Hi class,
This is an urgent messeage to everyone currently taking Math 2720 with Raphael Clouatre.
A few of us students believe that the midterms that we have been tested on have not been a fair representation of what we have been taught and the practice questions that he has been assigning.
I know for me specifically, and I am sure many others, this class is a prerequisite for other classes. Since this there is no offering of math 2720 in the winter term, not achieving a satisfactory grade has a massive impact. In addition to a VW or unfair grade on our transcripts, lost time and money spent, we also have to work with the fact that we may need to wait a whole year to retake the course - and in turn delaying when we can take higher level courses.
With the VW date coming up soon, we are asking for a timely response to see if there are more students that feel the same. And putting a petition together with lots of signatures that hold some weight when we try to escalate this issue. We would like this to happen before the VW date so students can fairly assess their situation when deciding to drop or not.
We plan on speaking with the head of the department of mathematics to see if any action can be taken. Some points we want to make is raising the curve to boost marks, or potentially having optional assignments that can raise marks and reduce the weight of the final.
So if you agree with the nonsense midterms, unfair testing methods, and the fact that so many topics have been left out of testing. Please respond to let us know that you agree that the mark you have does not represent how much you know about multivariable calculus.
We look forward to hearing back from you with your ideas and support.
Updates
November 9, 2017
The momentum is incredible. This shows the department exactly how many of us are struggling.
24 Comments
Like the previous comments, I have spent more than 30 hours studying for both midterms. I did all the practice questions he assigned us from the textbook and still got a really low mark like the rest of us. Now I am stuck with having to make a decision between dropping the course and not being to take other courses since this is either a prerequisite or corequisite. Additionally, I risk losing the scholarships I have earned.
I received A+ in MATH 1700 (And MATH 1500 as well). I've had to completely supplement the instructor's teachings with outside resources. The classes consist entirely of formal (and unfamiliar) notation that do not facilitate learning whatsoever. I've been able to do all of the recommended exercises (and more) thanks to the textbook and outside resources and feel that I have a very good grasp of the subject matter. I have been able to find multiple past midterms and completed them without difficulty. The first midterm in this class was unexpected and was marked archaically (negative marking). The second midterm was just completely outrageous and inconsistent with the course. Students with As and A+s coming into this course are worried they're going to fail, doesn't that seem odd?
I agree. The exam was not at all representative of the recommended questions or old exams from this course taught in the past. I did very well in Calculus I and 2, and I know that I have a good understanding of multivariable calculus, but the midterm was very unfair and did not let me show my knowledge of the subject
Honestly I did very well on the first midterm which I felt accurately tested us on that course material, however I only did so well because I was hounding the prof outside of class to answer my questions, and he was very rude about it. This time around I was discouraged from his attitude before the first midterm and the archived exams were removed from the math website and so I did 20% worse on this exam. This exam, while reflecting theories we saw in class, was extremely poorly written and vague. Were he to have just given straight up questions akin to those on previous midterms and from the textbook that could just as easily have tested the same material in a way we are familiar with I feel everyone could have done better. This class is in serious need of a lab section.
I had gone over ever practice problem at least three times and the practice midterm given at the study session multiple times and this midterm was nothing like any of the questions. This was the first time in my university career that I had sat down in an exam where I thought to myself “I don’t know how to answer these questions”.
Okay.. just really frustrated that review session and sample question and homework are useless...
I don't think I prof knows what it's like to tell your Asian parents you barely passed a math exam
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Hi class,
This is an urgent messeage to everyone currently taking Math 2720 with Raphael Clouatre.
A few of us students believe that the midterms that we have been tested on have not been a fair representation of what we have been taught and the practice questions that he has been assigning.
I know for me specifically, and I am sure many others, this class is a prerequisite for other classes. Since this there is no offering of math 2720 in the winter term, not achieving a satisfactory grade has a massive impact. In addition to a VW or unfair grade on our transcripts, lost time and money spent, we also have to work with the fact that we may need to wait a whole year to retake the course - and in turn delaying when we can take higher level courses.
With the VW date coming up soon, we are asking for a timely response to see if there are more students that feel the same. And putting a petition together with lots of signatures that hold some weight when we try to escalate this issue. We would like this to happen before the VW date so students can fairly assess their situation when deciding to drop or not.
We plan on speaking with the head of the department of mathematics to see if any action can be taken. Some points we want to make is raising the curve to boost marks, or potentially having optional assignments that can raise marks and reduce the weight of the final.
So if you agree with the nonsense midterms, unfair testing methods, and the fact that so many topics have been left out of testing. Please respond to let us know that you agree that the mark you have does not represent how much you know about multivariable calculus.
We look forward to hearing back from you with your ideas and support.
Updates
November 9, 2017
The momentum is incredible. This shows the department exactly how many of us are struggling.
24 Comments
I have never experienced much anxiety before this... It's Thursday night I can't sleep and I've been having panic attacks all day thinking about this course, my transcript, what my parents are gonna think and how my scholarships will be affects. The feeling of being powerless after putting so much effort is absolutely destroying my mental health. Why do I have to put up with this...
Like the previous comments, I have spent more than 30 hours studying for both midterms. I did all the practice questions he assigned us from the textbook and still got a really low mark like the rest of us. Now I am stuck with having to make a decision between dropping the course and not being to take other courses since this is either a prerequisite or corequisite. Additionally, I risk losing the scholarships I have earned.
I received A+ in MATH 1700 (And MATH 1500 as well). I've had to completely supplement the instructor's teachings with outside resources. The classes consist entirely of formal (and unfamiliar) notation that do not facilitate learning whatsoever. I've been able to do all of the recommended exercises (and more) thanks to the textbook and outside resources and feel that I have a very good grasp of the subject matter. I have been able to find multiple past midterms and completed them without difficulty. The first midterm in this class was unexpected and was marked archaically (negative marking). The second midterm was just completely outrageous and inconsistent with the course. Students with As and A+s coming into this course are worried they're going to fail, doesn't that seem odd?
I agree. The exam was not at all representative of the recommended questions or old exams from this course taught in the past. I did very well in Calculus I and 2, and I know that I have a good understanding of multivariable calculus, but the midterm was very unfair and did not let me show my knowledge of the subject
Honestly I did very well on the first midterm which I felt accurately tested us on that course material, however I only did so well because I was hounding the prof outside of class to answer my questions, and he was very rude about it. This time around I was discouraged from his attitude before the first midterm and the archived exams were removed from the math website and so I did 20% worse on this exam. This exam, while reflecting theories we saw in class, was extremely poorly written and vague. Were he to have just given straight up questions akin to those on previous midterms and from the textbook that could just as easily have tested the same material in a way we are familiar with I feel everyone could have done better. This class is in serious need of a lab section.
I had gone over ever practice problem at least three times and the practice midterm given at the study session multiple times and this midterm was nothing like any of the questions. This was the first time in my university career that I had sat down in an exam where I thought to myself “I don’t know how to answer these questions”.
Okay.. just really frustrated that review session and sample question and homework are useless...
I don't think I prof knows what it's like to tell your Asian parents you barely passed a math exam
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I have never experienced much anxiety before this... It's Thursday night I can't sleep and I've been having panic attacks all day thinking about this course, my transcript, what my parents are gonna think and how my scholarships will be affects. The feeling of being powerless after putting so much effort is absolutely destroying my mental health. Why do I have to put up with this...