Spring 95, Projects-Based Math 112:

End-of-course Comments



Personal Email sent to me

  • Oh, and Harel, I just wanted to say thanks for a great semester, and for caring about how we do in Calculus. Math may not be too much fun for me, but this class was definitely math at its best. [PS, personal email]

  • ps. Thanks for my most interesting year of math.
    [JW, personal email, end of S95 semester]

    Comments from (anonymous) End-of-semester Evaluation

    Harel Barzilai's section; similar comments in Lisa Orlandi's section

    It's a lot of fun, less stressful, more work and you get to meet people and enjoy (gasp!) calculus

    "I would definitely recommend it to [prospective 112 students]. I would describe it as Calculus with a twist! The projects really helped me learn because I was able to share my ideas with other students and receive help from them. It sounds strange but by working closely with other students and really getting to know them, it made the calculus more fun and motivated me to work!

    "The long group projects (Houdini, Tripples, Pi in The Sky) they allowed me to really use the material learned in class and learn new stuff as well. They too a long time and I complained about them while doing them, but they were a tremendous help to my calculus."

    [What changes do you think would improve the course in future semesters? Please explain:]

    "I really thought it was well run and well planned. I can't think of any suggestion besides eliminate the exams!"

    "It's a lot of work, but you learn the material in a fun and interesting way. It's a lot more personal, and there's not as much pressure to make or break your grade on the prelims."

    "It was educational and fun. I like it better than church. It was more work than regular 112 (I think) but better and I accidentally learned something"

    "Take [this version of 112] if you want something not-quite-as-boring as regular 112, aren't particularly cut-throat, and don't mind devoting a little extra time to learning the math better.

    "Course is what you put into it"

    "I thought this course was great. If all math courses were like this I would continue my math studies. I actually enjoyed the math -- it wasn't just meaningless memorization and a lot of useless information. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who had the slightest bit of creativity."

    [What changes do you think would improve the course in future semesters? Please explain:]

    "More courses like this"

    "I would recommend project-oriented calc. It differs because of the pace, the cooperation versus competition versus the mean in reg[ular] 112, more positive atmosphere. "The depth is great so you might learn something you can retain"

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