Information for first year mathematics students

2011 to 2012

This information is for guidance only and is not legally binding.
The official rules can be found in your student handbook.

First year director of studies

Dr Mark V Lawson
My office is in the Colin Maclaurin Building S21 (room 21 on the second floor)
My extension is 3210
My email address is markl[at]ma.hw.ac.uk

On this site, you will find information on

Week zero
During the semester
Exams

Student information is covered by the 1998 Data Protection Act
I will not disclose any information about you to third parties
I will only contact you via your Heriot-Watt email address

Week Zero

Please remember to check your HW emails on a daily basis for important information

Student induction on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th September

Programmes and courses

Timetables

Student Union

Enrolment information http://www.hw.ac.uk/new-students/uk.htm

Freshers' guide http://www.hw.ac.uk/registry/resources/freshersguide.pdf

Mathematics student handbook http://www.ma.hw.ac.uk/maths/courseinfo/guide.pdf

Important programme information http://www.ma.hw.ac.uk/maths/courseinfo/

Maps http://www.hw.ac.uk/documents/PDF/edinburgh-campus-map.pdf

Building names What's that building?

Tutorials Unless you are told by a lecturer differently, tutorials start in week 2.

Changing programmes/courses Changing programmes is difficult at this stage but ask me anyway. Changing courses is possible within the first week or so but then becomes very difficult. The message is: if you have any doubts talk to me now and don't leave it.

Emails Please ensure that your University email address works. All communications between the Department and you will only use this address. If you are still having problems, please contact IT support (below) or the helpdesk.

Aproved calculators for exams Calculators

Useful links

Interesting books

Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins, What is mathematics?, OUP, 1996.
Martin Gardner, Hexaflexagons, probability paradoxes, and the tower of Hanoi, CUP, 2008.
Timothy Gowers, Mathematics: a very short introduction, Oxford papersbacks, 2002.
Peter M Higgins, Mathematics for the curious, Oxford Paperbacks, 1998.
Marcus du Sautoy, The music of primes, Harper Perennial, 2004.
Ian Stewart, Taming the infinite, Quercus Publishing, 2009.

And other books by these authors.

If you have any questions or experience any difficulties during the first couple of weeks then don't hesitate to contact me

During the semester

Click here for up todate semester information

Dates	Activities
12th September to 2nd December	Semester 1Teaching

5th December to 16th December	Semester 1 Exams
19th December to 6th January	Christmas Holiday
9th January to 30th March	Semester 2 Teaching

2nd April to 19th April	Easter Holiday
23rd April to 18th May	Semester 2 Exams Progression Board 7th June
2nd August to 10th August	Resits for both semesters Progression Board 16th August

Maths Department website

This contains full information about your degree programme: click on teaching and then follow the links.

http://www.ma.hw.ac.uk/maths/maths.html

University vs. School

The are a number of differences between university and school. But the most important one is that you are expected, without being told, to do whatever work is necessary in your time to follow the courses you are taking. As a rule of thumb, for each hour spent in a lecture you can expect to do two hours of private study on average.

Progression into the second year

This is not automatic: if you do not meet the required minimum standards you will not be allowed to continue studying mathematics.

You can find the details in the links above but put simply you need a minimum of 6 grade D's and 2 grade E's and you need at least D's in any courses that are prerequisites for the second year. Grades E and F are fail grades: the only difference between them is that grade E carries credit whereas grade F doesn't. If you get any E's you might need resits whereas if you get any F's you will need resits.

All teaching support takes place in Semesters 1 and 2. Staff are not required to teach students over the summer in order to coach them on the resits. This means that if you miss tutorials and lectures in those semesters, then you have lost them for good.

Attendance

You are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials and to carry out any assignments: that's what you signed up for when you enrolled. Registers will be kept in all maths lectures and tutorials. If you are frequently absent, I shall want to know why. If your reasons are not satisfactory then you can be excluded from the exams.

Illness

Taking the odd day off due to illness is not a problem and you certainly don't need to inform me when you are away with the flu. But if an illness (or anything else) begins to get in the way of your studies then you do have to tell me about it. I will need written evidence from you if you wish to cite illness (or anything else) as a reason for poor performance in an exam or test. However, please note that this information is used to, for example, give you an extra chance at an exam; it is not used to enable you to progress without showing evidence that you can do the key courses.

Study skills

There is an Effective Learning Service in the University. Information about this can be found below

http://www.hw.ac.uk/library/effective-learning-service.html

In addition, there are a number of books that you might want to consult to improve your study skills. Mara, from the campus branch of Blackwells, has produced a book list. Most of the books on this list are about study skills, but the one by Jenny Olive is a book that contains all the maths you've forgotten from school; this would be a very useful reference for the first year. Don't forget to look out for cheap second-hand copies of books on the web (sorry, Blackwells).

VISION

This is a Virtual Learning Environment, where it is the environment which is virtual not the learning. You will have access to this via Desktop the University's computer system. Essentially, for each course you take all the information about that course will be found on a set of specially constructed pages that you can access both here and at home.

Careers

Graduate level jobs usually require at least an upper second class degree and in addition will require evidence of other skills. The Mathematics Department has close links with the Careers Service here at Heriot-Watt and even during your first year there are things you can be doing to enhance yourn CV. Developing these skills is part of the Problem-solving course in the second semester.

Class representatives

Two such representatives have volunteered and attend meetings of the staff/student committee.

MACS undergraduate common room

As a student in this School, you have free access to the so-called Learning Zone on the first floor of the building that joins on to Colin Maclaurin.
Some students think this is only for CS students --- it's not: it's for all MACS students. You can use this for relaxation, working alone, or working in groups. Don't forget that there are also quiet study areas in the Library.

Exams

Progression and resits

I hope all of you will have an enjoyable and successful first year, but it is important to remember that university is about academic achievement.
This means that in order to go into the second year you have to attain certain minimum standards, and that if you don't attain those standards you will not be allowed to continue studying maths.

There are rules that govern whether you can progress from the first year to the second year --- see the undergraduate guide to maths for details. But here are the highlights:

You will usually need a minimum of 6 D's and 2 E's, although some programmes require a minimum of 8 D's.
In mathematics grades are calculated as follows: grade A is 70% or more; grade B is between 60% and 69%; grade C is between 50% and 59%; grade D is between 40% and 49%; grade E is between 30% and 39%; and grade F is from 29% downwards. Grades E and F are fail grades. The difference between them is that E still carries credit whereas F does not.
If your lowest grade is a D you will not need resits.
If your lowest grade is an E you may need resits.
If your lowest grade is an F you will need resits.
To progress, you need the minimum number of credits, usually 120, and the right grades.
If you pass a course you cannot take a resit to improve your grade.
Resits take place in August. I will post additional information nearer the time.
Staff are not required to coach students for their resits. This is why it is essential that you take advantage of all the teaching support that we provide during Semesters 1 and 2. If you choose to miss tutorials, you are choosing to accept the consequences.
If you do not meet the minimum standards needed, you will not be allowed to continue with your chosen programme.
Resitting the year is not an option except in really exceptional cases.