Math 124: College Algebra Course Outline
Fall 2007
4 Credits
Instructor: Champion
Instructor:
E-Mail:
Office Hours:
Joe Champion
joseph.champion@unco.edu (preferred)
Ross 2246, Tues 12:30-1:25; Wed 11:15-12:05; Thur 1:25-2:15 & 4:30-5:20
Class Meets:
MWThF 2:30-3:20pm in Ross 2090 OR MWThF 3:35-4:25pm in Ross 2270
Required Materials:
Graphing Calculator (the TI 83 & TI 84 models will be used in class)
Regular Internet Access
3-ring binder and notebook paper
Recommended Text: Coburn, John W. (2007). College Algebra. New York: McGraw-Hill.
In-Class Activities and Participation
You will have many opportunities to work in class with your peers on mathematics. Most of these
activities will include small group work and graphing calculators, so always come prepared to class with
your graphing calculator and notebook paper. You’ll also occasionally need to take unfinished in-class
activities home as assignments, so regular attendance is essential to doing well in this portion of the
course. You can expect to earn high scores in this section if you come prepared to class every day, ask
questions, and stay engaged.
Weekly Quizzes
There will be weekly quizzes in this class, usually on Fridays. The quizzes will include tasks very similar
to exercises on weekly homework handouts along with conceptual questions related to material discussed
in class. You may use your notes and any work you’ve done on the homework handouts during quizzes,
so remember to bring your completed homework to class on quiz days!
Exams
Three class sessions are tentatively scheduled for exams: September 21, October 15, and November 9.
The exams cover both textbook and in-class content and are comprehensive. Before each exam, practice
problems and other exam review material may be posted on the course website. Most students do these
review problems before exams and find them very helpful. If it benefits your overall grade in the course,
your final exam score will replace your lowest midterm exam score. However, there are no make-up
exams or retake exams in this course.
Final Exam
The comprehensive final exam for the course is scheduled by the university on Thursday, Dec. 14th at
1:30-4:00 pm for the 2:30 MWRF class. The final exam will be Friday, Dec. 15th at 10:45am-1:15pm
for the 3:35 MWRF class. If you have three or more final exams scheduled on the same day, please see
me at least two weeks before the final exam to discuss rescheduling options.
Online Homework (WeBWorK-- http://mathit.unco.edu/webwork2/math124)
Regular web-based homework assignments will be assigned. These automated problem sets are carefully
picked to provide you with chances to practice concepts introduced in class. Generally you’ll have 3 to 5
days to complete each homework set, but deadlines for completing homework problems will also be
announced in class and online. To help you stay up to date, the homework site is set to allow no late
homework. However, we all have occasional conflicts, so two of your lowest online homework scores
will be dropped from consideration in the grading.
Math 124: College Algebra Course Outline
Fall 2007
4 Credits
Instructor: Champion
Course Website (Blackboard- http://bb.unco.edu)
The online home of the course on Blackboard will contain class announcements, a link to online
homework assignments (WeBWorK), in-class activities, exam review materials, course documents, and
all your scores in the class. I recommend that you visit the site often to check your scores and stay
informed about the course.
Grading
Overall grades will be determined by weighting your averages according to the following percentages:
Online Homework
10%
Activities and Participation
20%
Weekly Quizzes
10%
Exam 1
10%
Exam 2
15%
Exam 3
15%
Final Exam
20%
Final letter grades will be assigned based on the 90-80-70-60 scale:
A: 90% or higher
B: 80%-89% C: 70%-79%
D: 60%-69%
F: 0%-59%
Help
I encourage you to come see me for help early and often this semester, especially if you’ve struggled with
math classes in the past. I’m happy to help over email too. For tutoring help, here are some options:
• The Math Lab, located in Ross 1250, provides free drop-in tutoring services for College
Algebra. Available tutor hours are posted on the door.
• The university has a Tutoring Center in the Michener Library. Appointments are necessary for
each free one hour appointment. To schedule an appointment, you need to go to Michener L149.
• The Math Department in Ross 2239 maintains a list of private tutors that provide fee-based
math tutoring.
UNC Honor Code
All members of the University of Northern Colorado community are entrusted with the responsibility to
uphold and promote five fundamental values: Honesty, Trust, Respect, Fairness, and Responsibility.
These core elements foster an atmosphere, inside and outside of the classroom, which serves as a
foundation and guides the UNC community’s academic, professional, and personal growth. Endorsement
of these core elements by students, faculty, staff, administration, and trustees strengthens the integrity and
value of our academic climate.
Academic Dishonesty
Behavior that appears to be cheating cannot and will not be tolerated and will be addressed according to
University policy as outlined in the Student Handbook (http://www.unco.edu/dos/handbook/links.htm).
Possible disciplinary actions range from earning no credit on an assignment to a failing grade in the class
along with a notation on your permanent transcript stating that you failed due to academic dishonesty.
Changes
The instructor reserves the right to amend, adjust, or otherwise modify the outline and syllabus at any
time during the course.