If you have any questions during class, ask them right away. That question may be on the quiz. Quizzes will consist of two problems, one of which must be done by hand and one of which must be done by Maple. Exam problems correctly worked by hand, by Maple, or a mixture of the two will receive full credit. Partial credit in each of these categories will also be awarded, based on work completed.
Differential equations is the capstone of a four semester sequence of courses.
To do well in it, the student must understand the theoretical underpinnings of the subject, be able to apply this knowledge to analyze application problems, and compute both symbolic and numerical solutions. Learning the principles and recognizing when certain techniques must be used is essential to gaining mastery. This analysis cannot be done by machine. However, since calculations for all but the most trivial examples become very involved and often require numerical approximation and graphical analysis techniques rather than hand computations, a computer algebra system such as Maple is not only useful but often essential. The standard assumption is that no student comes into the course with a useful knowledge of Maple, and we procede from this hypothesis.