one of the things i did this semester in my multivariable calculus class was to give the option of doing an "extra credit" project. i've never done that before, and was inclined against it. but: it went so very well. let me tell you...
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ground rules: you do the project because you want to learn more than what we cover in class. it counts for an unspecified amount of bonus credit if done well. no rules on format (essay? video? comic book? yay!), but you have to explain what you learned well.
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to give students a starting point, i made a list of various "bonus videos" from my lectures in the Calculus BLUE video text on YouTube & suggested they pick one of those to get started.
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i got over a dozen submissions of really great, creative work. projects included "LP in Systems Engineering", "how GPS uses the Implicit Function Theorem", "Kalman Filters & Data Fusion", "Nash equilibria & Biological Signalling", & more...
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one wonderful student wrote a long paper on potential applications of GANs to Phylogenetics, and how what she learned this semester in calculus is relevant.
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these are *1st-year* undergraduate students @Penn, working on their own in these weird times & learning really advanced stuff. i am so proud of their intellectual curiosity & verve. the future is going to be a better place because of students like these.
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