COMS10014

Mathematics A

Schedule

The timetable sessions for this unit are arranged into 2 x 1 hour lectures and 2 x 2 hour problem classes a week at the following times/locations:

Lecture and Notes

Typically, each lecture will introduce a new topic for which there are accompanying notes to read in your own time (see materials). It is your own choice if you read the notes before or after the lecture, but you are expected to both attend the lecture and read the notes for each session Sometimes, the notes will elaborate on something we do not mention in the lecture.

Lectures will typically be delivered on boards, writing with pen or chalk depending on the room set-up. Our lecture recording systems are not set up to record this kind of lecture properly - the cameras in some rooms do not have the correct resolution to capture all boards, for example - so you should assume that for practical purposes, there are no usable lecture recordings. This is allowed in our university, and on this unit, you will have lecture notes available too. But, you should take your own notes in the lectures where possible, and of course catch up in your own time on any lectures you missed for a good reason.

Problem Classes

For each lecture there is an associated problem class giving you the opportunity to put what you have learnt into practice. During these two hour workshops, you will work in independently or in groups to solve the worksheet associated with the preceding lecture.

We do not require you to submit your solutions to the problem classes; however, solutions will be made available a few days after the workshop for you to look at in your own time.

There is an attendance hurdle associated with these workshops, see attendance for details.

Individual Study

Outside the contact hours, you are expected to study and revise in your own time. On average, you should reckon with 4 hours of individual study time per session. This includes reading the lecture notes, going over your own notes from the lecture, finishing any questions on the worksheets that you did not get through in the workshop, checking your solutions against the sample solutions when they come out, looking up anything you do not understand yet in textbooks or online, and revising material with your favourite system, for upcoming class tests and the exam.

Studying at university may be drastically different from what you are used to. We expect a certain degree of independent learning. The task is no longer to memorise the solution for exam questions - instead you must integrate your knowledge and skill through practice. This means you may well be challenged to apply ideas in contexts that are unfamiliar, where not all the information is given to you. We encourage you to post questions you have on the unit teams; however, you should try to exhaust your own capacity to solve it first.