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This is a request for intellectual support.
Though contributions will be acknowledged in name, I am not looking for
names/endorsements to increase credibility. I am looking for help to improve the
product.
The
Modular Mathematics Materials project has the potential to be a lot bigger than
I anticipated. There is growing concern about the price of textbooks. While I
will never claim to have all the answers, a project such as this one would be a
start to do something about it. Since the project operates without overhead, I could
use volunteer help such as:
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Reporting of typos etc.: Even if it's just one typo
or an awkward formulation, it
will be one less in the next printing. Usually I can fix the source code on
the spot. |
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Suggestions for more exercises: Exercises may well be
the most important part of a text and if you have them and are willing to
share, I can put them in. |
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Further proofreading: It's always good if another set
of eyes checks out your work. |
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Further classroom feedback: Please contact
Fountainhead if you are interested in adopting the text. |
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Full development of an instructor's manual: My own
instructor's manual is to the point where it works fine for me. It could stand
a good bit of polishing and another viewpoint to balance mine. |
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Development of a complete solutions manual: That is a
job for someone else, because it would also detect exercises in which I read
something between the lines that actually is not there. |
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Development of further useful supplements, such as a
student manual: The idea is not to create all the kitchen sinks that are
thrown at faculty when companies fight for an adoption. However, there is
considerable expertise "out there" that can be used to develop useful
materials to support instruction. |
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Electronic supplements are worth mentioning
separately: Animations, tutorials, etc. that do something that cannot be
achieved with a text can be valuable resources. Many people have developed
individual applets for specific purposes. Unrelated to the Modular Mathematics
Materials project, check out MERLOT,
which refer to numerous high-quality applets. |
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Development of further modules on topics in demand: I
am not saying that I won't write any further modules, but presently I have
written all that I wanted to write and I am looking forward to fine-tuning the
text. I have not gotten around to it yet, but I plan to post the source code
for a sample module. With this sample, interested people with experience in
LaTeX should be able to write materials consistent with the format of this
project. As a precursor, visitors interested in typesetting should also consider my
typesetting tools
collection on MERLOT. |
Statement on the financial side. Of course this project also could
involve large amounts of money. I am not interested in exploiting people's free
contributions. If this is a concern, we could certainly work something out.
Personally, I want a high quality product, everything else is up to negotiation.
So the following should only be seen as an amateur's examples. Writers of
independent products (student manual, additional modules) naturally will earn
royalties off their product. For contributions to the text itself or to add-ons
that are made available for free (instructor's manual, faculty solutions
manual), the idea that is most consistent with the overall philosophy may be
that I reduce my royalty for sales at a contributor's institution.
Other than that, let it be on record that I know what greed feels like
and I have not felt it in connection with this project. However, if the
materials are judged to be good and are widely used, then most likely I will
earn significant amounts of money. There is no inconsistency or problem here.
Good work should be rewarded. Neither I nor my family would object. I doubt my
outlook on life would change, though. If the materials are not widely used (I
believe they are good, or I would not have done the whole thing) … hey, my life
is good as it is now.
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