Dear STA 447/2006 students,				(March 15, 2020)

I hope you received my announcement yesterday about changes to the course.
(I am posting this announcement to Quercus and ALSO sending it by email.
From now on I will probably just send email.  So, if you are seeing this
announcement online but NOT receiving the email, please let me know.)

This announcement provides more details about the upcoming Midterm #2, to
be held this Thursday (March 19) from 6:00 to 9:00 PM online on Quercus.
And at the end below, I also explain how you should VOTE on the proposed
course changes.  Hopefully this information will answer your various
questions, and re-assure you that you don't need to worry too much!

 * Because of the changed circumstances, I will allow this midterm to be
OPEN-BOOK, i.e. you may consult your notes and textbook if needed.  (But
please study as you would for a closed-book exam -- it is NOT a good idea
to just assume you can "look it up if you need it".)  However, during the
test, you are still *NOT* allowed to communicate with anyone at all
(besides the instructor or TA); you must work entirely on your own.

 * Despite the changed circumstances, the midterm questions themselves
will still be "usual" questions that I might put on any regular midterm.
(In fact, I made up most of the questions before I knew of the changes.)

 * As usual for a second midterm, it will cover the entire course up to
this point, but will FOCUS on the parts AFTER the first midterm.

 * Since some of you are worried about needing more time to learn the
latest material, I have decided that I will *NOT* ask about anything in
Chapter 4 of the textbook, i.e. the midterm will ONLY cover the first THREE
chapters.  And, I will NOT try to make this midterm any harder than usual.

 * Because of the online challenges, I will give you THREE full hours for
the midterm (6:00 to 9:00), but design it to take just TWO hours.  So, you
will hopefully have lots of extra time to upload your answers.

 * To those of you who did poorly on Midterm #1: I hereby declare that if
the final exam is cancelled, then as long as you pass the second midterm,
you will still pass the course.  (And, those few of you who were "excused"
from the first midterm will be graded on just the second midterm.)

 * During the midterm, you will have to type your answers into Quercus, or
perhaps hand-write them and then scan or photograph your answers and
upload them -- I am not sure which yet.  This may be somewhat awkward, but
hopefully will work out okay.  Just do your best to make everything as
clear as possible, so that the grader can clearly understand what you are
trying to say, and then we will try to be understanding in our grading.

 * For now, I have set up a PRETEND test on Quercus, that you can try out
if you want.  To find it on Quercus, go to the "Quizzes" tab.  If you do
try it out, then feel free to let me know if it seems okay, and if you
think it is better to type directly into Quercus or to upload a file.

 * Hopefully the Quercus interface will work fine.  Just in case, I will
try to also set up a BACKUP plan, so that if necessary (in the worst case)
you can read the quiz questions online and then email your answers
directly to us.  I will work hard to make sure that everything goes okay!

 * During the test, if you have questions or problems then you can email
me, and I will try to reply right away.  And in case of any difficulties
or necessary corrections during the test, I will send additional emails.

 * For now, please make sure that you have a working computer, and
appropriate work location, and can connect fine to Quercus.  If you have
problems with any of this, please inform me BY WEDNESDAY AT 9:00 AM, and
we will try to find a way to make special alternative arrangements for you.

 * Finally, as mentioned earlier, we have to have a VOTE about the
proposed changes to the course, in particular the decision to cancel the
final exam.  So, I have set up a "STUDENT VOTE" option on Quercus,
also under the "Quizzes" tab.  PLEASE GO THERE TO VOTE on this question,
as soon as possible, and no later than Wednesday at 9:00 AM.  Thanks!

Thank you for your patience and understanding for this online midterm.  If
you have any concerns or questions then you can email me.  (I might not be
able to respond to every email individually, but I will try to take them
into account in my future class announcements.)  Meanwhile, all best
wishes to you all to stay safe during these challenging times.

Yours sincerely, Professor Rosenthal