|
|
Course objectives: To define the meaning of `modelling'; to learn the basic tools of modelling; to develop interdisciplinary communication skills.
Course Format: Two hours of lecture per week.
| Week | Topic | Assignment |
| 1 | Modelling change using difference equations (Textbook sections 1.1-1.3) |
Exercises |
| 2 | Probabilistic models (6.1-6.3; 3.3) | Exercises |
| 3 | Dimensional analysis (9.1,9.2); Graphs as models (10.1,10.3) |
Exercises |
| 4 | Guest Lecture: Julian Aherne (Environmental Science) |
Project Proposal |
| 5 | Guest Lecture: James Parker (Psychology) | |
| 6 | Student's Midterm Presentations | Peer Review |
| 7 | Guest Lecture: Raul Ponce-Hernandez (Environmental Science/Geography) |
Reports on
guest lectures |
| 8 | Guest Lecture: Don Mackay (Environmental Science/Chemistry) |
|
| 9 | Guest Lecture: Al Slavin (Physics) | |
| 10 | Guest Lecture: Rachel Wortis (Physics) | |
| 11 | Student's Final Presentations | Peer review |
| 12 | Student Final Presentations | Peer review. Final Paper |
| Exercises | 5% | |
| Midterm presentation | 10% | |
| Reports on guest lectures (3 x 10%)= | 30% | |
| Term project | Proposal | 5% |
| Presentation | 20% | |
| Written Paper | 25% | |
| Peer review (of presentations) | 5% | |
Reports on guest lectures: The purpose of this assignment is to help you to focus on the guest lectures and to practice articulating your understanding. Choose three guest lectures, and for each one, write a summary report describing what the speaker presented (2-3 pages).
Midterm presentation: The purpose of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to learn about a topic in your discipline and to practice communicating about that topic to others. Possibly with the advice of your supervisor, choose a journal article in your discipline. Study the article and develop a 10 minute presentation on some aspect of the paper. The presentation need not attempt to explain the whole paper but instead should focus on explaining one of the questions which the paper is addressing and what approach the authors take.
You will be evaluated by your instructor and by your peers using the following criteria:
Peer review of presentations: Students will be asked to thoughtfully evaluate their fellow students' midterm presentations and final presentations. See peer review form below.
Term project. The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn in depth about a particular modeling technique and for you to practice communicating both orally and in writing. This project can take a wide range of forms. You may choose topics closely related to your research discipline, or outside it. You may develop models of your own, or learn about an existing model. The focus may be on the model itself, or on methods for its solution. The term project will have three components: an initial Proposal, a classroom Presentation, and a final Paper.
General guidelines for project: Focus on modeling: Focus on issues related to modeling rather than discipline-specific issues.
Describe your model: Precisely what information is important will depend on the type of project you have chosen. However, you should take care to place your work in the broader context of modeling which is explored in this course. For example: Is your model statistical or deterministic? Will equations be solved analytically or numerically? How big will your statistical sample be, and why? Do you have a control group? What are the major approximations in your model? When and why are they valid?
Technical language: Only use what is necessary, and define each term before it is used.
Guidelines for Presentation: The presentation should contain the following elements:
Important: Practice your talk in advance. Recite the entire talk, verbatim, at least once, to check timing, quality of slides, etc. . You might want to recite the talk in front of someone else and get their feedback on the clarity of your presentation, legibility of slides, etc.
Format: Any visual format is acceptable (e.g. blackboard,
overhead projector, data projector, etc.). However, due to time constraints,
I strongly suggest you use a data projector (`beamer'), and prepare
your slides using `Powerpoint' or some similar package. If your
talk involves a lot of mathematical equations, then I strongly recommend
using the `Beamer' package for LaTeX.
Guidelines for Written reports: A written report should contain the following elements:
Important: Have someone proof-read your report before submission.
Format: Any standard document format is acceptable
(e.g. Word file, PDF, HTML). However,
if you plan to include a lot of mathematical equations in your paper, then I
strongly suggest you use TeX, LaTeX, or
some variant, because it is superior to all the alternatives, and is the
standard format used to publish academic literature in mathematical
sciences.
If you don't know how to use LaTeX, now is a good time to
learn it.
Plagiarism and Special Needs: By order of the Senate, the following notices appears on this outline:
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic offense and carries penalties varying from failure in an assignment to suspension from the University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in Trent University's Academic Dishonesty Policy which is printed in the University Calendar.Access to Instruction
It is Trent University's intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in this course, the student should contact the Disability Services Office (BL Suite 109, 748-1281,disabilityservices@trentu.ca) as soon as possible. Complete text can be found under Access to Instruction in the Academic Calendar.