3/13/2018 Syllabus | MathMod1x | edX

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Course Syllabus

Mathematical Modelling basics

Index

1. Introduction
  1.1. Learning objectives
  1.2. Course activities and resources
  1.3. What we expect from you
  1.4. What you can expect from us
2. Course structure, release dates & deadlines
3. Assessment
4. Resources & Tools
5. Certi cate

1. Introduction
How do populations grow? How do viruses spread? What is the trajectory of a
glider? Many real-life problems can be described and solved by mathematical
models.

In this course, you will form a team with another student and work in a project to
solve a real-life problem. You will learn to analyze your chosen problem, formulate
it as a mathematical model (containing ordinary di erential equations), solve the
equations in the model, and validate your results. You will learn how to implement
Euler’s method in a Python program. If needed, you can re ne or improve your
model, based on your rst results. Finally, you will learn how to report your ndings
in a scienti c way.

This course is mainly aimed at Bachelor students from Mathematics, Engineering

and Science disciplines. However it will suit anyone who would like to learn how
mathematical modeling can solve real-world problems.

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Prerequisites: Calculus (1st-order ordinary di erential equations); Experience with

programming.

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1.1. Learning objectives

In this course you'll learn how to follow the process of the mathematical modeling
cycle. By the end of this course you will be able to:

Formulate and specify a real-life problem

Construct appropriate ordinary di erential equations with relevant parameters

and conditions

Solve the ordinary di erential equations and implement Euler’s method in a

(Python) program

Validate the results of the calculation

Write a scienti c report in LaTeX about the mathematical model you construct

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1.2. Course activities and resources

This is a 9 week course with an estimated workload of 4 to 8 hours per week,
holding several learning activities and educational resources that guide you during
your study. The course is organized in a consistent way so you know what to expect
in each Module.

Each topic combines Videos and guided Exercises, following the mathematical

modelling cycle:

Problem - Mathematical model - Calculation - Validation

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A team ℗ Project will run in parallel, allowing you to discuss, apply the

mathematical modelling cycle and write a report with your teammate in order to
solve a real-life problem.

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1.3. What we expect from you

As an online student we expect you to be an active participant, contributing to a

positive atmosphere by questioning, sharing and helping out others. Regarding
deadlines, we recommend keeping on track in order to bene t from learning within
a community.

This course is meant to be a place where you learn with and from others. In this
sense, we'd like you to experience collaboration and peer-feedback, so please make
sure you keep up with the course pace in order to bene t from the overall learning
experience.

When communicating with your fellow learners and course team make sure
you take into account the Communication and Collaboration guidelines.

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1.4. What you can expect from us/the course team

The course team will release the Modules, send weekly announcements, monitor

and answer questions on a regular basis. We'll try to have a daily presence, but as
you might understand we cannot promise to quickly attend everyone, due to the
thousands of learners participating in this course. But we'll do our best ;-)

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2. Course structure, release dates & deadlines

The course consists of 5 Modules spread over 9 weeks. In the following
diagram you can see the length (in weeks) and main topics of each Module,
including the deadlines. The blue boxes represent the ℗ Project (teamwork), while
the orange boxes represent the Modelling theory (with exercises to practice).

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The course content will be released in 5 parts, each Module having its own release
date. A summary of each module is described below, including the release dates.

Module 1 (week 1) - Release date: May 16

℗ Project: Choose a problem and form a project team with another student.
Modelling theory: Introduction to the cycle of mathematical modeling. We will
start describing a population of sh by a di erential equation.

Module 2 (weeks 2 and 3) - Release date: May 23

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℗ Project: You will collect information and specify your real-life problem.

Modelling theory: Complete more modeling cycles by improving the model and
evaluating the consequences. Euler's method is introduced for solving ordinary
di erential equations. You will start simulating solutions in Python.

Module 3 (week 4) - Release date: June 06

℗ Project: You will choose values and implement Euler's method for your
problem. 
Modelling theory: Predator sh are added to the model. How do the
populations interact?

Module 4 (weeks 5 and 6) - Release date: June 13

℗ Project: You write a short report on the rst model. You explore how you can
extend your model.
Modelling theory: You learn how to write about your project in a scienti c
report. You will be introduced to scienti c and mathematical writing. You will
learn how to write about mathematical modelling in LaTeX.

Deadline 1:  Submit report 1 before June 27

Module 5 (weeks 7, 8 and 9) - Release date: June 27

℗ Project: You review the preliminary reports of your peers. Helped by the
feedback of your peers, you complete the modeling cycle several times. You
specify your problem further, improve and extend your mathematical model,
re ne the calculations, and validate the results until your problem is solved.
You write a nal report on your model, implementing the feedback of your
peers. After submitting your nal report, you'll review nal reports of your
peers.

Deadline 2: Finish peer-review 1 before July 4

Deadline 3: Submit report 2 before July 11

Deadline 4: Finish peer-review 2 before July 18

Deadline 5: Finish all exercises before July 18

Course end date: July 18

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3. Assessment
To complete this course you have to score at least 60% of the total mark of 100%. In
the table below you see how many percent of the total score you can earn each
module with the exercises and the reports.

Module Module Module Module Module

Total
1 2 3 4 5

Exercises 10% 15% 10% 5% 40%

Short report (peer 20% 20%

reviewed)

Final report (peer 40% 40%

reviewed)

Total 100%

The exercises are given after videos to practice immediately with the content. Both
the short report and the nal report are peer-reviewed. Only after reviewing the
work of your peers you will receive your grade for your submission and the
feedback of your peers.

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4. Resources & Tools

All educational resources will be available in the course. They consist of short
videos and lecture notes with additional details and examples to support you in the
completion of the weekly exercises and your team project. You'll also nd a
Glossary with the most important concepts in the top menu.

LaTeX

To write the report, we recommend using LaTeX. This document preparation

system is widely used for scienti c documents in many elds,
including mathematics and physics, as it is really good for formatting more complex
mathematical formulas. You can download LaTeX for free. Download and
installation instructions are given in the Getting Started page. In the course you can
download a LaTeX template for your report on the project.

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Python

To simulate the results with a computer program, we recommend using Python.

Python is a widely used high-level general programming language.  You can
download Python for free. Download and installation instructions are given in
the Getting Started page. In the course you can download the necessary Python
programs that are used for the simulations. 

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5. Certi cate
If you're interested in a certi cate you can Upgrade to Veri ed Certi cate. These
certi cates will indicate you have successfully completed the course, but will not
include a speci c grade. Certi cates will be issued by edX under the name DelftX,
designating the institution from which the course originated. Please note that this
course doesn't lead to any type of formal credit at TU Delft.

Generating an ID veri ed certi cate

Veri ed certi cates will be issued a few days after the end of the course, to all
participants who achieved at least 60% of the total grade. Certi cates can be
downloaded from your Student Dashboard (look for the Download button next to
the name of our course).

Remember that in order to qualify for a certi cate, you must achieve a total grade
of 60% or higher. You can check your grade at any time under the course’s
Progress page. An ID veri ed Certi cate of Achievement is available for $49. You
can Upgrade on your edX Dashboard to Veri ed during the course.

Once produced, a certi cate cannot be reissued, hence it is very important that you
verify the way in which your name appears. Check that, in your edx.org account,
your name is correctly spelled, since it will appear on the nal certi cate. Please
note that no Honor Code certi cates will be given out by edX for this course.

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Unless otherwise speci ed the Course Materials of this course are Copyright
of Delft University of Technology and are licensed under a Creative Commons
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