Instructor:  Kelly MacArthur

Office Phone:  801-581-8341

Office: JWB 226 (for hours see Canvas)

Email:  [email protected]

THIS COURSE:  College Algebra is one of the prerequisites for Calculus.  A deep understanding of algebra and

trigonometry is crucial to succeeding in a calculus course.  The mathematics of chemistry, biology, architecture, and business all require the skills obtained in this course.  We like to say:  You can’t be too healthy, too rich, or have too much mathematics!

PREREQUISITES:   The prerequisite  for this  course  is  at  least  a  C  (preferably  a  B)  in  mathematics  1010  or  its equivalent or an ACT score of at least 23 (within the last two years).   Students are expected to already have the basic

algebra skills contained in Appendix A: Review of Fundamental Concepts of Algebra.

TEXT & ONLINE MATERIALS:

Canvas                https://utah.instructure.com

WebAssign          https://www.webassign.net/utah/login.html

You will need to purchase access to WebAssign; this will also give you access to an e-book version of the textbook for no additional charge.

PRECALCULUS, 9/e edition, Larson;  Chapters 1-3, 7-9. Access e-book through “WebAssign” or obtain hardback version (for additional money).

Our class web page         http://www.math.utah.edu/~macarthu/summer14/math1050.html

IMPORTANT:  See the document “Textbook and WebAssign Information” for your options about how to obtain course materials and how to enroll at WebAssign.

COMMUNICATION: All announcements for the course will be posted on the Canvas website (you can have these forwarded by Canvas to your e-mail or phone.) You may contact the instructor by e-mail or through either of the course websites. When e-mailing your instructor, please include “1050” in the subject line.

OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m.; and by appointment.

ADDITIONAL HELP: You may ask for my help on the Canvas discussion board or by email. Also, you can use: Math Tutoring Center (drop-in tutoring and computer lab).  It is in the underground passage between JWB and

LCB, Room 155.   See http://www.math.utah.edu/ugrad/mathcenter.html for hours.

Private Tutoring: University Tutoring Services, 330 SSB (they offer inexpensive tutoring). There is also a list of tutors at the Math Department office in JWB 233.

TECHNOLOGY:  The majority of the course work can be done without a calculator.  No calculators will be allowed on  midterms or the final exam.   Graphing calculators will be used in some lectures and may be allowed on portions of quizzes (scientific calculators will be sufficient). A Texas Instruments TI-84 calculator is used in the course videos.  You are responsible to learn how to use your calculator.

GRADING:   Grades are calculated as  follows: Quizzes (15%), WebAssign (15%), Midterms (40%) and Final Exam (30%).  A score of 73% is required for a C, which is the prerequisite to take the next class.  You should monitor your course grade throughout the semester by looking at “Grades” in Canvas.   The document “Borderline Grades” gives more information about how grades are determined.

GRADING SCALE: The grade scale will be: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), E (0-59).

DATES:

COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE:

Reading from your text book.

Watching the video lectures – these have been prerecorded by

multiple instructors.  They are available on in both streamable

and downloadable versions at

http://www.math.utah.edu/lectures/math1050.html.

(Bookmark that page.)

Solving Problems: Working through problems helps you

understand and master the material.  There are graded

homework problems on WebAssign (due Monday nights at 11

pm; worth 15% of grade; the five lowest scores will be dropped

in the grade calculation.  The drop will occur in Week 12.)  There

are also optional problems after the videos, listed on Canvas.

These are not graded, but are useful because you have the full solution.

Online quizzes (one quiz each week; 40 minutes to take quiz and you must take it in one block of time; access quizzes on Canvas from 1 am Friday and until 11 pm Sunday; worth 15% of grade; the two lowest quiz scores will be dropped in the grade calculation in week 12).  You will be able to review your quiz on the Monday following the quiz.

The quizzes are graded by the computer – which looks for an exact match with the solution key and does not give partial credit.  However, you can receive retroactive partial credit for answers if you can explain what about the work that went into obtaining your incorrect answer was correct, identify your mistake, and describe how to solve the problem correctly.  To request partial credit, select the “GRADES” option in Canvas and then select the quiz. For each problem for which you would like partial credit, write the problem number and your request in the “Add a Comment” box.   See  the  document,  “How to Request Partial Credit on Quizzes”, for examples of requests. Submit requests by the Thursday following the quiz.

Exams: There will be two midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam at the end of the semester.   You must schedule your exams at: www.uonline.utah.edu.  Exams will be administered at the Uonline testing center (in the Marriot Library), at a satellite testing center (in Sandy, Bountiful, or Murray) or if you are out of area, with a proctor that you set up (and register with Uonline). There will be practice material provided prior to each exam. You are not allowed to use notes, a calculator, textbook, or phones during the exam. More information about exam center policies is in the “ Taking Exams” document, located on the class web page.

Extra Credit: Extra credit (worth up to 3+ WebAssign assignments) can be earned for participating in online discussions (by asking or answering questions with significant mathematical content), or by spotting errors in course materials.  See “Extra Credit Information” document for details.