General Information

[Students with disabilities who are taking this ICB and who need disability-related accommodations are encouraged to speak with the instructors about their needs. Rod Crafts, Dean of Student Life, Ellen Cooney and Zach First, Assistant Deans for Student Life, are available to assist students in arranging these accommodations.]

Cohort Environment

Garbage in, Garbage out: Your input into the classes atmosphere IS the ICB atmosphere. To keep the pace and level of the courses at an adequate yet challenging level, we will ask you to fill out anonymous ICB reviews every week. These reviews will allow you to take an active role in your education. You will be able not only to discuss positive and negative attributes of the ICB and its component courses, but also to suggest additional material, exercises, emphasis, demonstrations, or guest speakers. Communication will be an integral part of your learning: unless you communicate with your instructors, we will not be able to provide you with the best experience that you might otherwise have.

How to do well this semester:

1. Attend classes. It is imperative that you attend ALL classes: course lectures and project classes. Not only will this help you keep on track with the material and skills, but it will also help you learn.
2. Start your reading and assignments early. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of having enough time to think about the assigned exercise and "digest" the information necessary to solve the problem(s). Starting early will also give you enough time to get help if you encounter difficulties.
3. Avoid memorization without understanding. As a team, we will be seeking a deep understanding of the material. Memorization of formulae will help you only when you do easy practice problems. The homework problems will challenge you to think, applying your knowledge from various topics. Project assignments will help you develop skills that you will find useful in later projects and courses.
4. Come to Office Hours. Don't be shy! We're here to help you and in most cases nothing beats a face-to-face conversation in helping to clarify difficult issues.
5. Read the textbook AND class notes. Also, don't be afraid to look at other sources of information (i.e. a quick web search.) To grasp the concepts, you are encouraged to read the materials several times and study the examples presented in the class.
6. Don't work alone. This is the greatest mistake. People think in different ways: what might be unclear in the classroom can become very easy after your friend explains it to you. Working on assignments together will also help you see how different people approach their tasks differently. You will learn better and faster if you learn in a team-like environment. Remember that you don't know the material until you are able to explain it to your friends.
7. Strap your seat belts and have fun!!!

Grading Policies for Math and Physics

There will be four areas of assessment: Homework, Quizzes/Exams, one Self-Taught Assignment, and the Final Exam. Each of these four areas will be assessed individually by first evaluating each assignment and giving it a letter-grade equivalent, and then averaging these letter-grade equivalents to determine the grade in each particular area. In calculation of your final grade, the lowest scored area will be dropped; the other three areas will be worth 1/3 of your total final grade. Please note that all of your work is subject to the Olin College Honor Code and any violation of this code could result in disciplinary measures from the College. Also, please note that you will need to take TWO Diagnostic Tests in the Physics portion of your ICB. Failure to hand in either one of these tests in a timely manner will result in an incomplete grade. However, your grade on these Diagnostic Tests will not affect your class grade.

Homework (frequency depends on class):	33.3%
To be handed in promptly at the beginning of the class (usually, each class for your Math and Physics WebAssign homework and on Fridays for your writtne Physics assignments) on the due date. Less homework will be assigned during weeks of exams and ICB assignments. We expect and encourage you to work together on solving the homework problems -- there is no penalty for getting help on homework problems. However, the solutions that you hand in must be your own work, not a joint effort or a copy of another student's work. If you did not do a problem entirely on your own, you should include a phrase such as: "helped by Frodo and Sam" to indicate that you properly acknowledged help, or "done with Elven Princess Arwen, Legolas, and Elrond" if you solved it collectively in a study group. Absolutely NO late homework will be accepted. Please, plan your schedule effectively to avoid "all-nighters"! We suggest that you keep the description of the problem sets, graded problems and the instructors' solutions in a loose-leaf notebook. We may ask you to show us your loose-leaf notebook (with at least 24-hour notice) from time to time. Please, note that WebAssign problems in Physics will be included as part of your Homework grade accounting for 25%. Class participation is included as part of the homework grade.
One Self-Taught Assignment	33.3%
You will have an opportunity to do your own research through the Self-Taught Assignment. The material necessary to complete this assignment will not covered in either Math or Physics classes. Your Self-Taught Assignment Report, formatted in LaTeX, is due on April 9, 2004. You will work in teams to collect data and solve the mathematical aspects of the assignment, but you are responsible to write the report independently. Periodic written reports in Math will be incorporated in this grade.
Quizzes/Exams:	33.3%
There will be the equivalent of three 90-minute closed book exams that will be given this semster in each Math and Physics (SIX 45-minute quizzes in Math and THREE 90-minute exams in Physics). You will be given a span of 4-5 days to complete each quiz/exam. Poor performance on an exam will require remediation: regularly scheduled meetings with the instructor until the instructor is satisfied that the student has learned the material at a passing level. It is your responsibility to schedule these meetings.
Final Exam (1):	33.3%
The final exam will be comprehensive, covering the material presented during the entire semester. As the Quizzes/Exams, we may choose to have the Final Exam be self-scheduled, i.e. taken during the Final Exam Period, and closed book. However, we reserve the right to change the Final Exam to be scheduled and taken during a specified time and in a specified place. There will be NO remediation for the Final Examination.