MATH 271 (Linear Algebra II)

Midterm Evaluation Instructions (MATH 271)

Brief Description of the Midterm Evaluation:

The Midterm evaluation will consist of two parts: a written report, where the student will answer assigned Linear Algebra questions (covering the first two units of the Study Guide), and a video report, in which the student will record a video of herself/himself presenting the answer of one of the assigned questions submitted in the report (the question will be chosen by the tutor). The student will have three calendar days to submit these reports.

The Midterm evaluation is worth 35% of your final mark as stated in the MATH 271 syllabus. More details of the evaluation are given below. Midterm Evaluation Procedure:

I.  Preliminary steps

1) Each student must submit the first two assignments before requesting the Midterm evaluation.

2) Each student must know how to make a video of herself/himself and save it as an mp4 file before requesting the Midterm evaluation. The student can use any software to do this. Below there are a couple of links of how to record a video of oneself to give a presentation using PowerPoint and Zoom, respectively:

How to record yourself and a presentation with PowerPoint

How to record yourself and a presentation with Zoom

Note: To use Zoom, you will need to download the free application Zoom. It is recommended to download the ‘Zoom Client for Meetings’ at:

https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting

II. Setting up the Midterm space in Microsoft Teams

Once you have covered the previous preliminary steps, follow the next steps in order to set up the space in Microsoft Teams where you will be able to download the Midterm examination and upload your answers/reports:

3) Contact your MATH 271 tutor via e-mail and let her/him know that (i) you submitted your first two assignments, (ii) you know how to make a video of yourself, and (iii) you would like to set up your Midterm space in Microsoft Teams.

4) As a response to your e-mail, you will receive (within two business days) two messages:

(i) A message from Microsoft Teams letting you know that you have been added  by your tutor to a team labeled “MATH 271 Midterm student name” . If you don’t have a Microsoft Teams account registered with your email address, please DO NOT open the link within the message about opening Microsoft Teams yet. You first need to read the next message carefully.

(ii) A message from the tutor with detailed instructions of how to access the Team “MATH 271 Midterm student name” received in the previous message from Microsoft Teams. If you already have a Microsoft Teams account registered with your email address and are familiar with it, then you may want to skip these instructions; otherwise, please follow the instructions.

5) Following the instructions received by the tutor, open the Team “MATH 271 Midterm student name”. Note that you have a file folder. If you click on “file” , you will notice that it is empty as neither the tutor nor you have uploaded files there.

This is precisely where the tutor will upload your Midterm questions upon request and where you will then upload your written and video reports.

III. Requesting and taking your Midterm evaluation

Now that the Microsoft Teams space is set up on your end, you are ready to request and take your Midterm evaluation, following these steps:

6) Decide which date you would like to receive your Midterm evaluation considering that the date you choose to receive it must be at least two business days apart from the date you request it. For example, if you decide to receive your Midterm evaluation on Monday Jan. 24, you need to request it no later than Thursday Jan. 20.

7) Send an e-mail message to your tutor requesting your Midterm evaluation. In this message you must let your tutor know the date you want your Midterm evaluation to be uploaded in the file folder of the Microsoft Team “MATH 271 Midterm student name” . Remember, as the previous step stated, that the date you choose to receive your evaluation needs to be at least two business days apart from the date you request it.

8) You will receive a message from your tutor on the date your evaluation is uploaded to let you know that your Midterm evaluation has been, indeed, uploaded in the Microsoft Team “MATH 271 Midterm student name” . You now should have access to your evaluation in Microsoft Teams. From the moment you evaluation is  uploaded you will have a maximum of three calendar days to submit your written and video reports with the answers to the questions given in your Midterm evaluation.

9) For this submission, you must follow the detailed structure for the reports described below and then upload the reports in the document file folder of the  Microsoft Team “MATH 271 Midterm student name” in the following format:

(i) The written report with the answers as a pdf file, and

(ii) The video report going through the answer to the question chosen by the tutor as an mp4 file.

The reports must be submitted within three calendar days after the Midterm evaluation has been uploaded by the tutor in Microsoft Teams. For example, if the  Midterm evaluation was uploaded by the tutor on a Friday, the student must upload the written report with the answers no later than the following Monday at midnight. Late reports will either be deducted a significant amount of marks or not be accepted.

10) After you have submitted/uploaded both the written and video reports in the document file folder of the Microsoft Team, please e-mail your tutor letting her/him know that you have submitted your evaluation reports.

Midterm Components Structure and Assessment Guidelines:

The Midterm evaluation covers the first two units of the Study Guide. It will be marked out of 100 marks and will have the following two components:

I. Written report (50 marks):

(i) The written report must have the answers to the three (3) assigned questions in the Midterm evaluation. Each question may vary in value and be composed of different parts. The total value of the written report is 50 marks.

(ii) The written report must be uploaded in the file document folder of the Microsoft Team “MATH 271 Midterm student name” as a pdf file.

(iii) The report must follow this structure:

a) Student’s name and AU (Athabasca University) ID#.

b) Title: “MATH 271 Midterm Report” .

c) Questions: The student must write down each of the assigned Linear Algebra questions before its answer.

d) Answers: The student must answer each of the assigned questions clearly, using proper mathematical terminology and notation, and explaining and justifying in full detail all the steps leading to the final answer with words (not only with equations).

II. Video report (50 marks):

(i) This part of the Midterm evaluation is composed of a recorded video of yourself explaining and presenting in full detail the answer of one of the three questions of the written component. The question will be chosen by the tutor. The total value of  the video report is 50 marks.

(ii) The video of the report has to be made by the student and should not be longer than 10 minutes.

(iii) The video must be saved as an mp4 file. The student can use any software to create the video (you can find a couple of software options of how to record a video in the second step of the Midterm evaluation procedure above).

(iv) The video report must follow this structure:

a) The student must introduce themselves by saying their full name and AU (Athabasca University) ID#, and showing a photo ID (identification) very clearly in front of the camera for identity verification.

b) Question: The student must state the assigned question.

c) Answer: The student should be able present a correct, clear and complete answer to the assigned question, following very closely the procedure and information of the answer in the written report.  During the presentation, the student must use the correct mathematical terminology, explain and justify in full detail all the necessary mathematical steps leading to the final answer, and demonstrate knowledge of the Linear Algebra concepts of the question and its answer. Presenting the answer to the assigned question in a video format is an opportunity for the student to show the examiner their understanding of the Linear Algebra material covered up to the Midterm evaluation.

(v) The awarding of marks of the video report will be based on the following grading scale:

For an excellent score the student must present a correct, clear and complete answer of the assigned question, using the correct mathematical terminology, explaining and justifying in full detail all the mathematical steps needed to obtain the final answer, and demonstrating knowledge of the Linear Algebra concepts involved.