Here’s a radical experiment: a blog for Math 300 Section 2, Fall 2010, at UMass Amherst, taught by Farshid Hajir. This space will be mostly for the students to converse with each other about material related to the class, but I might post things here occasionally. It’s open to the entire public, not just our class, so the whole world can benefit from the fabulous discussions that may take place here. I’m sure that all users of this blog will follow rules of polite behavior and common courtesy. Please keep in mind that the official website for the course is http://www.math.umass.edu/~hajir/m300 — this blog is simply a supplemental place where students can post things they might think other students would find interesting/useful.
One motivation for creating this blog is to have a place where I can put Fun Problems with which to challenge you, the students… the idea is that by collaborating on the problems, more students will in fact be involved in these hopefully enriching experiences. In the past, I have used the name “Extra Credit Problems,” a traditional and handy phrase. Candor and honesty being virtues, however, I am moved to call them by a more accurate name “No Credit Whatsoever Problems.” That’s because working on or even solving these problems will in no way have a direct effect your grade for course. These are just problems you may want to think about, if you are so inclined. So why put them on a blog? Because unlike homework problems, which you really should do on your own to develop your skills, and therefore should not discuss on this blog until after the due date (See the Policy on Collaborating on HW), you are completely free, indeed encouraged, to discuss the NCWPs here to your heart’s content whenever you want. It may be that there are some hard problems that you can’t solve on your own but by putting your ideas here, other students can complete your thought. Collaborative Problem Solving, let’s call it.
So I hope you have fun exploring here. Give me your suggestions for stuff you would like to see here.
Farshid
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