<p>I had my calc 3 midterm this week and I'm thinking it was completely unfair and wondering if there is anything I can do about it. I have a lot to say so let me just jump to get.</p>
<p>OK so the first test I did really well, got an almost perfect score. So I also studied really hard and did ALL the homework, went to class and thought I was prepared for this midterm. THen I go to take this midterm and half of the questions I didn't know how to do. They were all proofs and he never taught us these proofs and THEY ARE NOT IN THE TEXTBOOK. HOW WE WERE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HOW TO DO THEM??????</p>
<p>So, there are only like 10 people left in the class since half of the class already dropped before this midterm....everyone I talked to said the same thing I did - how we were supposed to know how to do that? </p>
<p>It's irritating because I spent all day studying for this test and knew the material really well and then he gives us a test that is not what we learned how to do! How is that fair? No matter how much we studied, we wouldn't have been able to do well on it! </p>
<p>Also, the other two calc III classes at my school do not require the students to write proofs. It's not part of the curriculum. I don't really have a problem with him putting proofs on the test IF HE TEACHES US HOW TO DO IT!!!! It's utterly UNFAIR.</p>
<p>Is he allowed to fail everyone? Should I talk to the department head? Do I have a legitimate complaint?</p>
<p>I’d definitely talk to the department head. If the department head can’t help or takes side with the professor, your chances as an individual (i.e., complaining alone, not with classmates) are very slim. However, if you or all of you consulted the department head and nothing was done, I’d say that students dropping the course has the following effects:</p>
<p>[list=a]
[<em>]The department gets a bad reputation.
[</em>]Calculus III gets a bad reputation.
[<em>]The professor gets a bad reputation.
[</em>]The department head gets a bad reputation.
[<em>]The institution will lose money.
[</em>]The professor will lose money.
[li]The students will lose money.[/li][/list]</p>
<p>Just to name a few. I do believe that this is a legitimate complaint, and there is not more to say, assuming that all of this is true.</p>
<p>The proofs may not be in the textbook but if the theorems (that you would use to defend the proofs) are there, then you will not have a good argument to the department head. On top of that, unless the course is called “Applied Multivariable Calculus”, then proofs will be part of the Calculus III/Multivariable Calculus course.</p>
<p>I will admit, it IS pretty dirty and low-down to not go over at least a couple of proofs during lectures…especially if you plan to put them on exams, but any math course that does not say “Applied” is a given to have proofs.</p>