 in the course text. We are looking for reasonable arguments making use of dimensional analysis and estimation, and are more concerned with sensible reasoning than that you get the answer exactly right to each question. Submit to your Blackboard folder. (You can scan handwritten work in the UTeach student workroom and send to yourself.) Homework 9: M&M Decay (Due: Apr 5) Description: Assignment 5 of Chapter 4 in the course text. Rather than simply using an Excel fitting function, please generate your own model in Excel. Submit to your Blackboard folder. (You can scan handwritten work in the UTeach student workroom and send to yourself.) Presentation 2: Open Questions Presentation (Due: May 1) Description: You will give an oral presentation on the topic you have researched for Homework 11. You will have 3-5 minutes for your presentation, depending on the size of the class, with a few minutes for questions. You are encouraged to make use of graphs or pictures to explain your arguments, and may use the computer or document camera. Grading: You will be graded according to the Presentation Checklist. Make clear use of arguments from peer-reviewed scientific articles and explain significance and interest of topic for full credit. Homework 10: Peer Grading (Due: Apr 19) Description: Do Assignment 2 of Chapter 2 in the course text. Your instructor will assign you an inquiry grading partner. Your partner and you will be responsible for evaluating each other s first draft of the final inquiry. Please highlight or indicate in bold specific changes made to improve the final draft. Your partner s final grade will depend upon taking seriously your suggestions. Specifically, for entries in the Grading Checklist where you make valid and reasonable suggestions for change, if your partner does not make these changes in the final draft, he or she will get no credit. Save your written comments on the paper and a completed rubric in your peer grading Blackboard folder. Homework 11: Open Questions Paper (Due: Apr 24) Description: Assignment of 5 Chapter 5 in the course text. Write a page paper on an open or challenging question is science or mathematics. You may adopt a question from the list provided, or with instructor approval choose another question of your own. You must make use of a minimum of 4 articles from the peer-reviewed literature. The paper must cite the articles and provide clear evidence that you have read the articles and make use of them in formulating your arguments. Submit this assignment electronically to Blackboard as a Safe Assignment under the Assignments link. Remember to name your file something like Spielberg_S_HW11.pdf and submit in pdf format. Inquiry 4: Final Inquiry Description: Do Assignment 1 of Chapter 5 in the course text. The purpose of this inquiry is to carry out final project, incorporating skills gained during class. Write 7 10 typed pages. It is generally not a problem to exceed this length. Put your name in the header of each document so that it appears on each page, and number pages. Due Dates (tentative): - Mar 22 first proposal. For guidelines on how to write the proposal, see Section 2 in Chapter 5 - Mar 29 revised proposal, if project or design have changed. 10

11 - Apr 17, first draft. Submit this assignment electronically to your Blackboard peer grading folder. Any extensions desired for this draft must be negotiated with your inquiry grading partner. - May 10, final draft. Submit this assignment electronically to Blackboard as a Safe Assignment under the Assignments link. Reminder to name your file something like Obama_B_I4.pdf and submit in pdf format. - May 10, oral presentation of project Background: You have carried out a number of inquiries of different types during the semester. Your goal is now to combine the skills gained in these different inquiries into a final project. These projects begin with curiosity, proceed with experimental design and taking of data, continue with statistical analysis and modeling, and the ability to access the scientific literature. You now should combine what you have been learning in a final project. Report: Please include the following sections 1. Title 2. Abstract 3. Introduction 4. Experimental design 5. Analysis, including an appropriate statistical treatment of the data 6. Conclusions 7. References: You should make use of the peer reviewed literature as appropriate. 8. Data either in the body of the report, or as an appendix Comments: You have signed up for credit in Mathematics, and you must carry out a final project relevant to the discipline for which you have signed up. If you want to carry out a project in another discipline, then please contact the instructors. Grading: This inquiry will be evaluated according to the Inquiry 4 grading checklist. The instructors will grade the first draft by checking that you have made a good faith effort to complete the major sections of the report. The peer grade of your draft will not enter directly into your grade, but it will play a role in the grade of your final write-up. Your final draft will be evaluated attentively. Instructors will pay particular attention to whether corrections suggested by your grading partner on the first draft have been implemented in the final write up. Your final grade will depend upon taking seriously your partner s suggestions. More specifically, for entries in the Grading Checklist where your partner has made valid and reasonable suggestions for change, if you do not make these changes in the final draft, you will get no credit. Note that your final inquiry write up need not be accepted if you have not submitted a draft on time, or have not delivered a presentation, or have not graded your partner s inquiry. Presentation 3: Inquiry 4 (Due: Final Exam period) Description: You will give an oral presentation of your work on Inquiry 4 to the class. You should prepare roughly PowerPoint slides, describing the motivation, background, design, results, analysis, and conclusions. The presentation should last 5-7 minutes, depending upon the size of the class. Consult your instructor to learn the time available. You will be graded according to the Inquiry IV Oral Presentation Checklist. Other Important Information for the Course Calendar of Activities 11

12 The UTRGV academic calendar and final exam schedule can be found at at the bottom of the screen, prior to login. Some important dates for Spring 2017 include: Jan 16 MLK Holiday and Day of Service Jan17 First day of class for full semester Jan 30 Last day to add a class for spring 2017 semester Mar Spring Break, no classes Apr 13 Last day to drop (DR grade) a class or withdraw (grade of W) Apr Easter holiday, no classes May 3 Last day of classes for full semester May 4 Study Day, no classes May 5-11 Final Exams (Schedule) Academic Honesty Statement: It is understood by me and by you that the work you turn in for this course will be your own. Many aspects of this class are group based, and thus much of the work that you turn in will likely be a compilation of group thinking. However, your words will be yours. Do not let someone else borrow your assignments for any length of time. Do not give another student a picture of your work. It is your responsibility to help others in the class - however, you are under no obligation to carry anyone through the class. If you feel that some people are not doing their fair share of thinking and working, please come to see me. If you are caught cheating, you will be given a zero for the assignment. I may also contact the Dean of Student Service s office and give them your name. Learning and teaching take place best in an atmosphere of intellectual fair-minded openness. All members of the academic community are responsible for supporting freedom and openness through rigorous personal standards of honesty and fairness. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty undermine the very purpose of UTRGV and diminish the value of an education. Specific sanctions for academic dishonesty are outlined in the Vaquero Honor Code. Disability Statement: Students with special needs, and who receive accommodation services, as documented and dministered by the Disability Services office (University Center 108, , disabilityservices@utrgv.edu), must identify themselves at the beginning of the semester. Additional Tutoring: Math Lab II is located in room MAGC of the Math building. Tutoring hours are Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 7:00pm and Friday: 8:00 am - 1:30 pm. All undergraduate math courses are tutored by Math professors and Graduate Assistants (GTAs). The Learning Assistance Center (LAC) provides free tutoring and computer use. Details are available at s/lac_isa%20bldg% north2top.pdf Writing Center: You may use the Undergraduate Writing Center for your writing assignments including the inquiry write-ups. The Undergraduate Writing Center offers free, and expert help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Any undergraduate enrolled in a course at UT can visit the Center for assistance with any writing project. Writing Center consultants work with students from every department on campus, for both academic and non-academic writing. Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a successful writing project. Consultants help 12

13 students develop strategies to improve their writing. The assistance they provide is intended to foster independence. Each student determines how to use the consultant s advice. The consultants are trained to help you work on your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work. UTRGV Policy Statements The UTRGV disability accommodation, mandatory course evaluation statement and sexual harassment statement are required on all syllabi. Additional policy statements are optional, such as those covering attendance, academic integrity, and course drop policies. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a documented disability (physical, psychological, learning, or other disability which affects your academic performance) and would like to receive academic accommodations, please inform your instructor and contact Student Accessibility Services to schedule an appointment to initiate services. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with Student Accessibility Services before classes start. However, accommodations can be provided at any time. - Brownsville Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in Cortez Hall Room 129 and can be contacted by phone at (956) (Voice) or via at accessibility@utrgv.edu. - Edinburg Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in 108 University Center and can be contacted by phone at (956) (Voice), (956) (Fax), or via at accessibility@utrgv.edu. MANDATORY COURSE EVALUATION PERIOD: Students are required to complete an ONLINE evaluation of this course, accessed through your UTRGV account ( you will be contacted through with further instructions. Students who complete their evaluations will have priority access to their grades. Online evaluations will be available: Feb 15 Feb 21 for Module 1 courses Apr 12 Apr 18 for Module 2 courses Apr 12 May 3 for full spring semester courses ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and may be dropped from the course for excessive absences. UTRGV s attendance policy excuses students from attending class if they are participating in officially sponsored university activities, such as athletics; for observance of religious holy days; or for military service. Students should contact the instructor in advance of the excused absence and arrange to make up missed work or examinations. SCHOLASTIC INTEGRITY: As members of a community dedicated to Honesty, Integrity and Respect, students are reminded that those who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and expulsion from the University. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, plagiarism, and collusion; submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person; taking an examination for another person; any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student; or the attempt to commit such acts. Since scholastic dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic 13

14 dishonesty will be strictly enforced (Board of Regents Rules and Regulations and UTRGV Academic Integrity Guidelines). All scholastic dishonesty incidents will be reported to the Dean of Students. SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION, and VIOLENCE: In accordance with UT System regulations, your instructor is a responsible employee for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and so must report any instance, occurring during a student s time in college, of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, or sexual harassment about which she/he becomes aware during this course through writing, discussion, or personal disclosure. More information can be found at including confidential resources available on campus. The faculty and staff of UTRGV actively strive to provide a learning, working, and living environment that promotes personal integrity, civility, and mutual respect in an environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination. COURSE DROPS: According to UTRGV policy, students may drop any class without penalty earning a grade of DR until the official drop date. Following that date, students must be assigned a letter grade and can no longer drop the class. Students considering dropping the class should be aware of the 3-peat rule and the 6-drop rule so they can recognize how dropped classes may affect their academic success. The 6-drop rule refers to Texas law that dictates that undergraduate students may not drop more than six courses during their undergraduate career. Courses dropped at other Texas public higher education institutions will count toward the six-course drop limit. The 3-peat rule refers to additional fees charged to students who take the same class for the third time. ***Note: the contents of this syllabus are subject to change at the instructor s discretion. 14